Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, thanks everybody for taking time to answer my questions.. well, I gave my dragon a really long bath, and then gently rubbed her belly.. and guess what, a big black chunk came out (it was most likely coco-bark substrate)... I think that was part of what was stopping her from eating, so it is passing through. After that she started acting normally (like jumping onto my shoulder)... but she still doesn't want food.. so I am going to keep giving her baths and I'm going to take her to the vet tomarrow afternoon... I will tell you what she says.
Furious Herps.com

thats awesome. But i have read about how substrates like bark chips will compact all too often and stuff like that and arent reccomended. lets see what the more expereinced say.
tito

Good! Glad to hear something came out. Where did coco bark come from? Thought you used bran substrate? I think if more of us knew you used coco bark we would of leaned more towards impaction for sure. Many cases were when beardies were housed on bark, calci sand, etc.

I am glad to hear she pooed good! Hopefully she will eat for you soon. Glad to hear your still going to call the vet. Take care, Lindsay

That's wonderful news, Scott! I'm glad you're still taking her to the vet tomorrow. I would go ahead & follow Christyj's suggestion & give her just a drop of mineral oil. It certainly won't hurt anything. Thanks for the update; I breathed a sigh of relief when I read it. Let us know what the vet says.

ToniaD

Ya, I did mention that I just moved her onto bran... the poo was ROCK, hard.... she is starting to prolaps, but goes away right after it happens, hopefully she will be able to pass some more through on her own, I wont be home all day tomarrow, so I'll see how it goes.. should I leave her light on a little later tonight to give her lots of time to break the stuff down, or can she not break it down... also, what kind of oil? Thanks.

Mineral oil. You can find it @ Wal-Mart or any other department store or drug store.

Go down to the bottom of your looooong thread..lol make sure you see what to do if she does prolapse.
Mineral oil is best, but vegetable oil will work too. Just use a drop or two, no more.

np

Wow, you have no idea, she is my first and only dragon.. I love her so much.. I am so worried for her, it was such a relief to see that she passed that out.. still not out of the woods yet, she still needs to eat.
Furious Herps.com

It's actually best if she doesn't eat until you are sure that all the impaction is cleared, it will just back up more. The oil should help soften the stool and make it a little easier for her to pass it.

Of course... but when it is all cleared up I hope she'll eat.
Furious Herps.com

I hope so too! Do you have any Parazap? It has an appetite stimulant in it, and also a mild laxative by the way..(would be good if there's a problem)
She probably knows by instinct not to eat right now.