well, since I've gotten Sam, she has been a bit wierd about pooping in her cage. I think this may have something to do with the fact that her previous owner kept her in a tiny (10 gallon) tank and almost never cleaned it, so maybe she's trying to keep things tidy. I may be wrong, but that's just the way I've percieved it. i've been taking her out almost everyday since I got her to get her used to people and maybe work off some grams, and almost everyday it's the same routine. Run around for a little bit, and then take a nice big poop (I've been putting down layers of towels covered with newspapers to cope with the situation), then run around some more. So just recently I've gotten the idea to only handle her right after she goes to the bathroom...in her cage. I started this plan on monday, and she hasn't pooped since sunday, yet she's eating as much as ever, and would eat more if she had the chance. She's ballooned up a great deal, and most of it seems like water because I gave her a little check today and it felt like I was trying to hold a hot water bottle. I'm hoping she'll go tomorrow, or else I might have to let her out and start over again next week because I'm going away till monday and my brother feeds the lizards, but he refuses to pick up after them. I just don't feel that it's nice to make her walk through her poo since she's in a fairly small cage right now.
One thing I noticed today. I seem to have a maternal instinct or something. I was sitting there watching her waddle around with her grossly fat body (she was really fat already, but now she's "ate too much turkey on thanksgiving" fat) and I kept feeling bad that I wasn't letting her out to release her bodily waste, but then I got a grip and figured it was for the good of the lizard, and of course my carpet. I just don't want to keep her cramped up in her little 48"x13"x14" cage too much because she is already fat, and she enjoys to run around. I can't wait until I build my new reptile cages this summer. Then I'll make it great for her, with lots of branches and rocks and hides and stuff of that sort. That will be great.
Well, just figured I'd put a little update...which turned out to be a big update. Basically, she's holding strong. I was wondering, if I want her to poop more often and lose some weight, are there any specific foods I can use, or amounts. I've been giving her about a 6" diameter bowl full of greens and she always finishes it. maybe I should ration the food? To maybe just half of the bowl of food and then a couple leaves of greens when I get home from school. I don't know. I can't seem to find much info about getting obese lizards down in weight. By the way, the temps stay about a constant 125-130 and sometimes 140 directly under the bulb, and then the gradient goes down evenly until about 80 degrees on the cool end.
thanks for enduring my long stupid post.
