Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if it Beardies get constipated?

I bought a new (about a 2 month old beardie male) Beardie on Sunday I havent noticed it take a poop yet... now granted maybe its small and I dont see it (maybe getting lost in the sand or something) but I just havent found anything...

I sifted through the sand today and took out anything that didnt go thru the net?? is there any signs of constipation?

My bearide seems to be acting normal for a lil guy... just likes his cave a lot... but when I take him out... he usually ends up on top of his cave/rock to Bask... and he has been eating greens and crickets... (hunts them down with such ease) so I doubt he is constipated... do they walk funny if that are constipated?? this guy normally when he walks doesnt let his belly tough the ground... walks high on his feet but does rest his belly down when he is resting or just lookin around...
I dunno any ideas? or am I just being a worry wart?

thanks

-Lou

Try giving him a warm bath...warm, not hot..like for a baby. That usually gets them pooping. What size crickets are you feeding him? Pooping is very important with young dragons. You should put him on paper towels until you see him poop. Yes they walk funny when they are constipated, but not like you were describing. When they become impacted they start to lose function in their back legs. They freeze up. Impaction is a very serious problem with young dragons, but yours is probably just pooping where you aren't looking. Did you sift the sand he is on to get the pebbles out? What size crickets? What is the temperature of your basking site? Is he spending enough time in the basking spot to digest his food? Is he hiding in the shade all day?

Jen

well my brother told me yesterday he did clean up some of his poop... so thats good...

he really likes his cave and everytime I am around he usually is in there... but when I do take him out of his cave to eat he eats those crickets (small ones) wiht no problem... and usually spends some nice time on his basking spot afterwards... he does nip at the greens I give him as well... I guess I still gotta get him used to the greens...

maybe he is a lil dehydrated... so today when I get home I will bath him... I have been misting him lightly and been suplementing one of his cricket meals with calcium & d3 powder...

I am sure I am just being a lil worried... he seems very active even when I take him out (which is not often...I dont want to scare him to much) actually he is such a curious lil guy... jumped from my moms hans on to her dress and ran right on to my bed...

oh yeah... the thermometer I have in his tank by the basking spot reads in the low hundreds...

I will post a thread with pics of him... look for it at the top...

thanks again

Lou

Everything you have said sounds good. I am glad he pooped for you! The only thing in what you said that sounds like a possible problem is that he spends so much time in his cave. He may just be feeling insecure. As long as he is eating well and spending some time in the sun don't worry too much. Remember though that he can not digest his food without heat, and he can't use his calcium effectivly without UVB light..I assume you just got him, so hiding in the beginning isn't a problem. If his behavior does not change over the next week you might want to consider taking away his cave until he becomes more comfortable without it. But give him a week to do it on his own.
Baby Dragons

Yeah... he spends a lot of time in his cave... when I am around... I work a 9-5... so I am sure he does his thing when I am not around

what I have noticed in the past day or so... is he comes out when there is no one in the room... he does come out... and when he does he usually is in his basking spot... last night he was actually out and doin the usual beardie thing... trying climb up the glass... and tossing sand all over the place...

once someone comes in the room he usually gets cautious... and doesnt take his eyes of off you (as long as your in his line of sight) and then usually goes in his cave so I guess it really is just that he is probably a little overwhelmed... I do mist him... and what not... but if he does spend a lot of time in the cave still by the end of the week... I think I will follow your adivce and take it out... maybe put a smaller hiding spot that is more revealing...

thank you... as you can see I have never cared for a beardie this small... so I have a lot of questions...

thanks again