I woke up this morning and Mojo had runny poop in her enclosure. It was semi-solid but definitely runny. Just so you know everything, I got two bearded dragons about 3 weeks ago because the woman I bought them from told me that it wouldn't be an issue. I only found out after that this was a very bad idea. Well one of them ended up dying because of stress from being relocated and I just got the replacement last Wednesday. Like I said, I didn't know that two separate enclosures were necessary and I did not have the money for another enclosure until last night and this morning she had runny poop. I do not know if it has been runny before because it's always dried up when I find it. So here are my questions: 1) Why is her poop runny? Could it be from stress? Or is it something else? 2)They have not been eating a lot at all since they've been enclosed together(no weight loss that I can see, just not eating), is that normal? And should they start eating again now that they're not together?NOTE: I have also had to temporarily switch them over to crickets because their roaches did not arrive when they should have 3) Jojo has been arm waving and I thought it was because Mojo was in there with her but I caught her doing it again this morning. Why is she doing this?
Alright so I don't know much about bearded dragons. Bt I did some research for you and this is what I could gather. The problem for the runny poo could be two things that I have found. One could be diet, such as the salads you are feeding him. If you are feeding lettuce such as romaine etc. they are filled with water and to mention little nutrition. Another thing which you would hae to tell me if it has Ben happening for a while,not could be a parasite. I'm not trying to scare you because it's only happened once now so it could be his diet and even stress. As for the low eating you have to let them aclimate a little bit you can't expect them to eat of the bat especially since they were together which I'm sure caused them some stress. To be sure they are separated now correct? As for the arm Waving from what I an gatherit could be two things. Oething could be a mating sort of fester. Another is sort of a surrender like them saying you realize you are in charge of them or it could even be territorial. There are people on the forum tat are experts when it comes t bearded dragons and I'm sure they will be able to add more info more than I was ale to. Keeps us updated
It may very well be from stress, or it could be from an excess of moisture in the diet. At this point I would say just keep an eye on it. If she has multiple irregular stools (excessively runny, smelly), then you may need to be concerned about some kind of infection. But a runnier stool every now and then is pretty normal and can be caused by a multitude of things. Again, just keep on eye on her next couple stools. Hopefully this is just an isolated event and you don't need to worry. I'd say, given your circumstances, the lack of appetite is to be expected. Beardies just don't seem to do very well when they are housed together, and it's pretty common for one or both of a pair to eat less or not at all if they feel intimidated by each other. Hopefully the separation should resolve this issue. However, it will most likely still take a bit of time from the date of separation for them to come around. Make sure they can't even see each other from their separate cages; simply being in the presence of another beardie can cause them stress, even if they are not in direct contact. I would also cover at least three sides of the cage if they are in a glass setup. This will create a better feeling of security and will reduce the chances of them seeing their reflection and getting freaked out by that. Aside from that, just keep offering food regularly and make sure they are staying hydrated. She may have seen her reflection, or she may even be directing the arm waving at you. I worked with a juvenile beardie who would arm wave every single time I came in the room. It's basically a submissive gesture; think of it as them saying, "I mean you no harm. You are in control." Well, hopefully things will get better soon. Based on this and your other posts it seems like you are doing your research and are taking all the proper actions to get these beardies on the right track. Keep us updated and feel free to treat us to some pictures sometime! =D
Thank you. I am definitely trying to give these two chicks here what they need but I am definitely still learning. It's very possible that there could be some excess moisture. They haven't been eating many bugs butthey do seem to have been eating on their salads. This weeks menu is Collards, Zuchini, and Yellow Squash so plenty of moisture there. The poop this morning did smell pretty bad but it did not really smell like infection, just normal upset stomach bad. Actually it smelled EXACTLY like my dog's poop when he has an upset tummy. I had someone else mention the reflection thing to me and that just tickled me to no end. I just kept getting this vision of "Who's that...oh HI ME!" lol I will definitely post some pics as soon as I can. Just FYI my profile pic is them before they were separated. Jojo up front, Mojo in the back. =D
Yep, I'd definitely say it was most likely a moisture thing. My beardie gets the same thing when he has eaten more of his salad than normal. His poo will have a little extra runny part and will smell a little more strongly (though not enough to cause alarm). It's quite fun to clean up... =| Anyways, like I said, just keep an eye on it, but what you're describing sounds pretty normal especially based on their recent food items. It's actually excellent that they are at least eating some greens. Hopefully they will pick up on the hunting thing soon. I honestly think that a lot of beardies get discouraged when others in the same cage are quicker at grabbing prey items from right under their nose, and they end up giving up on actively chasing down prey because they've learned that someone else will get to it before they can. One thing I did for a somewhat "special ed" beardie who wasn't a very good or active hunter was to A) feed him baby roaches (which I know you've already ordered)--because they can't hop away he was able to catch them more easily and became more confident and capable at hunting--B) throw his crickets in the fridge (not freezer) for a minute or two to slow them down and make it easier for him to catch them, and C) take out EVERYTHING in his cage (including the carpet/paper towels so the bugs couldn't hide under it) and give him a good 20-30 minutes alone with the prey. (I know it's an absolute pain in the butt to take everything out of the cage multiple times a day, but we didn't have to do that for very long before he got good enough at hunting that we could put crickets/roaches in there without removing all the obstacles.) Perhaps you can try some (or all) of those tricks, and hopefully with a little bit of patience your girls will become the bottomless pits that they should be, haha. =P I love the look Jojo is giving the camera in your avatar. "Why are you all up my my business yo?"
Hahaha I love the "who's that. Oh that's me!". Hahaha lol well good to see you doin your research I feel they are in good care with you
