My bearded dragon is constipated. Can I use prune, applesauce, olive oil?

Thanks for reaching out about Spike. He probably needs to see a veterinarian, since the warm water soak and other treatments haven't seemed to work. Any change of ingested foreign bodies (sand, bark, paper, other)? Hold back on the olive oil, as if aspirated with cause death. Good luck.

I wouldn't be overly concerned at this point although he may be constipated or have the start of a blockage. Is it possible your mom overfed him? I notice you have him on sand which often causes blockages. I suggest you switch to a more proper substrate ( like indoor/outdoor carpet or newspaper). I recommend you try soaking him in warm water that may cause the bowels to start moving. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102919&id=7996830 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear that Nero is having a potential problem. It may be time to re evaluate your husbandry program to ensure that you are doing everything right from housing, conditions, diet, etc. Here's two great links for their care and husbandry http://www.anapsid.org/bearded.html http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Lizard-Species/Bearded-Dragon/ A few common reasons for constipation include chronic dehydration and poor gut motility due to low calcium levels. These links should help you get back on track. 10 min water soaks once daily may also help including adding calcium to his diet. I hope these help you resolve the problem. I wish you good luck.

The stress associated with new surroundings can certainly affect appetite. Low temperatures can also affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. Give Lightning a few days to acclimate. Confirm adequate temps, both basking and ambient, in his enclosure. You can also survey the area around the cage for any negative stimuli, reducing or eliminating them if possible. Continue to offer fresh greens, fruits and appropriately sized prey. Warm soaks in a 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte may treat or prevent mild dehydration. The soaks will also warm him up and, if you massage his abdomen during the soaks, they can stimulate defecation.

Give her a 15-20 minute soak in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte daily. During the soak, gently massage her abdomen front to back to stimulate defecation. The soak will warm her up, hydrate her and get her GI tract moving. This should help with defecation. Make sure she is eating an appropriate Crestie diet (Pangea, Repashy, etc). She can eat prey/insects, but if she eats too much, she may get a bit constipated.

Confirm proper temperatures. Low temps can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. Soak Jax in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. This will provide heat and may treat or prevent mild dehydration. Be sure prey is appropriately sized, no bigger than the space between the eyes. Look for pinhead crickets or freshly hatched/molted dubia roaches. Gutload them for 24 hours prior to offering to maximize nutritional value. Fluker's Repti-Boost can be used as a supplement. If Jax does not begin eating, have him examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to diagnose illness or injury.

Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. Monitor Drogon for difficulty breathing, blowing bubbles, lethargy, or odd sounds while breathing. These are symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. Parasites or URI may cause the condition you are seeing. Bump cage temps up by about 5F for a few days. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte twice daily for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the UVB light source is not older than 6 months and use quality vitamin and mineral supplements. If Drogon gets worse or does not begin eating soon, have him examined by an experienced herp veterinarian.