Help...Impacted maybe...

Costello has been doing a lot of window dancing for about 3 days now...then he will lay flat on his basking rock trying to get his underside as close to the heat as possable. He hasn't really gone poop in 3 days either..I have soaked him for the past 2 days in very warm water. Today he raised his tail like he was gonna go then just a wee bit of the white came out and that was all. And he is not eating much at all. Could he be impacted from something and if so is there something I can give him or should I call his vet tomorrow. And he is really grumpy but calms down when I rub his lower tummy area right above his legs. Any suggestions please. Thanks
Alexa

Um,........what sort of animal are we talking about here?

Before doing anything I would suggest calling your vet and asking them first, but from what I have read around keep soaking him, get a heating pad to warm up his belly, and give him some mineral oil to try and lube anything that needs to come out. Can't say how well this works personally, but this is just some stuff that I have read. Anyone else having more experience in this would be better suited to answer than me. I have not had success in this area. I had a few babies get impacted back in the day when I first started, I didn't know better, and that did not turn out pretty. That is what I tried tho, but they were too far gone when I got home. I started to make some progress with this method, but it was too much and too far gone by the time I caught it. I wish you luck and hope this is of some help to you.

I'm hoping I got this in time if that is what is wrong. He can still use his back legs like crazy. I don't have mineral oil could I use a bit of olive oil. I have given that to my dogs and cats to help pass hairballs but dragons are different and I know he don't have a hair ball.

well i decided to go ahead and give him a shot of olive oil. He wasn't very happy about it. Hope it don't hurt him but maybe it will get things moving. I'll soak him again in the morning then call the vet if nothing happens.

Hello,

What would have caused the impaction? Loose substrate such as bark or calcisand? Too large of prey?
Remember, just give a few drops of olive oil, & bathe him, massaging him on the right side of the belly gently prodding all of the way down towards the vent.
You can also as suggested, put a heat pad on low & put a towel in between him & the heat pad, overnight, to help keep things moving a little better.

Tracie

I can't figure out what would cause the impaction....he is on slate tile and I'm very careful what I feed him. The only thing I can think of is maybe he ate some dried out reptical. I soak it and put some in his salad...but sometimes he throws it everywhere and could have gotten some that was dried. He eats large crickets only. He is about 14"long...not small. I'll soak and massage this morning and if nothing we are calling the vet. Thanks for the info I was just rubbing right in the middle not the right side.

Is he drinking at all when you bathe him? I wouldn't think the Repcal would cause impaction, IMO I would think it would simply digest, even if it was dry....but I guess odd things can surprise you sometimes..... Olive oil should loosen things up regardless.

How big are the "large' crickets? I've seen "large" crickets sold ranging anywhere from 2/3" or so up to full-grown monster sized, lol.

The large crickets really vary in size...most are maybe 1/2" that is the largest. I did soak him this morning and he did a really small poop but not like he should since it has been 4 days now. I did give him a superworm the other night. First time he had one....maybe that did it. but it was a Small worm. He is still window dancing like crazy though and won't sit still on his basking rock or a heating pad. I'll give him another soak in a bit let him window dance maybe that will move things around a bit..
Thanks for your response.

Hello,

I agree, I don't think the repcal would cause the impaction, either. As stated, crickets do vary in size. Personally, the adults may be too large for a 14 inch dragon possibly. Are they smaller than the space between his eyes?
Try getting him to swim around a bit, that can help move things through as well.
Let us know how he is doing. You could mix in a few drops of olive oil with some warmed up applesauce, too. He would probobly like the applesauce.
Normally, I don't suggest introducing superworms into their diets until they are at least 15-16 inches long, just because of how their intestines are designed. That is possible that could have done it. Any time you introduce a new food into their system, you never know how they may react to it. All dragons are different.
Good luck.
Keep us posted.

Tracie