Many bearded dragon owners have been shocked when they noticed blood in their pet’s poop. Blood in bearded dragon poop is a pretty scary thing to see, but don’t worry. I will explain the causes of this issue and some solutions that you can do to prevent it from happening again. It’s a dangerous situation for your pet if left without intervention.
Blood in bearded dragon poop can be a sign of impaction or infection by internal parasites such as tapeworms. Take the bearded dragon to the vet for observation and treatment if the issue persists for several days. At times, the red color in their poop is a food color from red foods.
Besides blood, your pet’s poop could turn another color such as green, black or yellow depending on different underlying causes such as sickness, stress and a change in the environment.
What does bearded dragon poop look like?
Normal bearded dragon poop is brown and white. The brown part should be shaped like a log while the white part should be found at the end or edges of the poop. Healthy bearded dragon poop should also not have a strong smell. Bearded dragon urate is the white part of its poop.
Blood in bearded dragon poop should not be found; if it does appear, there might be an issue with the animal’s health. Not just that, but other colors shouldn’t be present as well.
Blood in bearded dragon poop
If you notice a bright red color in your bearded dragon’s stool, it may have some blood in it. Blood may appear as a dark brown tinge when mixed with the yellow mucus.
What causes bearded dragons to bleed internally?
Blood might show up in poop if they have an infection from parasites or are experiencing internal problems like an intestinal blockage due to constipation. Blood can also enter their system through bacteria found on food items such as lettuce and spinach, which is why any vegetables should always be cleaned before being offered to the bearded dragons.
Be sure to always keep fresh water available because dehydration could lead to vomiting blood. Also, insects with sharp shells and legs can puncture the intestines of your pet dragon leading to blood in their poop.
At times, the red color might be from something they ate such as raspberries. For this reason, always wait until you confirm that it’s indeed blood after observing the phenomenon for several days.
The causes of blood in bearded dragon stool are:
- Parasites like coccidia in bearded dragons can cause bloody stools.
- Blood from the mouth may get passed through their food which then makes its way into your beardie’s water bowl.
- Internal bleeding due to trauma such as falling off something high up (e.g., perches) or being attacked by another animal, could also lead to blood appearing in your bearded dragon’s poop.
If you notice any blood whatsoever on your beardie’s tail when they go out during the day, this could be a sign of internal bleeding and a visit to the vet is required. Also, if you notice any blood on the outside or inside of their cage, it is advisable that you clean up thoroughly. Blood attracts predators such as rodents which can cause harm to your beardie.
Bearded dragon runny poop
Bearded dragon watery poop is caused by various things, including a change in diet, parasites and illnesses. Runny bearded dragon poop can be due to overhydration, such as when the dragon has had lots of fluids without any solid food.
A change in diet can lead to runny poop in your bearded dragon, especially if you’ve increased the amount of fiber in their diet. Fiber will often come from greens like dandelion greens, romaine lettuce or spinach.
If your pet has a sensitive stomach to fiber, they will likely have issues digesting it. If their water intake is not up to par with the amount of food they eat, it could result in runnier poop than normal.
In addition, some reptiles may be bothered by certain vegetables such as cabbage so keep an eye out for any bowel movements that look different from what you’re used to seeing when feeding them vegetables.
Once you know what causes bearded dragon runny poop will help guide treatment options like switching foods or giving medications/dosages of antiparasitic drugs.
In cases where Parasites could responsible they will typically result in other symptoms, like lethargic behavior or loss of appetite. Besides the runny poop, the other signs that your bearded dragon has a parasite include:
- Loss of weight
- Loss of appetite (anorexia)
- Dizziness
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea or constipation
- A change in behavior (more aggressive, more outgoing) or an unusual noise coming from their stomach.
- Mucus in the stool
- Foul smell from the poop
As noted in the above sections, bearded dragon parasite poop can be bloody or runny in nature. If you notice any of these signs prolonged, seek the advice of a vet.
Bearded dragon white poop
When the bearded dragon has white poop, it’s usually a sign of dehydration. Find out the causes and how to fix them. Apart from white droppings instead of brown or black ones the bearded dragon will show other signs of dehydration such as lethargy, sunken eyes, no poo production for more than 24 hours or heavy panting (especially in humid weather).
These are easy symptoms to see if you’re observant with your bearded dragon.
How do I know if my Bearded Dragon has Dehydration?
The first thing you should look at is your bearded dragon’s weight. If their weight drops by ten percent then this could be a symptom of dehydration. Another way to tell if your beardie is dehydrated is whether they have any bowel movements. This could signify dehydration if they have been constipated for more than 24 hours.
To prevent dehydration in bearded dragons, make sure you are giving them enough liquids each and every day. If left untreated, dehydration causes serious health issues for your bearded dragon, including organ failure or even death. Don’t worry if you can’t tell the difference between white poop from brown because some breeds of beardie will always have white droppings no matter what.
Black bearded dragon poop
In the case that your bearded dragon has an impaction, you will be able to notice that its poop is black. This impaction can happen for various reasons and should always be treated with care by a vet. Impaction in bearded dragons is caused when the food is too hard and dry for the digestive system to break down.
Another reason for black poop from your bearded dragon is when you feed it too many insects without enough greens. Their diet should contain both greens and insects (75:25 for adults), but make sure you are not overfeeding your pet.
If your bearded dragon’s stool is black and watery, it can also signify a parasitic attack. You should look for the other signs of parasitic attacks, which include lethargy, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Once you have determined the cause of black poop from a bearded dragon, it is time to take them to the vet. The vet can determine what needs to happen depending on which category your pet falls into by looking at their symptoms and doing tests.
READ NEXT: Bearded Dragon Won’t Eat Greens: How to Get them to Eat Greens
Bearded dragon yellow poop
Yellow poop from your bearded dragon can signify too much calcium in your dragon. This can lead to liver disease. You should speak with an expert before giving your bearded dragon any supplements or vitamins because too much may cause more harm than good.
Ensure you regulate the amount of calcium and UVB light the dragons get. While the hatchlings should have calcium on a daily basis, juvenile bearded dragons should have calcium supplements every second day, while adults should have the supplements once every week.
UVB light also helps the bearded dragons synthesize vitamin D, whose presence increases the absorption rate for calcium. As such, too much UVB light leads to too much vitamin D, leading to too much calcium in the body, hence the yellow poop.
If you notice a yellow substance that isn’t poop in your bearded dragon, don’t try to pull on it, as it might be one of the following:
- Seminal plug: A string-like yellow substance can be a seminal plug in male dragons. This can be noted especially during mating.
- Infertile egg: in females, a yellow substance from the vent can be an infertile egg being ejected.
In both cases, give the bearded dragon a warm bath and a gentle massage to eliminate the yellow substance.
Bearded dragon green poop
Lastly, this is normal if your bearded dragon’s poop turns green. The green colour is usually dye from green foods. If your bearded dragon is acting normally, you shouldn’t be too concerned about the occasional green poop.
Bearded dragon poop color chart
| Poop Color | Meaning |
| White and brown | Normal |
| Bloody or red | Parasites, impaction or dye from red foods |
| Black | Too many insects eaten compared to greens |
| Chalky white | Dehydration |
| Yellow | Too much calcium in the diet |
| Green | Dye from green foods |
How often do bearded dragons poop?
An adult bearded dragon poops at least once every week. However, how much they poop depends on several factors, such as:
Diet
Bearded dragons who eat foods high in calcium tend to poop more than those who don’t. It’s why baby bearded dragon poop is more frequent than poop from adult bearded dragons since baby dragons eat more proteins such as worms.
Age
Baby bearded dragons should poop at least once a day, while juveniles poop once every second day and adults do so from one to 7 times a week.
Level of hydration
The more fluids the bearded dragon takes, the higher their rates of pooping. That includes water intake through drinking and eating watery foods.
Health status
The rate of pooping will increase or decrease with the health condition in question. While some diseases bring about diarrhoea, others bring about constipation in the bearded dragon. These conditions increase and decrease the pooping rate, respectively.
The environment
Inconsistent UVB lighting often leads to inconsistent health which might increase or decrease the pooping rate. Stress due to a lack of food, aggression and other aspects often reduce the pooping rate in bearded dragons.
How long can a bearded dragon go without pooping?
A healthy bearded dragon shouldn’t go for more than a week without pooping.
Poop not only helps to relieve your bearded dragon, but it also provides a great way for you to see if the lizard is eating and healthy. If not, then something may be wrong with them or their surroundings (i.e. too hot or sick).
A bearded dragon might not be pooping enough due to the following reasons:
- Parasites on its body
- Poor lighting with inconsistent UVB light
- It’s brumating or about to go into brumation
- It has a poor diet
- It’s stressed and not eating enough
- It’s suffering from impaction
If any of these conditions exist, remedy them accordingly. If you can’t, find a vet to help you with it.
In case your bearded dragon has been pooping excessively and is unable to keep food down, seek medical attention immediately because this could indicate internal problems such as parasites, among other things.
How to help bearded dragon poop
If your bearded dragon can’t poop, massage it in a warm water bath. Make sure to massage the stomach area and under the chin because that’s where your bearded dragon stores its food for later use. This will stimulate them to poop and then you’ll get fresh poop.
You can also try some natural remedies like dropping a few drops of olive oil in its nose to act as a laxative to ease the poop out. Don’t overdo it since you might harm it in the process.
READ NEXT: Why Does My Bearded Dragon Close One Eye?