Beardies are reptiles of routine and habit. Most dragons poop once a week, at least if they are healthy. But, how many times a bearded dragon defecates also depends upon factors like age, personality, habit, diet, and activity level. You might be worried if you notice any change in your Beardie’s defeating habit.

One of the most common problems a dragon often encounters is a sudden change in dragon pooping schedule & bowel movement.

It can be a cause for concern. Therefore, if you want to know why my bearded dragon hasn’t pooped in a week when it should be, there can be many factors.

This article will take a quick look at the most frequently asked question and concern among very dragon owners: why my bearded dragon hasn’t pooped in a week.

13 Reasons Why My Bearded Dragon Hasn’t Pooped In A Week

Imbalanced Diet

Maybe your Beardie needs the proper diet balance to fulfill its nutritional needs. It is essential to provide a rich & balanced diet that contains varieties of nutrients, including fiber, protein, etc. Fibre is necessary for your Beardie’s health to keep their digestion appropriately maintained and stay healthy.

A healthy baby bearded dragon must eat 3 to 4 times daily to promote growth. On the other hand, juvenile dragons need to eat at least twice a day to help them grow as they should.

Adults should eat le only once a day depending on their environment, activity level, and age. If your Bearded Dragon is not eating, there might be a stressful situation in its enclosure that you need to look at if you don’t keep its diet balanced and nutrients; it could lead to constipation in bearded dragons.

Lack of Fibre. 

Since fiber is responsible for digesting food and producing healthy poop, if your bearded dragon food doesn’t contain enough, it will lead to constipation. Therefore, look if your Beardie has enough fiber from its diet.

Stress And Anxiety

If your Beardie is stressed or anxious, it may refuse to eat, leading to constipation. Any concern or stress can disrupt your beloved pet’s digestive system. Bearded Dragons usually experience anxiety and stress when there is any sudden change in their environment or lack of hiding spots.

It may also be experienced if you have fed a proper diet or got a tankmate. If you notice signs like lethargy, decreased appetite, or dull appearance of dragon skin, make sure to address the cause of stress as soon as possible to keep your Beardie’s well-being healthy and stay active for a lifetime.

Medical Condition

Constipation in bearded dragons can also be caused by underlying medical conditions like tumors, metabolic bone diseases, parasites, infections, and kidney diseases. In a few cases, parasites like tapeworms and pinworms change the color of their poop or cause infections.

Dry Environment 

As bearded dragons are native to arid regions of Australia, you might think they need a dry environment in their enclosure, which is valid to some extent. However, a bearded dragon living in an arid climate can cause many issues like eye problems, constipation, respiratory infections, dehydration, and stress.

Therefore, this might be the reason & answer to your question: why my Bearded Dragon hasn’t pooped in a week. It is essential to provide a stable environment for your Bearded Dragon that includes proper ventilation, enough lighting, and adequate heating.

Also, keep their habitat clean, secure, and comfortable while pure water is always available inside it. In captivity, any sudden change of environment or its tank’s decoration may affect your Beardie’s bowel movement, leading them to not poop for many days.

Lack Of Exercise

If your Beardie is getting the proper amount of exercise in its enclosure, its muscle, along with its digestive system function, will be vital. It is essential to encourage your dragons’ natural behavior, like barking, digging, and exploring their surroundings.

Other than this, ensure to gently handle your Beardie daily to strengthen the bond between you two while helping Beardies be more active. You can also introduce some specially designed toys for your Beardies; try again to play with them.

Some interactive toys may keep your Beardie engaged and active. It is also essential to offer climbing structures like rocks, branches, and perches for your Beardie to climb on and exercise well while exploring its surroundings. Make sure your Beardie has a large enclosure to move around and explore freely. 

High Protein Diet

Maybe your Beardie is overeating protein causing constipation and not pooping for more than a week. Feeding a high protein diet to any dragon will lead to constipation and problems related to liver, kidney, overweight, diarrhea, and calcium deficiency.

Their diet should also contain fiber-rich fresh fruits and vegetables to promote healthy stool and bowel movement. If necessary, cut down high-quality protein sources like eggs, insects, or any meat piece. 

Small Enclosure

Maybe your Beardie needs to get the proper exercise due to a small environmental enclosure. If you keep a dragon in a very restricted space, it may need to be more exciting to explore while leading to behavior problems, health problems, and lack of exercise. All these can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety to your Bearded Dragon. A small enclosure is also tricky when maintaining proper lighting, humidity, and temperature that will affect your pets’ help.

Dehydration

It is essential to keep your Bearded Dragon hydrated to promote healthy food digestion and stool production. If your Beardie is not getting enough access to water, it will also cause problems related to constipation and skin and organ damage.

You might also decrease appetite, making it difficult for Beardies to digest food. Make sure to keep your Beardie hydrated to prevent coating any strain on its kidney that could lead to kidney damage. If you notice your Beardie being less active and passive, it needs some water. You can provide water to bearded dragons in many ways, like misting some water on your pet or soaking them. 

Impaction 

Maybe your Beardie is suffering from impaction, and this might be the cause of why it hasn’t pooped for more than a week. A physical blockage in your pet’s digestive system might require veterinarian help.

This could be due to many factors like physical obstruction or a tumor. Or, Your pet might have swallowed a foreign object, as little as a pebble, that might be causing impaction.

If your Beardie eats anything that can be stuck in its digestive system, it will also suffer from constipation and will eventually stop pooping. This issue requires professional and medical help from a reptile expert or veterinarian. 

Cold Environment

Maybe your Bearded Dragon is not getting enough heat to keep their body warm and digest their food correctly. If its tank is freezing, adjust the lighting and temperature. A cold environment will disturb a bearded dragon’s digestive system and lead to constipation.

Make sure to keep your Beardie in a tank with a basking area of 92-110° Fahrenheit. Beardies tanks must have a proper temperature gradient. On the cooler side, the temperature should never be less than 75° F. At night, it is essential to keep your Bearded Dragon at a temperature of between 60-70° Fahrenheit to keep their gut healthy.

Excessive Calcium

Maybe your Beardie has ingested too much calcium, which is causing calcium overdose & also putting strain on its kidney stones and bowel system. Calcium overdose also interferes with proper nutrient absorption, like phosphorus in bearded dragons, which will also cause problems like metabolic bone diseases and many other skeletal issues. If this is the cause, cut down on the calcium you give your Beardie. 

Brumation

Maybe your Bearded Dragon is not pooping for more than a week due to brumation. It is when your Bearded Dragon’s metabolism and activity level gets lower. The brumation is similar to hibernation in some animals. If your Bearded Dragon is brumating, it might have a decreased appetite and reduced bow movements.

How To Make A Bearded Dragon Poop?

There are many methods to encourage your Bearded Dragon to defecate right away. Below I mention the five most popular ways to make a bearded dragon poop. 

• Massage: A gentle rub on your Bearded Dragon’s belly with a wet cloth will stimulate its bowel movement and encourage it to defecate. Here is a proper instruction and step-by-step guide: How To Get A Bearded Dragon To Poop.
• High Fibre Diet: It is essential to provide high fiber in your bearded dragon diet to promote healthy bowel movements and produce healthy stool.
• Fecal Stimulant: You can also get fecal stimulants recommended by your veterinarian to help stimulate dragon bowel movement. There are many people to let commercially available full stop. You can also use small mineral oil but only in small amounts.
• Soaking: First, fill a shallow container with warm water at around 100-110° Fahrenheit. Afterward, place your Beardie in it for about 30 minutes to encourage defecation and stimulate the movement.
• Veterinarian: If your Bearded Dragon is not pooping for more than a week and you cannot defecate, get your pet to a veterinarian specializing in reptile care to rule out any underlying health problem. 

Conclusion: What You Should Do & Avoid?

Firstly, you must ensure you are fed a well-balanced diet rich in nutrients to fulfill all your Bearded Dragon’s nutritional needs. Also, ensure the environment has a warm temperature, basking spots, hiding spots, climbing obstacles, and decoration to encourage them to explore, exercise, and run around in their habitat.

Encouraging Bearded Dragons to proper training and natural behavior like digging, basking, and exploring their surroundings will also keep their bowel movement active. By reading this article, you got to know why My Bearded Dragon Hasn’t Pooped In A Week. Share this article to help others understand why their Beardie hasn’t pooped for more than a week.

If you can still not find the actual cause of why your Bearded Dragon stopped defecating, get it to a veterinarian for a quick check-up. Do check our helpful article on defeating habits and how to encourage the Beardie to poop. Sometimes the problem can be as simple as a sudden dietary change leading to constipation. In that case, the issue of a bearded dragon not pooping for days will be a one-time occurrence if you correct their diet.