Baby not pooping

[kewp]

I have only seen my baby sulcata poop once since I got her three weeks ago. She's really picky about eating, but she loves cucumber, romaine, mustard greens, endive, bok choi, and dandalon leaves so that is what she has been eating. Today she got strawberries as a treat, but didn't touch them. The reptile store suggested canned pumpkin, but that isn't working. I soak her for 30 minutes a day in warm water, but nothing there either. The temp in her cage is 97 degrees under the basking light and 67% humidity. Other then the bathroom issue, she is very active and eating. Should I be concerned? I got her the day before I had to put a cat to sleep so I'm being a bit of a worry wort.

 

[dmmj]

Everything sounds good, so I have to ask, are you sure he is not eating it?

 

[sibi]

Everything sounds good, so I have to ask, are you sure he is not eating it?

What kind of substrate are you using? Is there any sand in the enclosure? The reason I ask is because sometimes babies will eat their substrate, and if it has a mix of sand in it, it could compact her.

 

[kewp]

I was using organic top soil mixed with coconut bark. Now I have the Exo Terra stuff in there.

 

[sibi]

I was using organic top soil mixed with coconut bark. Now I have the Exo Terra stuff in there.

When he pools again, check it. See if there's material that you can ID Btw, what is the "stuff" in the Exp Terra? If theirs' parts of bark in it, I'd change substrate to organic soil mixed with larger bark pieces so that he can't eat it.

 

[kewp]

I'm soaking now. Mostly it is dirt. She had poop crusted around her tail and on the inside of her shell. I did my best to get in there and remove it. A humiliating experience for all involved. The substrate is actually Zoo Med Eco Earth Coco Fiber. My bad...

 

[sibi]

I'm soaking now. Mostly it is dirt. She had poop crusted around her tail and on the inside of her shell. I did my best to get in there and remove it. A humiliating experience for all involved. The substrate is actually Zoo Med Eco Earth Coco Fiber. My bad...

Ok, I'd increase the amount of time you soak her. It would not hurt to soak her for 30+ minutes at a time. She's only a baby and you should be soaking her everyday until she's a year old, at least. Also, if you could get an aloe plant, you can try to feed her as much as she wants of it. This will help to lubricate her intestines; thus, making pooping easier. Also, her enclosure should have about 80% humidity. 67% is just not humid enough. You'd want to prevent pyramiding, and this is one of the ways you could do that. Have you read Tom's thread on caring for baby salcatas?

Btw, she's adorable!

 

[kewp]

Thanks. She hates the bath, but I will make her suffer through it. She had two soaks yesterday. I went out and came home to find her flipped under the basking light. I was gone a few hours and have no idea how long she was like that. She was really dry and barely moving so I immediately put her in the water. After about a minute, she was mad and fighting to get out as usual.

I'm on a constant war with the humidity and losing. I've read the threads and covered the enclosure with foil in an attempt to enclose it. It stays between 60 and 70% even with pouring 2 bottles of water in there daily. All I end up doing is creating a muddy mess. I'll be picking up one of those Zoo Med foggers next week.

I did, however, finally spot some evidence in her enclosure last night so something worked on that end.