Regular pooping is important to remove waste from the body. In this post, you will find possible reasons why your uromastyx is not pooping, how often uromastyx should poop, what normal uromastyx poop looks like and more.
Why is my uromastyx not pooping?
- Brumation
- Not eating
- Impaction
- Low terrarium temperatures
- You are missing the poop
- Parasites or other sickness
- Dehydration
What does normal uromastyx poop looks like?
Normal uromastyx poop should consist of a well-shaped uniform brown part (feces), and a white/yellowish part – urates. Urates are a solid form of pee – nitrogen waste from kidneys. You might also see some liquid pee, depending on how hydrated your uromastyx is, but it dries quite fast.
The size of poop might be different, depending on the size of your uromastyx, and is usually thin and long. Runny poop is often a sign of parasites, but it can also happen if you offer too many watery veggies or ones that have a laxative effect.
How often should uromastyx poop?
How often uromastyx will poop depends on various factors, such as age, temperatures, season, health, diet etc. In general, healthy uromastyx poop every 1-4 days, and babies will usually poop more often as they eat more (some up to few times a day).
Why is my uromastyx not pooping?
Reason 1: Brumation
Brumation is a winter slowdown period, that lasts for around 2-3 months. Brumating uromastyx will mostly sleep, hide and not eat much. Most uromastyx will come out for few hours a day, sometimes once in 2-3 days and eat only a little. As a result of eating small amounts and often not every day – your uromastyx will poop less.
Uromastyx can sense cooler conditions, and start being less active throughout the winter months. However, you don’t need to reduce tank temperatures, and 12 hours of daylight in winter is enough.
Only advanced keepers that want to breed their uromastyx in the spring should reduce temperatures to promote breeding the next season. But in that case, you don’t have to feed your uromastyx.
During brumation, start weighing your uromastyx – you can use jewelry or kitchen scales like this that weigh to nearest 0.1 grams. Keep a diary and weigh your uromastyx every 2 weeks. If it’s losing weight – it’s most probably not brumating, but sick.
Reason 2: Your uromastyx is not eating
If your uromastyx is not eating, it won’t poop either. Uromastyx can eat every other day and be healthy – this is actually good for them, especially adults. Eating every day can be hard on their digestive system and not allow proper digestion.
If your uromastyx hasn’t eaten for a 5-7 days, it could be that it doesn’t like the food that you are giving. Even change in the season can mean that your uromastyx might refuse certain foods – make sure to rotate foods regularly. Not eating for a week or so should not cause weight loss.
However, if your uromastyx is not eating for longer periods of time and it’s not a brumation period, you should take it to the vet. Also, review the setup. Sometimes, small changes can make your uromastyx eat again.
Low or very high tank temperatures might cause appetite decrease, as well as high humidity levels, stress. Most new uromastyx don’t eat properly for few days to a week.
If your uromastyx is not eating, please read this post to find out possible causes (opens in a new tab).
Reason 3: Impaction
Impacted uromastyx will also have trouble pooping. Impaction means that your uromastyx has ingested loose substrate or other foreign object, and now it’s causing blockage in the intestines.
This can be fatal, so you should look out for the symptoms and take your uromastyx to the vet if you suspect impaction. X-Ray will help see what’s inside the intestines.
If you keep your uromastyx on loose substrate, it might ingest it. Please don’t house young uromastyx under 3-4 months on loose substrate. Most older uromastyx can live normally on loose substrate, and impaction is not too common. But some loose substrates are truly bad and can cause issues.
For example, never use walnut shells or other chips, which are sharp and can cause impaction and internal bleeding. Corn cob or porridge oats can swell when in contact with water and cause serious issues too. Don’t use calci-sand or sharp construction sand either.
Food can also cause impaction – please do not feed your uromastyx any live bugs. Live bugs are too high in protein, and some (for example mealworms) also have a thick shell, which can cause impaction. Large bugs can also cause impaction.
Signs that your uromastyx is impacted is a big belly, lethargy. Impacted uromastyx will also be straining to poop, and will be unable to do it.
Take it to the vet as soon as possible if you suspect impaction. In the meanwhile, you can try to help by offering few drops of vegetable/mineral oil and some foods with laxative effect – pumpkin, dandelion greens. It often makes them poop after few days. However, it’s always important to look for an underlying issue.
Reason 4: Wrong tank temperatures
If the temperatures in the tank are wrong, your uromastyx will develop issues with food digestion and metabolism. To digest food, uromastyx need high heat – otherwise the food rots inside the intestines. That is when your uromastyx won’t poop for long period of time, will be mostly lethargic, won’t eat and its belly will be bloated.
Because uromastyx need very high temperatures, it might be easy to supply wrong temperatures if you don’t take extra care.
Basking temperatures should reach 131-140 Fahrenheit (55-60 Celsius) and the ambient temperatures on the warm side – 95-110 Fahrenheit (35-43.3 Celsius). The cool side of the tank must be cool so that your pet can thermoregulate – they should reach 80-85 F (26.6-29.4 C).
Please use digital thermometers with probes on each side of the tank – hot, middle and cool, to check for temperatures. If you are using analog/stick-on thermometer, please replace them when you can, as they are not accurate. On top of that, please use a handheld infrared thermometer like this to check for temperatures in hides, on a basking rock and more.
If the basking temperature is lower than 131 F (55 Celsius), you can add another bulb or increase wattage of the current bulb. You can also lower the bulb closer to the basking rock, but not closer than 6 inches (15cm). Make sure to concentrate the basking heat in one corner, to create a gradient.
Make sure you also have a high (10-12%) UVB tube in the tank and supplement the food with calcium. You must also swap UVB tubes every 10-12 moths, and every 5-6 months for bulbs.
You can read a full lighting and heating guide here.
Reason 5: You don’t see the poop
If your uromastyx is housed on loose substrate, there is a chance that you miss the poop and simply don’t see it. This is especially if the substrate is a mix of sand and soil – the dark fibers and chunks might create this camouflage.
Also uromastyx love to dig, so there is a chance that the poop could be left under the substrate. Please have a look around – you can use a sifting scoop to look for poop. If you have an adult uromastyx, its poop will be bigger and you are less likely to miss it. But with baby uromastyx, it’s possible to miss the poop.
Reason 6: Parasitic infection or other issues
There is a normal parasitic load in the guts of uromastyx, that helps with food digestion and general metabolism. However, when uromastyx are highly stressed or living in improper conditions – the load becomes too high.
Serious signs that your uromastyx has a parasitic infection are bloody and/or smelly poop, runny poop (urate might be normal, but poop will be runny or watery), bloated belly. Weight loss and refusal to eat are also big signs.
If you suspect an infection, please take its fresh poop (within few hours) for a full fecal test. Also, please have the poop tested if your uromastyx is new – that would be part of quarantining.
Even if a fecal test comes back normal but your uromastyx looks sick – blood tests might be necessary. Blood tests are important to rule out blood-borne infection, calcium deficiency and more.
If the vet confirms that there is an infection, your uromastyx will be prescribed wormers/antibiotics – the treatment is quite harsh on the body, and your uro might not eat much after the treatment. In this case, consult with the vet and consider reptile probiotics (if there was an intestinal parasite treatment).
Other issues that can cause constipation are issues in the digestive tract, for example liver issues, and issues in the intestinal tract, such as abnormal growth. Kidney problems, such as stones and other issues can also cause pooping difficulties, bloated belly etc.
Reason 7: Dehydration
Dehydration will hinder the ability to digest food, so your uromastyx won’t eat or poop if it’s dehydrated. Generally, dehydration is common with wild caught animals, or those that have been shipped for a long time.
Please always have the fecal done when you get a new or for an ill-looking uromastyx. That’s because parasites can cause serious dehydration and eventually death.
If your uromastyx looks sluggish and even skinny, has wrinkly skin, it might be dehydrated. Sunken eyes and not pooping are also signs of dehydration.
If you have just got your uromastyx recently, especially a wild caught one, it could be dehydrated. But even if you have had your uro for some time – please check the temperatures in the tank.
Make sure that temperatures are not too high. Also, please make sure that you don’t feed too much high protein foods to your uromastyx. A lot of high protein foods will cause serious kidney issues with already dehydrated animals. That is because proper hydration is needed to break down protein.
If you believe that your uromastyx is dehydrated, please leave a small water dish in the tank until it gets better. Also, spray the fresh salads will lots of water. You can even tap some water on your uro’s mouth for it to lick it off.
If your uromastyx doesn’t seem to get better, soak it once a day for 10 minutes in a warm water (around 90F, or 32.2C). Try to avoid soaking the tail. Make sure your uromastyx can however dry properly by basking after. Take your uro to the vet if your uromastyx seems ill.
Summary – what to do if your uromastyx is not pooping?
- Check the setup first – temperatures, humidity, lighting, and make sure everything is optimal
- Have the poop checked for parasites, and take to the vet if your uromastyx looks sick
- Give your uromastyx some laxative foods (pumpkin, dandelion greens etc.) and few drops of mineral oil. However, don’t do it if your uromastyx is dehydrated, as it can cause further complications
- Soak your uromastyx for 5 minutes in warm water
- Various health problems can cause constipation – tests are required to find out the issue. Treatment might include worming, operation, cleansing, laxatives – all depending on the cause.