Poop questions!!

[Roarschak11]

I have been feeding my blue a mix of canned dog food, and pre frozen and thawed veggies and fresh veggies when they are available, but recently I've been noticing that him feces are very liquedy and almost black and he has very large urates. Is there something wrong with his diet? I havnt really had problems before should I take him off the frozen veggies and only feed fresh? His temps are all good and havnt changed (100f basking ; 75f ambient)

[Coomassie]

Sounds like not enough fiber. What veggies are you using?

[Roarschak11]

Just a bunch of various veggies. Bok Choy, kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, ect. These are what I have frozen and mixed in though. Could freezing and thawing be the problem?

[jdheff1982]

Just a bunch of various veggies. Bok Choy, kale, dandelion greens, collard greens, mustard greens, ect. These are what I have frozen and mixed in though. Could freezing and thawing be the problem?

Not for the fiber. In fact, most veggies are a source of fiber. However, there are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble gets broken down and absorbed into the body; insoluble cannot be digested and gets passed along in the bowels creating healthy stools. There are other minerals which seem to continue to decay even after being frozen; but as long as supplements are added, your skink should be fine.

[Roarschak11]

So what would be causing him to have unhealthy stool? Also, what would cause it to be so dark?

[Roarschak11]

Anyone have an idea?

[Fatal_S]

Have you been feeding any fruits? And what are the main components of the dogfood? I also notice that all the veggies you mention are greens - are there any other veggies in the diet?

Honestly, I'm not sure why the poop would be like that. I would suggest a diet change for a time to see if the poop changes?

[Coomassie]

You could also try taking the stool to a vet and getting a fecal done. Parasites can cause loose poop.

[AquaaAllure]

I've been having the same problem.. But he doesn't seem unhealthy. I have had him for 3 weeks and he's in a diet consiting of blue dog food (chicken chunks) and collard greens with some green beans but occasional and some fruits just once a week.

[Roarschak11]

I've been having the same problem.. But he doesn't seem unhealthy. I have had him for 3 weeks and he's in a diet consiting of blue dog food (chicken chunks) and collard greens with some green beans but occasional and some fruits just once a week.

Your problem might be because you just got him and he is adjusting to his new diet. If any animal really has a dramatic change in their diet they can get diahhreah for a while.

Today I took him outside and when he went to the bathroom he had a healthy firm stool, but it's still very dark...is that okay?

[Coomassie]

I wouldn't worry about the color as long as it isn't bloody or something crazy like green. My skinks also have pretty dark poop.

[jdheff1982]

Same here. I feed a combination of dry dog food and canned cat food with red raspberries every once in a while and he squeezes out some monster poops (quite noisy, too). They are usually black or very dark brown.