Think you have a constipated BTS? Newbie friendly post
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 10:02 am
A lot of newbie reptile keepers on this site, just as me, are worried about their BTS not going to the bathroom quite as often as they should. Thus, I decided to write down the most handy tips i could think of! (with help from Susann and others who gave me tips from long ago)
I havent got many photos to make this little tutorial any better(beautification photos in a constipation thread is needed), so please, moderators or anyone, if youd like to have some photos you are welcome to post them here and ill put them in
there are already plenty of advice on how the poop and urates are supposed to look like, so i will put that info aside.
how often should a BTS poop?
A basic rule is that your BTS should poop 24 hours after theyve eaten a larger meal. However, I happen to own a BTS that doesnt poop until about 48 hours after a meal, despite being completely healthy. There is basically nothing to be done other than giving them the regular good living conditions, and being aware of what you feed them. Keeping good track of your skinks pooping behaviour is a good idea for any owner, as the information available is based on the common BTS, and not on the individuals.
How often they poop inbetween that after meal poop, is also completely individual. It could be it only poops that one time a week after its been fed, or if youre feeding more often it could still not poop more than once a week!
The meal size and how often you feed needs to be counted into the calculations as well. Feeding lots of small meals will probably lessen the poop rate, while feeding a large meal will make your skink poop "right away".
Be aware that if your BTS is going to shed soon, they are likely to not poop for a week, maybe longer.
Avoiding it - the simplest tips
Check day temperatures. Your pet needs, as the caresheet tells you, a basking spot of about 35 C, a cold side and a warmer side, and plenty of hides to pick from. A stressed skink is a skink prone to get ill, and stress can also cause constipation in humans, so i dont assume anything else with reptiles.
Check night temperatures. not below 15 degrees please. Ive had to tackle this problem by installing a heat mat under the tank. Just a small one, that he cant dig his way down to and get burned. Another way is to use a substrate that keeps the heat very well, sand is not good at this, but i believe repti bark and other things made of wood is a good idea. You can actually also use a warm water botte, as long as you make sure the plastic is not melting from the heat - this is a serious health issue for your skink if it does.
Give a varied, healthy diet. Treats are not needed in general, but if fed once a week or so, fruits and berries to help with the bowel activities. Read up on the caresheet or ask on the forum if youre unsure about what to feed your BTS.
What might cause a constipation?
- Food with a very high fibre content, fed over a very long time.
- dehydration, always change the water every day(maybe more), if you have a skink prone to be constipated
- eating substrate. this is a tricky one that might need vet treatment if you see them ingest a lot. my tips here are mainly for the regular type of constipation, or slow bowel movement, rather than the veterinarian treatment. dont forget that!
- feeding late in the evenings. always feed in the morning so that they can bask the entire day if they wish.
- low temperatures
- stress
- other illness
What are some usual signs to look for?
The regular signs are, if not a week before a shed, a very lazy and unwillingly moving skink. Some skinks, just like any other animal (and human), will not accept more food, and might drink more than usual, if it even feels like drinking.
The skink may also walk around slowly, rubbing its tummy on the ground.
do not confuse these signs with pre-shed behaviour. the easiest way to not confuse them, is to know that the living standards are correct, and then assume its just a shed behaviour and relax. If you skink has gone through a whitish colour change and are somewhat duller in colour ( in northerns many get a bit of a caramel like brown instead of orange), its just shedding.
if this behaviour continues even a few weeks after shed, you should probably consult a veterinarian. its more likely your skink is ill in some other way though.
If you just have a very lazy skink that likes to hide all day, then dont be worried. thats fine too, but it might not poop as much as a rocket fast, hyperactive skink that loves to do anything but hide.
However, there are many things you can do for your skink if it is constipated, or if you are just genuinely worried and need to calm down and know what to do with your pet.
How do you treat it?
Fruit time! Apple sauce, mashed banana.....anything your skink absolutely adores, that is soft, goes on this list. Banana is a bit high in fibre, and not as healthy as apple, but its a one time experience (hopefully). I presume melon would have the same effect, but you might have to look that one up before trying.
Egg time! This time a tips from Fatal S, which I tried on my skink, and it worked like magic. If youre from a country with no salmonella check, make the egg hard boiled or well scrambled, othwerise you might make your skink have VERY loose bowels, and the rest of your family. Serving it half runny if youre certain the eggs are good, is what I do. lots to clean, but works just as good. and its fun to watch. If you have no result with this after 48 hours, then you might want to be a little worried.
A warm bath. This is the simplest way to do it. Fill the lower part of the bathrub with some warm water ( say, 30 degrees C? not too warm, but not too cold), put your skink in the bathtub, then either watch it trying to get out, exploring or just sitting still with its head high above the water, waiting ( there are plenty of variations in bathing behaviour ). Make sure the water level is not too high, and DONT use soap or anything the like, after all they do not sweat and smell by themselves.
Final words
if your skink eats well, drinks well, poops once a week and the temps are good, and your give a diversity of good food, then dont panic and try to make it poop more often. Instead, be happy your skink is happy.
if your skink is ill in some other way, always consult a veterinarian. certain meds can cause constipation too, but you should be given info about this beforehand. If your pet has eaten a lot of substrate, also consult a vet.
Hope someone found this to be good info, i know there are many threads alike, and some caresheet info, but its easily overlooked if your very new at the site.
I havent got many photos to make this little tutorial any better(beautification photos in a constipation thread is needed), so please, moderators or anyone, if youd like to have some photos you are welcome to post them here and ill put them in
there are already plenty of advice on how the poop and urates are supposed to look like, so i will put that info aside.
how often should a BTS poop?
A basic rule is that your BTS should poop 24 hours after theyve eaten a larger meal. However, I happen to own a BTS that doesnt poop until about 48 hours after a meal, despite being completely healthy. There is basically nothing to be done other than giving them the regular good living conditions, and being aware of what you feed them. Keeping good track of your skinks pooping behaviour is a good idea for any owner, as the information available is based on the common BTS, and not on the individuals.
How often they poop inbetween that after meal poop, is also completely individual. It could be it only poops that one time a week after its been fed, or if youre feeding more often it could still not poop more than once a week!
The meal size and how often you feed needs to be counted into the calculations as well. Feeding lots of small meals will probably lessen the poop rate, while feeding a large meal will make your skink poop "right away".
Be aware that if your BTS is going to shed soon, they are likely to not poop for a week, maybe longer.
Avoiding it - the simplest tips
Check day temperatures. Your pet needs, as the caresheet tells you, a basking spot of about 35 C, a cold side and a warmer side, and plenty of hides to pick from. A stressed skink is a skink prone to get ill, and stress can also cause constipation in humans, so i dont assume anything else with reptiles.
Check night temperatures. not below 15 degrees please. Ive had to tackle this problem by installing a heat mat under the tank. Just a small one, that he cant dig his way down to and get burned. Another way is to use a substrate that keeps the heat very well, sand is not good at this, but i believe repti bark and other things made of wood is a good idea. You can actually also use a warm water botte, as long as you make sure the plastic is not melting from the heat - this is a serious health issue for your skink if it does.
Give a varied, healthy diet. Treats are not needed in general, but if fed once a week or so, fruits and berries to help with the bowel activities. Read up on the caresheet or ask on the forum if youre unsure about what to feed your BTS.
What might cause a constipation?
- Food with a very high fibre content, fed over a very long time.
- dehydration, always change the water every day(maybe more), if you have a skink prone to be constipated
- eating substrate. this is a tricky one that might need vet treatment if you see them ingest a lot. my tips here are mainly for the regular type of constipation, or slow bowel movement, rather than the veterinarian treatment. dont forget that!
- feeding late in the evenings. always feed in the morning so that they can bask the entire day if they wish.
- low temperatures
- stress
- other illness
What are some usual signs to look for?
The regular signs are, if not a week before a shed, a very lazy and unwillingly moving skink. Some skinks, just like any other animal (and human), will not accept more food, and might drink more than usual, if it even feels like drinking.
The skink may also walk around slowly, rubbing its tummy on the ground.
do not confuse these signs with pre-shed behaviour. the easiest way to not confuse them, is to know that the living standards are correct, and then assume its just a shed behaviour and relax. If you skink has gone through a whitish colour change and are somewhat duller in colour ( in northerns many get a bit of a caramel like brown instead of orange), its just shedding.
if this behaviour continues even a few weeks after shed, you should probably consult a veterinarian. its more likely your skink is ill in some other way though.
If you just have a very lazy skink that likes to hide all day, then dont be worried. thats fine too, but it might not poop as much as a rocket fast, hyperactive skink that loves to do anything but hide.
However, there are many things you can do for your skink if it is constipated, or if you are just genuinely worried and need to calm down and know what to do with your pet.
How do you treat it?
Fruit time! Apple sauce, mashed banana.....anything your skink absolutely adores, that is soft, goes on this list. Banana is a bit high in fibre, and not as healthy as apple, but its a one time experience (hopefully). I presume melon would have the same effect, but you might have to look that one up before trying.
Egg time! This time a tips from Fatal S, which I tried on my skink, and it worked like magic. If youre from a country with no salmonella check, make the egg hard boiled or well scrambled, othwerise you might make your skink have VERY loose bowels, and the rest of your family. Serving it half runny if youre certain the eggs are good, is what I do. lots to clean, but works just as good. and its fun to watch. If you have no result with this after 48 hours, then you might want to be a little worried.
A warm bath. This is the simplest way to do it. Fill the lower part of the bathrub with some warm water ( say, 30 degrees C? not too warm, but not too cold), put your skink in the bathtub, then either watch it trying to get out, exploring or just sitting still with its head high above the water, waiting ( there are plenty of variations in bathing behaviour ). Make sure the water level is not too high, and DONT use soap or anything the like, after all they do not sweat and smell by themselves.
Final words
if your skink eats well, drinks well, poops once a week and the temps are good, and your give a diversity of good food, then dont panic and try to make it poop more often. Instead, be happy your skink is happy.
if your skink is ill in some other way, always consult a veterinarian. certain meds can cause constipation too, but you should be given info about this beforehand. If your pet has eaten a lot of substrate, also consult a vet.
Hope someone found this to be good info, i know there are many threads alike, and some caresheet info, but its easily overlooked if your very new at the site.
Your time and contributions are really appreciated!
