Bearded Dragon Poop 101 (All Questions Answered)

As a bearded dragon owner, understanding your pet’s poop is essential to monitor their overall health and wellbeing.

Bearded Dragons leave us some key messages in the form of their poop! Beardies fecal can give us some real insight into what is going on mentally and physically and can often be the first sign of arising problems.

This article will give you a total overview of Bearded Dragon’s feces, including frequency and changes.

Understanding your Bearded Dragon’s bowel movements and what is expected and routine will help you provide the best possible husbandry.

So let’s take a close look at all the common and important questions regarding your bearded dragon’s poop…

Do Bearded Dragons Poop A Lot?

As a Bearded Dragon owner, keeping track of your beardies bathroom habits will ensure you can closely monitor their health and react quickly if something changes. So one of the critical things to know is how often they usually poop.

Not pooping or pooping too much can indicate some potential health issues.

So, how often do bearded dragons poop? How often a Bearded Dragon will poop depends on their age and their diet. A Bearded Dragon will poop anywhere from a couple of times a day to once per week based on their age and protein intake. A higher proportion of protein in the diet will cause more frequent bowel movements.

Young Bearded Dragons will often have more frequent bowel movements than adult beardie due to consuming higher protein levels.

Immature Bearded Dragons eat a higher proportion of insects to greens (about 80% insects and 20% fruits and vegetables). This diet supports their high growth rates and promotes healthy development.

Protein moves through a Bearded Dragon’s digestive system faster than plant matter, and there tends to be more waste produced after all the nutrients are absorbed.

Therefore, a higher proportion of protein in the diet creates more waste, and young beardies will poop more than adults.

Your individual Bearded Dragons waste levels will depend on many variables but will mostly resemble the diet they are fed.

Because there is a range of insects and greens that can make up a healthy Bearded Dragon diet, there is no staple beardie diet across captive beardies, and how much they poop will differ.

The key to knowing if something is wrong with the frequency with which your beardie poops is to learn what is normal for them.

Once you have a baseline of normalcy, then you can track when things change. If there are changes to the poop without any diet or husbandry changes, you will need to investigate further.

How Often Should A Baby Bearded Dragon Poop?

A Bearded Dragon is considered a baby from hatch date until around 6 months of age. This life stage is defined by the most rapid growth of a Bearded Dragon’s life.

Baby beardies should be fed as much as they can eat in a few minutes five times a day, which ends up being a lot of food for a little body!

All this food has to go somewhere, right? How often do baby Bearded Dragons poop?

So, how often should a baby bearded dragon poop? Baby Bearded Dragons will poop every day and sometimes more than once a day. Due to the amount of food they eat and the high amount of protein needed for growth, a baby Bearded Dragon may poop up to 3 times a day.

3 times a day may seem excessive, but a baby beardie will be eating, digesting, and excreting almost constantly to support its rapid growth rate.

Do you know how many times per day you should feed your bearded dragon? Well, you find out exactly how many times to feed your beardie each day fight here…

How Often Should A Juvenile Bearded Dragon Poop?

After the 6 month mark, a Bearded Dragons growth rate will start to slow down. From 6 – 12 months, they are considered juveniles. Of course, they are still growing but not as quickly as they were the first 6 months of life.

Beardies are offered fewer feeds at this age, but their diet remains 80% protein to support growth. This protein intake will mean they still should be pooping often.

So, how often should a juvenile bearded dragon poop? Juvenile Bearded Dragons should poop at least once every day or every second day. They are still growing and eating a lot of protein, so this should be reflected in pooping out the waste of this digestion often.

At this age, you should see their pooping slow down from multiple times a day to once a day or even every second day.

Juvenile is considered the transitional life stage from a baby to an adult. The growth rate slows down, but protein intake is still high, which will support them into healthy maturity.

How Often Should An Adult Bearded Dragon Poop?

A Bearded Dragon will be considered an adult when they stop growing and become sexually mature. This may happen anywhere from 12-18 months. So adults are usually 18+ months.

As beardies become adults, their diet composition will naturally change and so will the amount they poop. The 80/20 rule will be reserved, and instead of 80% protein, they will consume 80% plant matter and 20% protein.

This new diet composition will help maintain normal adult health as extra protein is no longer needed for growth.

So, how often should an adult bearded dragon poop? Adult Bearded Dragons will poop anywhere from once a day to once a week. How often they poop will depend on their activity level and their diet. Different types of food are processed at different rates, so it can affect pooping frequency.

Pooping once a day to once a week is a wide variance which may not be entirely helpful in finding out if your Bearded Dragons pooping habits are regular.

This variance is caused by the diet and the metabolism of each individual beardie. Some foods will be digested faster and, if fed frequently, could see pooping more often.

A Bearded Dragon’s activity levels may also change the way their digestive system works and the speed of their metabolism.

If your Bearded Dragon maintains a healthy appetite and energy level, you should not be too concerned about how often they are pooping if it sits between normal ranges.

What Can Make Bearded Dragons Poop A Lot?

If you are monitoring your Bearded Dragon closely, you may find their poop changes. If they start to poop a lot, you can naturally become quite concerned. The reason can range from a normal diet reaction to something more serious.

So, what can make bearded dragons poop a lot? Bearded Dragons can poop a lot more than expected if they have a high protein intake, eat calcium-rich foods, are under mental or physical stress, or suffer from an overwhelming parasite burden.

Now let’s take a closer look at the reasons why your bearded dragon might poop a lot…

Diet

As we’ve discussed, the amount that Bearded Dragons poop through their different life stages is directly related to their protein intake. Bearded Dragons are omnivorous and for adult Bearded Dragons, excess protein intake can cause them to poop more than usual.

An adult Bearded Dragons’ diet should only consist of 20% protein with the other 80% plant matter. This plant portion provides many essential vitamins and minerals, and fiber that balances the digestive system to maintain good health.

If the protein intake exceeds the standard ratio, either by excess insect consumption or vegies, this may cause a beardie to poop more than average.

Some kinds of insects also contain high levels of calcium, such as silkworms. While calcium is vital, high calcium levels pass through the system faster, and high calcium consumption may result in more frequent bowel movements.

Stress

All vertebrates, Bearded Dragons (and us) included, keep their bodies in check by maintaining vital functions under the control of the parasympathetic nervous system.

When they go under significant stress, the sympathetic system kicks into play, which is basically the “fight or flight” and can cause digestive issues.

This system will keep the most critical functions for immediate survival and energy conservation while shutting down the others.

The digestive system can be hindered under stress and cause inefficient digestion and absorption, meaning more poop and possibly diarrhea.

You can find out more about the signs, causes, and solutions of stress in bearded dragons in our complete stress guide here…

Parasites

Intestinal parasites can cause irritation to the digestive tract and cause waste to pass more quickly. They can also reduce nutrient absorption and cause diarrhea.

Frequent bowel movements are beneficial to the parasites as they shed their eggs and multiply through waste excretion.

Do Bearded Dragons Poop During Brumation?

Normal feces will also change seasonally as your Bearded Dragon responds to changing light and temperatures throughout the year. During the cooler months, Bearded Dragons will naturally go through brumation to conserve energy.

This cycle is normal to survive through the winter months, and they can brumate anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

While you should aim to provide a natural seasonal variation in a captive setting, beardies can still brumate without these changing cues.

So, do bearded dragons still poop during brumation? Bearded Dragons may not poop during brumation as their digestive system is slowed down. If they do not eat, do not expect them to poop. If they do eat, their poop might be delayed due to brumation metabolism.

During brumation, the metabolism of a Bearded Dragon will slow down, and all of their bodily functions will go a lot slower to save energy.

During this time, beardies often eat very little as they do not need the energy or have the metabolism to digest food.

If your Bearded Dragon is not eating during brumation, you don’t need to worry if they don’t go the bathroom as there is nothing to excrete.

If they eat a little bit, then the fecal may pass through the digestive tract slower, and it may take you longer to see them defecate.

Due to slow digestion during brumation, it’s not ideal for Bearded Dragons to have any food sitting in their stomach as it can rot or cause impaction.

Before brumation, beardies will often empty their digestive tract, and then no more feces can be seen for weeks while they shut themselves down.

You can check out our full and easy to follow bearded dragon brumation guide here…

Do Bearded Dragons Poop Less When Shedding?

Shedding can be a stressful time for Bearded Dragons, and it leaves them feeling vulnerable and sensitive. Many owners report shedding to affect their beardies’ mood and appetite, and their digestive system.

So, do bearded dragons poop less when shedding? Bearded Dragons should poop as much as they usually do during shedding as long as they eat like usual. Changes in food intake may decrease their defecation, or mood changes may alter their schedule.

Shedding should not directly impact your Bearded Dragon’s digestion and shedding, but it may have knock-on effects. Shedding can cause decreases in appetites, so a lower consumption of food will flow on to less pooping.

You should only be concerned if your beardie consumed just as much food but isn’t producing feces as there may be a backup in the digestive tract, such as constipation or digestion.

Shedding can also affect a beardie’s mood and cause some stress. These changes can alter the schedule on which your beardie poops. They may poop more frequently or less often.

To find out more about shedding you can head over to our complete bearded dragon shedding guide here…

Can Bearded Dragons Poop And Still Be Impacted?

We’ve all heard enough stories of Bearded Dragon impact to worry about when we don’t see our beardies pooping.

Lack of feces is the most recognized impaction symptom, so much so that many owners panic at any change in beardie bathroom habits.

But can bearded dragons poop and still be impacted? Bearded Dragons can poop and still be impacted. Feces may still pass through based on how severe the impaction is and where the impaction is located.

A fresh impaction in the digestive tract may still be small and not completely block the tract, meaning small amounts of feces may pass by the site of impaction and still be passed by your Bearded Dragon.

A minor impaction like this that does not clear on its own can quickly worsen and build up to be something more serious.

Suppose the impaction is located at the beginning of the digestive process. In that case, there still may be feces after the site of impaction that may be passed for a few days to a week after an impaction occurs, depending on the rate of metabolism.

Don’t rule out impaction if you suspect your beardie is ill, but they have pooped recently. Other signs of impaction include:

Straining when defecating
Changes to mobility, e.g. shaking, uncoordinated or dragging back legs
Lethargy
Tender underside
Swelling
Hardening around the belly or cloaca

Our new impaction article gives you all the information you need to understand bearded dragon impaction in a clear and actionable read.

Head over to our bearded dragon impaction article right here…

Do Bearded Dragons Poop In Their Sleep?

Sometimes you may wake up and find that your Bearded Dragon has pooped overnight.

Often they may still be sleeping, and the poop is right next to them or under them. Is this normal? And has your bearded dragon really pooped in their sleep?

So do Bearded Dragons poop in their sleep? Bearded Dragons do not poop in their sleep. They may poop through the night if their schedule is out. Passing fecal is not involuntary and healthy feces are passed while your Bearded Dragon is conscious.

It is not normal for your Bearded Dragon to poop while asleep. While resting, a beardie’s metabolism slows down due to the response to nighttime temperatures.

Usually, digestion will also be prolonged during this time, and the passing of feces requires some conscious energy.

If you often find fresh poo from overnight, your beardie may be waking up in the night to defecate.

Due to it being cooler during the night, they usually won’t have the energy to move around much, so they may poop where they are lying and go back to sleep.

Pooping through the night is not normal, and often if they are active in the night, they may have the incorrect lighting and temperature schedule that is throwing them off.

Do Bearded Dragons Poop In Water?

Many animals use their poop for communication purposes in the wild. They may signal messages to mates, other social groups, or predators.

You may be wondering if Bearded Dragons’ feces have significance in this way and where they like to poop.

So, do bearded dragons poop in water? Bearded Dragons seem to like to poop in the water, often going in their baths or water bowls. This doesn’t seem to be connected to a natural behavior but rather the feeling of water signals their bodies to relieve themselves.

Some other animals who regularly poop in the water use this to mask the scent of their feces from predators, and some speculate this may be why Bearded Dragons do this.

But this is unlikely as this behavior is only seen in captive beardies and not in the wild, so it is a reaction to their captive care.

The natural habitat for a Bearded Dragon is the Australian desert. There are very few stagnant water sources such as puddles or bodies of water due to the high temperatures and low rainfalls.

Since there are no open water sources, Bearded Dragons will rarely find themselves in a position to poop in the water.

In captive settings, beardies are provided with baths and water bowls for hydration and often like to poop in them. The warmth of water may stimulate their body to defecate and making passing poop easier.

Water is also used by many animals to reduce internal pressures. For example, birds with large eggs may rest in water to reduce the pressure of the egg on the body.

A Bearded Dragon immersed in water may feel these relaxing benefits as the water reduces the effect of gravity on their body and stimulate their digestive system.

Do Bearded Dragons Poop In The Same Spot?

The natural instinct of a Bearded Dragon is to find a place to poop away from where they spend their time.

This is a great survival tactic as it keeps them away from any bacteria or parasites in their feces that they may inhale or ingest if it is near them.

So, do bearded dragons poop in the same spot? Some Bearded Dragons will poop in the same spot every time, while others will go wherever. Bearded Dragons have no drive to defecate in the same place. They will often poop in the same area because it is the best spot available to them.

Many animals will poop consistently in the same spot as it may be kind of a “message board” of poop-based communication for social reasons (rhinos, for example).

Bearded Dragons don’t utilize this type of communication, so they hold no real value for their pooping place as long as it is comfortable.

While all beardies are different, most are pretty clean and will prefer to poop away from their favorite hang out places (and fair enough too!).

Often, in the limited space of an enclosure, there are limited places to choose from, so they tend to find a spot or two and stick to it.

Does Bearded Dragons Poop Smell?

Part of the fun of owning pets is cleaning up after them! Owning animals, you kind of have to get used to dealing with feces and urine.

So, does bearded dragons poop smell? Bearded Dragons poop does smell. It is the waste product of bodily functions, and the smell is caused by bacteria from the digestion process. The scent of a Bearded Dragons poop will be altered by their gut health and their diet.

Poo smelling is natural for most animals due to the bacteria responsible for digestion causing these odors.

Bearded Dragons are known for having extra foul-smelling feces, but this smell often goes away once the fecal is removed and doesn’t linger long due to low gas levels.

The diet fed out will often cause different smelling feces, and you may find it interesting to track these differences.

But if your beardies diet remains precisely the same, but the scent of their feces changes, it may indicate some internal changes.

A change to the smell of your Bearded Dragons poop can be a sign of digestive-related issues. Alone, these scent changes don’t change much, but they can be a helpful diagnostic tool alongside other symptoms.

What Can I Do To Help My Bearded Dragon Poop?

A Bearded Dragon that hasn’t pooped in a while or is straining to poop may be struggling from impaction or constipation.

There are some harmless home remedies you can do to help the digestion process and alleviate mild issues. But if you suspect illness, you should consult your vet.

So, what can I do to help my bearded dragon poop? To help your Bearded Dragon poop, you can give them warm baths, gentle massages, or natural laxatives. This may help kick start their digestive system, but you also need to ensure they have the correct enclosure conditions for a healthy metabolism.

With the proper husbandry, your beardie should mostly self-regulate. Adequate lighting and temperatures will ensure a healthy metabolism that powers efficient digestion and regular excretion. This needs to be supported by a natural, healthy and varied diet.

Even with the best care, some digestive blockages can occur, such as impaction or constipation.

Some things you can do as an owner to help your beardie poop includes:

Warm baths – a moderately warm bath can assist with thermoregulation for the digestive process. The water’s ability to reduce internal pressure warms baths can help stimulate digestion and pooping.

Massage – a very gentle massage on the underside of your beardies belly may also provide helpful stimulation for pooping. Slip your fingers underneath an upright beardie and rub your fingers in circular downward motions. Do not turn your Bearded Dragon upside down and stop immediately if they show discomfort.

Fruit laxatives – fruit is a healthy addition to a beardies diet, but it is advised to limit fruit due to the laxative effect of excess fruit. You can use pureed fruit of 100% natural fruit juice in small doses as a natural (and tasty) laxative for your Bearded Dragon. Puree fruit will be more helpful than whole fruit for ease of digestion, and it should not add to the blockage.

Does Bearded Dragon Poop Have Salmonella?

Salmonella is most commonly thought of as a food-related infection resulting from food poisoning.

While salmonella is most commonly transmitted through food, it is technically a bacterial infection of the digestive tract.

So, does bearded dragon poop have salmonella? Bearded Dragons are one of the many animals that can carry salmonella bacteria in their poop. Bearded Dragons can be carriers of salmonella without being clinical sick themselves. With poor hygiene or handling, this bacteria can be transferred to humans.

Salmonella is considered a zoonosis, an infectious disease that can be transferred between humans and animals.

Some diseases pose no risk to humans as they can’t be transferred, but zoonosis like salmonella can cause illness across species.

Salmonella is spread from feces via oral ingestion, so it occurs on contaminated surfaces and foods. So as a Bearded Dragon owner is vital that you take great care with your enclosure cleaning and personal hygiene.

Your Bearded Dragon can carry salmonella bacteria after picking it up from an infected source, such as food or other reptiles.

They can even hatch already being transferred the bacteria from an infected parent.

Regular vet checks and fecal tests can help you monitor your Bearded Dragon’s internal health. Make sure you clean their enclosure and equipment regularly to prevent bacterial growth. In addition, you should always wash your hands after handling your beardie.

Have you ever wondered if it’s safe to kiss your bearded dragon? You find out the surprising truth here…

What Do Worms Look Like In Bearded Dragon Poop?

Worms and other internal parasites exist in the digestive tract of most complex living creatures at a low rate.

Excess parasite ingestion or comprised immune systems can cause these low numbers of parasites to become out of control and the body of the host to suffer.

Bearded Dragons should have fecal tests a couple of times a year to check for the abnormal presence of parasites, but can we actually see these worms in Bearded Dragons poop?

So, what do worms look like in bearded dragon poop? Most of the common types of parasites will not be seen in Bearded Dragon poop as they will reproduce by shedding microscopic eggs in the feces. Some larger worms, such as roundworms and tapeworms, may be seen as strands in the poop.

Both roundworms and tapeworms can actually be seen in the feces of your Bearded Dragon and may be seen as long and “spaghetti-like”. They may also be seen in segments that resemble rice.

Other types of worms and parasites will not be able to be seen in your beardies poop. Many parasites will stay inside their host’s body and attempt to reproduce by laying their eggs in waste which the host will spread when they poop.

The eggs are microscopic and only seen under a microscope. Lab technicians identity the type of parasite by the shape and size of the parasite eggs in an FEC (fecal egg count) test.

Why Does My Bearded Dragon Poop Have Undigested Food?

Bearded Dragons tend to be quite greedy when it comes to eating, often scoffing food when offered. Sometimes they swallow food whole or chew it very little.

This may cause some undigested food in feces, but what else caused undigested food in Bearded Dragon poop?

So, why does your bearded dragon poop have undigested food? Undigested food in Bearded Dragon poop may result from food that was not able to be digested. This may be due to the food type being too challenging to digest efficiently or an incorrect environment. Sometimes it can be caused by eating food too fast.

Food with hard exoskeletons is more complex for the gut to break down due to the strong calcium bonds that make up insect exoskeletons.

These foods make go through the digestive tract still intact and come out in the poop. You may want to remove these foods from the regular diet as they are at higher risks of causing impaction.

Bearded Dragons rely on optimal environmental conditions to fuel their metabolism and, thus, their digestion.

Both heat and UV are utilized by the body to digest food, and which out the correct ranges of this digestion can be hindered. Undigested foods in the poop may indicate unfavorable conditions for a healthy metabolism.

Why Does My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Contain Parasites?

As we talked about earlier, many healthy guts of animals contain a low level of parasites. Parasites exist in many clean environments, living off-host organisms.

It can be concerning if you see parasites in your Bearded Dragons poop or a fecal test comes back up with high numbers of parasites.

Left untreated parasites can be fatal by causing malnourishment and internal damage, but they are easily identified and treated.

So, why does your bearded dragon’s poop contain parasites? Bearded Dragons can get parasites from unhygienic environments contaminated by feces or from food sources. Parasites in low levels can also become an issue if a Bearded Dragon’s immune system is compromised.

Parasites reproduce through their hosts’ feces by shedding their eggs from the body to hopefully infect another host who ingests some microscopic fecal matter.

Bearded Dragons with low-level parasites may have the levels exasperated by reingesting the eggs shed in their feces. Good husbandry involves removing wastes immediately to reduce this risk and regular deep cleans.

Parasites can also be transferred by ingested feeder insects with parasite burdens. You should obtain your beardies feeder insects from reputable sources that screen or treat their product for parasites.

A Bearded Dragon with a compromised immune system can quickly succumb to a heavy and sickness-inducing burden of parasites from low-level parasites.

Lowered immune systems will not have the resources to keep a small number of parasites under control, and parasites will have a higher survival rate and grow exponentially.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Runny?

A healthy Bearded Dragon fecal should be fully formed with 3 parts to it – the poop, the urate (the white bit), and urine. Diarrhea, or runny feces, is a typical response to stressors in the digestive system.

So, why is your bearded dragon’s poop runny? A Bearded Dragon may get runny poop from parasites, bacterial infections, the contents of their diet, or stress. Diarrhea may also be caused by inappropriate temperatures interfering with normal digestion.

Parasites can cause diarrhea by inferring the normal absorption of water and nutrients. The immune response of the mucus lining of the intestines also has causes loose stools.

This immune response of releasing the bowels also occurs when the body is battling a bacterial infection.

Particular things in a Bearded Dragons diet may also be to blame for runny poo. Bearded Dragons rarely have sensitivities or allergies, and often the culprit of diet-related diarrhea is a disproportionate amount of fruit. Fruit is good for beardies in small amounts, but large portions have laxative effects.

Environmental stressors can also interfere with efficient digestion. Excess temperature or extreme colds can cause runny poos. Mental stress can also trigger nervous system responses that can cause diarrhea.

Why Has My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Have Blood In It?

Blood in your Bearded Dragon’s feces can be surprising and concerning. Before you panic, ensure what you are seeing really is blood.

It may seem silly, but it’s common for red-colored poop to be misinterpreted as blood. Red-colored foods can cause this discoloration.

Having said this, it is possible to find blood in your bearded dragon’s poop.

So, why would your bearded dragon’s poop have blood in it? Bearded Dragons may have blood in their poop due to parasites, impaction, or sharp food. These can all cause internal tears that cause minor intestinal bleeding. The color of the blood may help you identify the site of the bleeding.

Hookworms are a type of parasite that can infect the intestines of Bearded Dragons. Named aptly, these parasites hook onto the inside of the digestive lining and can cause tears that bleed. This blood may be seen in feces.

Impaction can also cause rips. Impacted food can be hard and easily tear the digestive lining, resulting in blood in fecal. Similar to impaction, hard-to-digest parts of insects such as the legs of locusts or large roaches may cause rips.

The color of the blood can help you identify the location of the bleeding. If the blood is deep red, bordering on brown, the bleeding site is early in the digestive tract as it has gone through the absorption process.

If the blood is light and bright red, it is coming near the end of the digestive tract, perhaps even from fissures around the cloaca.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Covered In Mucus?

Identifying all the different parts of a Bearded Dragons excrements can be difficult, especially as they are deposited together and end up getting mixed up.

Runny poo or urine can sometimes be mistaken for mucus within feces. Mucus will be identified by how “sticky” it is. Use a stick to move the poop around to check for consistency.

So, why is your bearded dragon’s poop covered in mucus? Bearded Dragon’s poop may have excess mucus if their body is under stress. Mucus can be overproduced in the digestive tract in response to stress. This may be physical stress, such as parasites, or mental stress in response to external conditions.

Mucus plays a vital role in digestion and excretion as it acts as a lubricant for all the moving parts of the digestion process. It protects inner linings from impaction and damage and reduces the energy needed for digestion.

Excess mucus can be produced in response to stressors on the body. Bacterial infections or parasites may cause an overproduction of mucus to help move the problems out of the body in the excrement. External mental stressors can cause this same physiological reaction and result in mucusy fecal.

Bearded Dragon Poop Colour Guide

A Bearded Dragons poop reflects their diet and their general health, so keeping tabs on the changes to color, shape, size, and smell is part of good husbandry.

Feces will tell us a lot about what’s going on internally, so we’ve covered some of the causes behind different colors in feces.

Now let’s take a closer look at different Beadred Dragon poop colors and what they mean…

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Black?

Bearded Dragons can have black poop if they are ingesting a lot of protein. Young Bearded Dragons will have darker feces from eating a lot of insects. Adults should eat mostly vegies and have lighter feces.

The plant portion of an adult beardies diet will balance out their gut, and they should produce lighter feces than young beardies. If they still have really dark poops, it may be due to the type of bugs ingested. Insects with high chitin levels, such as mealworms and locusts, are drier and cause dark feces.

If the feces is black but otherwise wellformed, it is likely diet-related. If the fecal is dark but watery and has a foul odor, it may result from digestive upset such as a bacterial infection or parasites.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop White?

Bearded Dragon excrement is made up of 2 parts: the poop, urate, and urine. The white part with the feces is the urate, a condensed form of uric acid. The urate may be mistaken for white poop but should be separate from the feces.

This white urate is a waste product derived from uric acid. It differs from mammalian urine in that it is more condensed. Both reptiles and birds have this waste management strategy as it conserves energy. It also reduces environmental contamination for hygiene and preserves water resources.

Bearded Dragons do not possess a bladder, so their urine and urate waste is stored in their colon. When fecal matter passes through, it picks up the urate and excretes it simultaneously as the feces through the cloaca.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Green?

Bearded Dragons may have green poop from the vegetable content of their diet. Other ingested things may also cause green poop, such as medication, substrates, or food dyes. Parasites are also known to cause green feces.

Leafy green vegetables are a vital part of your Bearded Dragons diet. Some kinds of leafy greens can have high pigmentation of chlorophyll that may cause a green tinge to poop if it is not all digested.

There is also a range of things your beardie may ingest that cause fecal discoloration, such as:

Medicines
Supplements
Food dye in a pellet food
Artificial substrate

If the fecal is green but otherwise well-formed, then the coloration is likely due to ingestion. Green feces may be seen alongside runny or smelly poop as a sign of parasites.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Grey?

Grey Bearded Dragon poop may indicate a lack of digestive acids or bile. Bile used in digestion gives feces their dark brown colors, so pale or grey feces can indicate a lack of bile and subsequent liver or gallbladder disease.

Bile is created by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It assists in digestion by breaking down fats and removing toxins. It is what gives poo its characteristic brown color. Lack of bile can cause pale feces in Bearded Dragons, which may resemble the color grey.

If you did not see your beardie pass the grey fecal, it might not have been grey initially. Once the poop is exposed to air and heat, its chemical composition will change, and it may become discolored.

Grey poop may be dried and dehydrated poop that has been left sitting for a while. Feces under a heat source will dry up faster.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon’s Poop Orange?

Orange poop in Bearded Dragons is not related to any particular health issues. It can be caused by ingesting food that is high in orange pigments. A slight orange tinge is a normal tone that may be more prominent with diet.

Foods high in orange pigment may cause orange stools such as carrots, squash, and pumpkin. Darker oranges are so close to the standard browns of the digestive system that they sometimes naturally occur in feces. Bright oranges are likely due to dyes in commercial foods or supplements.