bearded dragons urine

Question
ive noticed that my dragon has been having black liquid coming out that i thought was urine but im not sure could u enlighten me please thank u

Answer
Hi Jeff,

Beardeds use  the same liquid waste system as birds. Their "urine" is a combination of liquid and a semi-solid, whitish to light yellow portion called urates. This system allows them to conserve far more water then the biological system that mammals utilize. Their stool is usually cylindrical, formed but soft and brown to brownish/green depending on their diet. The stool and urine are held in a common chamber before release so you usually see the white urate portion and faecal portion somewhat mixed together.
It sounds like you are seeing liquid stool and the most common cause for this with beardeds would be intestinal parasites. Coccidia is a single celled intestinal parasite that is extremely common in beardeds and causes a runny, often foul smelling stool. If it is actually black I would also be concerned that it may have blood in it from higher up in the intestinal tract. Coccidia is a constant battle with dragon owners. There is evidence that it  can be passed on from the mother to hatchling through the egg.
Coccidia and other parasites are diagnosed through microscopic examination of the the stool. Try to collect a sample of the liquid and keep it refrigerated until you can get it to a vet. Even a vet that does not specialize in reptiles will be able to identify this parasite and should be able to phone consult or otherwise research the appropriate treatment and dosage. That info is all over the internet on various veterinary sites.