Chokes when he drinks

[Lilya18]

So I got a baby bearded dragon about four months ago and he’s been doing very well but these past two months sometimes when he drinks he will start choking and his whole body will just go limp as if he was dead. It’s happens three times and thankfully my mom has been there to give him cpr and basically bring him back to life. We’ve talked to his vet about it and they’ve said they couldn’t do anything about it. I’ve been giving him drops of water at a time to slow him down and he does okay. I travel a lot and I’m just worried it’ll happen when we’re not home and he’ll die. If anyone has any advice or experience with this can you please help me. Thanks

 

[HoomanSlave]

I found a few instances where something similar has occured:

Choking/hissing on water? • Bearded Dragon . org

.

Drowning Dragon and How I Dealt with It

Earlier this evening, my boyfriend decided to give my bearded dragons a bath, as they had walked through their own poop. One of my small males, named Labyrinth, decided to try and drown on me! I had never dealt with a drowning animal (specifically reptile) before, but he came out all right, and...

www.tegutalk.com

I also recommend checking out articles on drowning reptiles and reptile CPR.

Do you offer water in a bowl or from misting? There is probably a lower chance of this happening if you mist him.

 

[Lilya18]

he hates being misted, it really stresses him out. We thought it was his old water bowl pressing against his throat but he still chokes in the bath so I put a big lid in his tank and I put really big drops of water on it which has helped a little but I alway monitor him when he drinks. We have looked at a bunch of articles but nothing really helps.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

Goodness! I hope your little guy does better with drinking as he gets older. What's your little guy's name? Sorry to hear misting stresses him out. Thankfully, Dexter seems to like his misting. His little head picks up and his little tongue comes out. Never knew to watch for that when they drink. I certainly will now. I have a very shallow lid with just a tiny bit of water in it for him. He prefers mist drops from his cage to drinking directly from his water dish, though. I had a few small syringes left over that the vet gave me for Seymore's meds that I use to let Dexter sip from, as well. A little drop on the tip and he'll lick it off. Time consuming this way, but it's working until he gets a little bigger and more accustomed to his new home.

 

[Lilya18]

thank you, his name is Rex. He used to like being misted and he loved his baths but now that he’s older he’s gotten a little sassy lol. We just think that Rex drinks to much to fast and dosent take a breath. Mine likes drinking from the syringe as well.

 

[Dexter_Dragon]

thank you, his name is Rex. He used to like being misted and he loved his baths but now that he’s older he’s gotten a little sassy lol. We just think that Rex drinks to much to fast and dosent take a breath. Mine likes drinking from the syringe as well.

Awww he sounds adorable. Luv the name Rex! Egads, I hope my guy doesn't outgrow his misting. It's too fun to watch him while I do it. lol Geezz hope Rex slows down and stops going all crazy with his drink. It's a wonder he's not wagging his happy tail like our dog does when he gulps his food down. lol

 

[HoomanSlave]

Any chance the water is getting into his nostrils? I'm not too sure, but I imagine if it happened it would be similar to when a human gets water in their nose. Maybe making the water more shallow and see if that helps, or giving less at a time. One of those drip mechanism thingies could help, because it only gives a few drops of water at a time. Make sure you sprinkle all his greens so he can get enough moisture.

 

[Lilya18]

when I watch him drink his nostrils aren’t in the water he’s just licking it. I think it might be him drinking to much to fast

 

[Thomas J sobczynski]

So I got a baby bearded dragon about four months ago and he’s been doing very well but these past two months sometimes when he drinks he will start choking and his whole body will just go limp as if he was dead. It’s happens three times and thankfully my mom has been there to give him cpr and basically bring him back to life. We’ve talked to his vet about it and they’ve said they couldn’t do anything about it. I’ve been giving him drops of water at a time to slow him down and he does okay. I travel a lot and I’m just worried it’ll happen when we’re not home and he’ll die. If anyone has any advice or experience with this can you please help me. Thanks

Dragons do not need water or humidity. Misting them once in a while is okay.

 

[Chadhfink]

Dragons do not need water or humidity. Misting them once in a while is okay.

That is simply NOT true. Bearded dragons DO need water they don’t need humidity, but they DO need water and although people will commonly say that “bearded dragons get all the water they need from the veggies and insects that they they eat” it is just NOT true. Please give your beardy water, you can give them water by bathing them and letting them drink the bath water, leaving a water bowl in their inclosure, or through daily misting. Whatever you do make sure they have access to water, if they don’t get enough water they can develop serious health issues.