DO DRAGONS THROUGH-UP?

[packfan74]

QUESTION: Why does my dragon act like to wants to throw up? All day today he's been puffing out his beard, opening his mouth wide and retching like he is going to get sick.......? Any suggestions as to why this might be happening? He's not eaten anything foreign (that I know of). He's been eating normally.....that is, normal for him - which considering is not normal for most dragons.

 

[Bill]

i have some that do if they eat to many supers

 

[richard]

i have seen mine do it too. i just assume they are ticked off at something. then the next day they are fine. if youve ever seen one vomit, its quite scary lookin. they thrash their head about like something from a movie and stuff comes flying out. then they look at you like CLEAN THAT SH**T UP!

 

[Eric sachranienkow]

LOL! honestly that made me laugh! and nahh never had mine act like that.

 

[packfan74]

He hasn't over eaten. As a matter of fact, it's the very opposite! He's being stubborn at the moment and is on a starvation kick cuz I'm trying to get him off baby food and back on regular veggies, so I've cut down his supers intake to about half, every other day while offering fresh salad daily. So far he's holding out and currently we're at a stand off. He's been on his hunger strike for 33 days now - every day I want to give up but I refuse to let him break me! So far he has not eaten a single piece of salad.......he licked a piece yesterday but only cuz I put his powder on it. As soon as he relized it was salad, he spit it out!

I though maybe he was retching because he accidentally got cat hair in his mouth from aways licking the floors, so I gave him a little baby food (green beans) to wash the hair down. He ate the baby food like he was starved (and he probably is)!....made me feel bad that I've been denying him. But gosh darn, how else am I ever going to get him back on salad?

Does anybody know of a Betty Ford for Beardies? Has anybody every successfully been able to get them to eat salad if they've stopped for a long time? Is there a successful breeder in my area (Northern Virginia, US) that can detox him for me? I mean, 33 days is getting ridiculous!

Other than cat hair stuck in his throat, I still have no idea why he's acting like he's going to throw up. He started doing it again this morning - maybe it's a display thing?....although his beard doesn't turn black when he does it. He only inflates his throat up and down and then opens his mouth like a yawn and then makes a gag noise - IDK but its weird to watch.

 

[Jp]

They will regurgitate what they aren't able 2 digest. Are u feeding your dragon meal worms?

 

[kathann]

I am having problems with my beardie Humphrey...he is almost 4 months old. He was fine until this morning. He hardly moves for the longest time, and then all of a sudden he moves his body around fiercely, and then stuff comes out of his mouth (I am assuming he is throwing up) Sometimes he likes to burrow a deep area in the sand, where he is going to sleep...could he be ingesting too much sand ? If not, what else could the problem be ??
I would appreciate any input, this is a first for me ... so I AM GETTING WORRIED !!!

 

[Jp]

I am having problems with my beardie Humphrey...he is almost 4 months old. He was fine until this morning. He hardly moves for the longest time, and then all of a sudden he moves his body around fiercely, and then stuff comes out of his mouth (I am assuming he is throwing up) Sometimes he likes to burrow a deep area in the sand, where he is going to sleep...could he be ingesting too much sand ? If not, what else could the problem be ??
I would appreciate any input, this is a first for me ... so I AM GETTING WORRIED !!!

If u are using sand as a substrate u should use another enclosure (without sand) for feeding live food, any discarded greens should be removed as well so sand is not ingested.

 

[Jp]

Also, what are the temps inside the enclosure?

 

[kathann]

Update on Humphrey...for the past 2 hours, he has not been throwing anything up OR doing that wild body movement (which was freaky and scary).
He has not eaten all day (which doesn't bother me), but all he has been doing for the last couple of hours, is just laying in one spot and not moving at all. He hasn't even climbed his log all day,OR now that the lights are out, not climbed over his plant (like he does every day), to get to his sleeping spot...should I be concerned ??

 

[packfan74]

Update on Henry: He's still doing it! Several times a day he will inflate his throat up & down without turning his beard black, open his mouth and gag while heaving his tummy and turning his head to one side. BUT, nothing is coming out, not liquid, not bubbles - nothing; that's why I though it might be cat hair. FYI - his viv does not have sand. He is fed live prey outside his viv on a hard surface. He receives a small dish of fresh salad in his viv on his rocks, so if any spillage occurs, it's easily picked up w/o having to fuss w/the whole carpet; doesn't really matter though cuz he really never touches the salad - only once in a while will knock it over.

NEWSFLASH: The other day I gave up on the hunger strike thing (see above) and started feeding him his usual mix of baby food veg. I swear, it is probably easier to get Charlie Sheen off crack! Anyhoo, Henry is eating; well I might add. He inhales his dusted supers (10 total) PLUS is taking up to 2-2.5 tablespoons of baby food per day (normal for him).

He suns out side for up to an hour per day, soaks for 15 minutes per day SO, other than the strange throwing up behavior I guess he's just being weird - IDK.

I still really wish somebody would Betty Ford him for a month for me - I suck @ tuff love!

PS - Hope Humphrey is doing OK - Best Wishes.

Cheers

 

[kathann]

Sorry to hear about your problems with Henry...I know what you mean about tough love. Good Luck and Take Care. Thanks for the concern.
Never heard about feeding them baby food...what kind do you feed Henry ??
As far as Humphrey, the thing that REALLY WORRIED me, is what he was doing with his body, BEFORE he threw up.
I have ONLY had Humphrey for several months, and this is the first time, that I have had ANYTHING unusual happen...so I was REALLY WORRIED.
When I got up during the night, he was sleeping in his usual spot, and when I woke up this morning, he was sitting on his basking log as usual. As of this afternoon, NOTHING unusual has happened, so I think he is back to normal.

 

[packfan74]

OK - back to normal now that our 5.9 scale earthquake is over (everybody is fine) Although, I will say that Henry did start acting strange just before the earthquake happened. We were in the garden; I was changing the hummingbird feeder when all of a sudden I noticed Henry digging like crazy in the dirt (he never digs). He was rubbing his face in the hole, then he stopped, froze in place for like 5 minutes, then climbed up the nearest trellis just as the quake hit! Too wierd.

Regarding his baby food: He stopped eating salad 9 months ago during an episode of parasites and subsequent meds he was on for 45 days last November. Ever since, he will only eat liquid veg which he gets in the form of jar baby food (cuz I was desperate at the time). Each week he gets a different varity. One jar of veg and one jar of fruit....he only eats about 1/2 of each jar per wk. He gets green beans, peas, squash, zuicchini, sweet potato, carrots, apples, banana, kiwi, strawberry, fig, blueberry, etc. If I can get it in a mixed version - the better (i.e., green beans, peas & carrots). No gains and no meats. Limited starch.

His vet said this kind of diet will not hurt him but it is also not the best! He said if Henry will not eat any other way, then I'm stuck with it. They recommended other sources such as carnicare but the problem w/that is the fact that Henry does eat live prey on his own just fine (everything except crickets.......mostly supers really; I never feed regular meal worms). Its only the salad he has a MAJOR problem with.

I've also tried to make my own liquid veg with greens such as bok choy, kale, mustard greens and various herbs. I've tried different combinations and have not really found one yet that he truly likes. Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen. Bottom line, he eats the jar food the best. So, we're back to that for now. Maybe next year when he comes out of brumation, I'll try again but for now, I'm more concerned about him not getting MBD due to lack of proper vitamins.

Glad to see that Humphrey may be feeling better Best of luck.

Cheers

 

[packfan74]

Hi Lizardlover - I think you misunderstand or maybe I was unclear. Henry is pretty healthy, considering. He's growing normally (18.5"), is of good weight (has not lost any recently; actually he'd kinda puggie) and eats a good varity of food, considering. The only difference is, he will only eat liquid veg. He eats about 50 super worms per week, PLUS about 6 tablespoons of baby food per wk. He gets waxworms once a month as a treat. When I said he had not eaten in 33 days, I meant he had not eaten any salad in 33 days.....I was witholding his liquid veg and only offering salad and protein. He eats supers just fine on his own. And yes, I do dust them with vitamin/calcuim every other feeding. He averages a BM every 4 days or so; a bet slow due to supers.

The temps in his viv run around 100F hot/85F cool (via a digital probe). He is in a 45 gal. tank with a PowerSun 150 watt spot and a ReptiGlow 10.0, 18", 15 watt UV tube. He gets a soak in warm water up to his sholders for about 15 minutes daily. He drinks water once a wk from a dropper. Drinking only once a wk is to be expected due to the liquid veg he gets. He also gets outside time every day for at least an hr (lots of sun). In total he is usually out of his viv for up to 4 hrs per day (lots of running, jumping and climbing). He sleeps a solid 13 hours. His temperament is extremely friendly; never hisses, never bites, likes to be held. He is a terrific dragon, tons of personality!

Of course, I'd much rather him be eating salad than baby food but I can't just sit here and watch him eat nothing but supers when I know he "needs" his veg. My main goal is to have him be as healthy as "he" can be. What is normal for him might not be normal for most but at least I have an alternative to turn to in the form of liquid food that he WILL eat.

Henry has been offered every conceivable diet - pellets, reptile powders, organic vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers found at my local farmers market (the list of greens I've tried is longer than most of my posts - LOLLL!). I've tried force feeding with a tube, I've tried withholding his supers and only giving him salad for 14 days, I've tried feeding him outside for the extra UV boost, I've dusted his salad, I've put worms in it, I've tried hand feeding, etc. Nothing works - he's a spoiled Diva Dan. Even when he was young (1-6 months) he would only eat small amounts of salad; a piece or two of kale per day. I thought as he got older he would be more interested but this has not been the case.

Thank you for your concern honey, I do appreciate it. I realize you are just trying to help.

Cheers

 

[packfan74]

The only live prey I can get in local pet stores are worms and crickets (he stopped eating crickets 8 months ago when I introduced supers). In terms of worms, they sell the regular small meal worms (which I do not feed due to digestion issues). The also sell super worms (which are extra large versions of meal worms; which he LOVES) and wax worms (which I feed only once a month due to their high fat content).

Our pet stores do not carry feeder roaches or any other type of worm besides the 3 mentioned above. However, I'm interested in feeding Horn Worms or Silk Worms but the only way for me to get those is via mail order off the internet. Due to the high cost factor verses quantity, I don't think I'm going to make a habit of ordering silks very often. I'm going to try horn worms as a supplement to his normal diet of supers. So the monthly recipe will be: two weeks of supers, two weeks of horn and a sprinkling of wax worms for good measure.

I am also NOT interested in raising my own colonies of ANYTHING. I'm more of a drive thru shopper, only keeping on hand what he can eat in a week. Every breeder I talk to suggests raising my own colony of roaches but honestly, just the thought of having ONE roach in my house is too much for me to handle!! Think I would burn the house down if one ever escaped!!

My garden is full of all sorts of nasties I wish I could feed: Grasshoppers, earwigs, flys, bees, praying mantis, stink bugs, pill bugs, cave crickets, field crickets, centipedes - OH MY. But doing so would whined me right back to where I was last November (with a bad case of parasites). Becuase, you see, that's how he got parasites in the first place. I was a bad Mommy and allowed my children to feed him grasshoppers (only 4......and 1 praying mantis.......and 1 stink bug..........and 3 bees.....and 1 cave cricket). Before you start rolling your eyes, all I can say in my own defense is, that the grasshoppers where deliberate, OK - BUT all the rest were a series of accidents - honest! Small wonder it took over $400.00 USDs to get him right as rain again - seriously not funny I've since evolved and wild food is strictly off the menu now!

Cheers

 

[packfan74]

CLERIFICATION: I let my children feed 4 grasshopper one afternoon. All other bugs Henry hunted, caught and ate himself during his daily visit to the garden. I was percent each time and of course tried to stop him but it was too late. We had a tug-of-war with the praying mantis but Henry won and it was down the hatch before I could wrench any of it out of his mouth. So, bottom line - I did not knowingly allow him to eat anything he wanted but at the same time, it was completely my fault that he had the opportunity to do so in the first place. Therefore since the parasite episode 9 months ago, Henry is more closely supervised while outside now; meaning he is only allowed to explore a few feet from us rather than the 10-12 feet previously accepted.

He is either on our wooden deck (which is relatively pest free) OR on our brick patios and walkways OR he is allowed to climbing our boxwood hedges (his favorite activity). Although he sometimes gets into trouble on our patios cuz he likes to lick the small pebbles found between the bricks - most of the spaces between are covered in moss, creeping thyme or lavender but Henry manages to find the few places where the pebbles are! Once in a while I allow him to stroll thru the planting area where I grow organic clover, dandelion, petunias and other flowers that are safe for him to eat but he usually does eat much - only licks everything.

Glad to see that you have access to a wider range of prey items in your local shops - good news for your dragons. Best wishes.

Cheers

 

[Maureen Ahearn]

Can they eat dragon flies??

 

[Maureen Ahearn]

no, dragon flies like the pic there, i can catch them and take the wings off and drop them in the tank, he loves them!!

 

[Bill]

The only live prey I can get in local pet stores are worms and crickets (he stopped eating crickets 8 months ago when I introduced supers). In terms of worms, they sell the regular small meal worms (which I do not feed due to digestion issues). The also sell super worms (which are extra large versions of meal worms; which he LOVES) and wax worms (which I feed only once a month due to their high fat content).

Our pet stores do not carry feeder roaches or any other type of worm besides the 3 mentioned above. However, I'm interested in feeding Horn Worms or Silk Worms but the only way for me to get those is via mail order off the internet. Due to the high cost factor verses quantity, I don't think I'm going to make a habit of ordering silks very often. I'm going to try horn worms as a supplement to his normal diet of supers. So the monthly recipe will be: two weeks of supers, two weeks of horn and a sprinkling of wax worms for good measure.

I am also NOT interested in raising my own colonies of ANYTHING. I'm more of a drive thru shopper, only keeping on hand what he can eat in a week. Every breeder I talk to suggests raising my own colony of roaches but honestly, just the thought of having ONE roach in my house is too much for me to handle!! Think I would burn the house down if one ever escaped!!

My garden is full of all sorts of nasties I wish I could feed: Grasshoppers, earwigs, flys, bees, praying mantis, stink bugs, pill bugs, cave crickets, field crickets, centipedes - OH MY. But doing so would whined me right back to where I was last November (with a bad case of parasites). Becuase, you see, that's how he got parasites in the first place. I was a bad Mommy and allowed my children to feed him grasshoppers (only 4......and 1 praying mantis.......and 1 stink bug..........and 3 bees.....and 1 cave cricket). Before you start rolling your eyes, all I can say in my own defense is, that the grasshoppers where deliberate, OK - BUT all the rest were a series of accidents - honest! Small wonder it took over $400.00 USDs to get him right as rain again - seriously not funny I've since evolved and wild food is strictly off the menu now!

Cheers

Ok stay away from hornworms for your dragon thay are very fatty and with him only eating supers he is already getting to much fat try the silks or Dubia.And soaking every day is a bit much they only need it 1 time a week.

 

[packfan74]

Maureen, I don't think letting your dragon eat any wild caught bugs is a very good idea. Anyway, dragonflies really wouldn't be a natural prey item as beardies are desert dwellers and dragonflies only live near a constant water source; same with Mayflies, Damselflies and the like (all of which live around me cuz we are within 1 mile of a large reservoir and 5 miles from a very large river). Fireflies on the otherhand do not need water but these bugs are toxic to beardies and should NEVER be fed. Horseflies, Houseflies Fruitflies and Beeflies would work BUT I wouldn't do it. Not worth the potential risk!

Bill, thanks for the suggestion regarding silks and dubia but as previously stated, dubias are out of the question for me and silks cost quite a bit so really neither are opptimal choices. I didn't know horns were so fatty. Maybe instead of adding them to his diet, I can switch to them if and/or when he gets bored with supers....just a thought.

I've been feeding supers for 9 months and he has NEVER turned them down for more than a day (we all have our moments). I've been told they (beardies) get borned with the same-old/same-old, so maybe waiting until that happens might be the best option - thanks.

Cheers