Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, i have been delaing with dragons for a while and never really heard anything about feeding dragons and bath time. I fed my adult female beardie around 10 super worms and then around 2 hours later I decided to give her a bath to clean her up and give her a drink. Within minutes of being in the water and drinking some water she started thrashing around violently and throwing up ... she only threw up about 1-2 super worms and was looking really bad with her eyes closing and her mouth staying open. Its been about 15 minutes and she is looking better.. her eyes are open and her mouth has closed ... I realize now this might be due to the food and organs expanding when put in warm water ...

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP HER AT THIS POINT???? will she live through this, as i talked to another person that had this happen and his died ... any input is appreciated ... THANKS !

WOW!! Never heard of this. I will be watching this thread and see what people say.

I'm sure she'll be just fine. Next time, use room temperature water.

Hello, i was told that if a dragon throws up its good to give them pedialyte after to help with hydration and replace electrolytes.. is this reccomended ? if so how much should i give her ? she is around 350 grams ... thanks ..

I could swear someone posted on using a pedialyte mix a while back. I don't remember exactly what the dose was. Maybe someone will post to help you with that. You can use electrodize if you have a pet shop near the house to restore electro's. I'm not sure if the dragon would really need it though. They are amazingly hardy creatures. 10 super worms I think is more of the problem, and I'm not being critical. 4-5 is plenty enough for them to munch in a sitting. Dragons love supers but they should not be used as a staple feeder. Hard for them to digest quickly and fare better served as treats.

most likely the water was too cold or too hot and she was thrashing about in a panic. Panic causes loads of stress and puking up is a way many animals (and people) handle excessive stress.

As she's fine now (from your post you indicated after awhile she was alert and acting normal). I would just make sure her temps in the basking area are around 100=120F with access to cooler areas for her to keep warm.

Organs don't expand in water, bearded dragons are not sponges that grow when wet. Only time I can see organs actually filling out is during extreme dehydration..and a dragon that dehydrated wouldn't even eat.

Next time when you decide to give a bath, do it before feeding, or at least 4 hours after feeding. Make sure the water is around 75F to 80F. It should feel a little cool to us (our body temps is typically 98F so if it feels body temperature to us or warm, its way too hot for a bearded dragon)
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PHLdyPayne

First, I 2nd LdyPayne's post.

Pedialyte is fine. Dilute to 50% with water. It's probably overkill though. Hydration with water is fine.

It just amazes me how these poor creatures survive in the wild. I think I'm going to move to Australia. lol.