Sick Beardie?

[Jonathon]

This afternoon when I got home I noticed that on the bottom of my beardie enclosure there were two small clumps of half digested woodies. I guessing that one of my beardies has thrown up for some reason. I'm pretty sure I know which one it is because there were quiet a few woodies in the vomit and one of the beardies ate about 15-20 woodies this morning and the other only ate about 5. He has been eating and basking fine although he has seemed a little aggressive latley. He is around about 20cm total length (probably about 9cm SVL). Could it have been the size of the food? The woodies were about the width of his head and he has no trouble eating them. Other than the woodies he also had 2 small mealworms. Does anyone have any ideas what could have caused this?

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[Jonathon]

BTW when I got home the top of his head was quiet dark (alot darker than normal) and he is also half way through shedding. And all the temps are fine and they have a 5.0 repti-glo UV tube.

 

[Magpie]

Probably over-ate.
Do they have a nice warm basking spot?

 

[Australis]

May low temps prevented the food from being fully digested?


Did you remove the Meal Worm heads before offering it to you beardie?

Meal worms are nasty littler bugger!!


Matt

 

[Jonathon]

Yeah they have a nice warm basking spot (heated by a ceramic heat globe), and I squished the mealworms heads before I fed them. I was thinking it may have just been that he overate.

 

[serpenttongue]

Are you heating at night. They'll often regurgitate if the night temps drop too low, regardless of how high day temps get.

Also what Matt said about the mealworms.

 

[Jonathon]

I set the thermostat to about 19*C at night.

 

[scam7278]

whats the deal with squashing the mealies heads??? i never do that and ive had no dramas? or is that only for juvies?

 

[serpenttongue]

whats the deal with squashing the mealies heads??? i never do that and ive had no dramas? or is that only for juvies?

Mealworms can be tough to actually chew up and kill. Many times mealworms are still alive when swallowed and can do damage to the insides of dragons by chewing at the gut lining etc.

p.s. There's quite a few Wollongong people joining this site lately....interesting.

 

[scam7278]

ive even feed them to my bluies and shinglebacks without any drama's ( i must be lucky) but the beardies seem to chew them up alot better. will the beardies still eat them even if they a not moving? cauce i have had dead worms in there before and they wernt eaten but the live ones were??

 

[Jonathon]

If you squish their head they still move around for a little while so if you squish their head just as your putting them in with the beardies the beardies should have no problems eating them.

 

[scam7278]

thanks for that Jonathon ill try that

 

[JasonL]

Iv'e never had a problem with mealworms either?? But anyhows, it is not uncommon for beardies to regurgitate their food as often they eat to much and can't digest it esp. in winter.