We just got this beautiful baby bearded dragon home and while we were fixing his home he got to close to the heat lamp in another container and layed on his back with mouth open. We instantly seen this and put him in water for 10 minutes to cool him down. He is now just laying on his log and breathing but not moving. What should I do?
Baby bearded dragon overheated
- Thread starter Brawny72
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If he was on his back he probably wasn't breathing. Bearded dragons have lungs that are held open with gravity. This means if he was on his back his lungs were collapsed so he can't get air. They should never be on their back. I would definitely monitor. Any burns or anything? Discoloration? If not, he should recoup in a day or two. They are pretty forgiving and hardier than some people think.
No burns or discoloration. We caught him fast thankfully. Just very nerve racking when you see a baby laying on his side with mouth open being overheated. Anything we should do for him in the meanwhile. Is it normal when this happens that his back legs don't move? His front legs seem to be moving
Continue to monitor. His legs should not be affected. He could be in the early stages of MBD (metabolic bone disease) which affects the spine and then the legs. Could you include pictures of your setup and include what lights you use, as specific as you can get.
Remember with beardies, that they like the heat, so putting him in too cool of water could shock his system. I would also try putting him in a luke warm bath and see if he will drink for you. (note that their skin does not absorb water...so they only way they can get it is through their mouth) Or you can put a few droplets on his nose and see if he licks them off. He may be a little dehydrated due to being overheated.
Hope all will get back to normal soon!
Remember with beardies, that they like the heat, so putting him in too cool of water could shock his system. I would also try putting him in a luke warm bath and see if he will drink for you. (note that their skin does not absorb water...so they only way they can get it is through their mouth) Or you can put a few droplets on his nose and see if he licks them off. He may be a little dehydrated due to being overheated.
Hope all will get back to normal soon!
We did put him in some water like I said and he did drink very little but he did at least. My son said that he was walking around and than seen him dragging his back legs befor he fell on his side. He now has his head up and that is a relief. Some people have stated to not move him or touch him for a couple days and only give him misting from time to time. Should we try to get him to eat to ?
Don't mist him. This really does nothing for him unless his is going to drink it. But if you do this in his tank it can cause humidity issues and can lead to a respiratory problem. If you do mist him outside of the tank, make sure to fully dry him off before you put him back in. I would continue to offer food. If he eats, great, if not give him a couple days.
Thanks for all the great replys. If anyone has had this happen and has some experience in this please help and post what you did. Anyone that has experienced this knows what we are going through for sure, thank you to everyone, my wife is a wreck and thinks he is going to die cause he isn't doing leaps,lol
Sorry to hear about this accident. Overheating can kill a baby quickly or cause neurological problems. Did you notice that his back legs were working BEfore the incident ? Back leg paralysis can also be caused by impaction, eating a prey item that is too big so that it presses against the spine.
Can you post pics of the temporary enclosure the baby was in when it overheated as well as the enclosure now ? Here's how :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them
Can you post pics of the temporary enclosure the baby was in when it overheated as well as the enclosure now ? Here's how :
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ Then use the XIMG to upload them
I just wants to say thank you to everyone who has responded. Today was a great day, came home and bought a new bulb for his tank with uvb light. After only 1 hour he finally started moving and took a crap. I fed him about 4 crickets with calcium on them and he ran after 1 and than after that his back legs started to drag a little but I feel he will get stronger and his back legs will start working again, thank you everyone
kingofnobbys
BD.org Sicko
Watch for "stargazing" and flipping himself over onto his back …. this can indicate he's suffering ADV , unfortunately there are some breeders who allow ADV positive adult dragons to breed and sell the offspring for only one reason ---- $.
And pet shops who don't care if the hatchlings are suspected ADV positive and still keep large numbers of hatchlings from different sources together in display tanks …. ADV is highly infectious and very easily spread from one for two infected reptiles who are in close contact with other non-infected reptiles ….. again because they want the $.
And pet shops who don't care if the hatchlings are suspected ADV positive and still keep large numbers of hatchlings from different sources together in display tanks …. ADV is highly infectious and very easily spread from one for two infected reptiles who are in close contact with other non-infected reptiles ….. again because they want the $.
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