Help - beardie went floppy

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Philthedragon

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I have a beardie that is around 1 and a half. We aren't sure if it's a male or female but we think female, despite us calling it Phil and referring to it as he.

He very rarely eats veggies, only dubias and superworms. He hasn't pooped for weeks so i stopped feeding him bugs and only offered veggies. I gave him a bath tonight which I usually do every couple of weeks. He drank some water but no more than normal then he pooped and there was a lot of urate that was hard. I'm guessing this is because he hasn't pooped in a while or he was dehydrated.

I got him out and he seemed distressed and wouldn't stop moving so I took him to his tank but as I did he went floppy. He was like this for about a minute and I tried to wake him up. His eyes were partly closed and I thought he was dead.

He then woke up but seemed out of it. He had water coming out of his nose. Since then he's been almost coughing/gagging like he inhaled water but seems back to normal apart from that. I tried holding him facing down to let water drain out but he wouldn't stay that way and it didn't seem to help.

There is no reptile vet in the area especially at this time of night. Should I be concerned? Should I leave his heat lamp on overnight? He's my husband's lizard and my husband is deployed. I really don't know what to do.

He has carpet flooring, a UVB Strip light and a 100w basking bulb so temperatures are usually around 100f. He usually goes long periods without pooping because he doesn't poop in his tank very often and only rarely poops when he comes out but this was nearly a month!

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm just staring at him and not wanting to sleep in case something happens to him while I'm in bed!

Thanks
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Poor guy, could he have aspirated some water during his bath perhaps? You mentioned that he
had water coming out of his nose?
If you can, try to place him on a slight decline during the night when he is sleeping, in case he
does have any fluids that need to drain out. Also, do keep him at or around 80 overnight to help
boost his immune system too. If he continues the coughing & gagging, I would see about getting
him to a vet to be sure he doesn't develop a respiratory infection.
Has his beard been black?

Let us know how he is doing.
Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
I suggest buying a heatpad to place under his sloping bed to try to keep him very warm overnight (about 30-35 deg C).

If he goes black beard get him immediately to the nearest 24 hr animal hospital stat !.
 

Philthedragon

New member
Original Poster
Thank you both for your responses. This happened at night so couldn't go out and buy anything but I put the house temperature up to 80f and put a towel over his enclosure to keep the heat in. He slept fine and when his light came on this morning he seemed ok and opened his eyes. I tried to get him to sleep on an incline but he wouldn't stay there. He did sleep fairly flat though.

He hasn't had a full black beard since the incident no. Yesterday when it was all happening his beard was black but it's back to normal now. He looks as he usually does. I just got home from work and he seems ok. I offered veggies but as usual he wouldn't take them. I offered a superworm (which he usually loves although does sometimes refuse on occasion), and he didn't take it from me.

I haven't heard him making the gagging noise in the last 45 mins that ive been home from work. I dripped some water on the end of his nose so he could lick it off in case he was dehydrated yesterday and that's why he may have inhaled water.

The more I think about it the more I think that maybe the floppiness was due to a panic attack. Maybe he just passed out temporarily. It was terrifying though. I thought I'd lost him and didn't want to have to email my husband who is deployed and tell him horrible news.

I will keep an eye on his eating and hope it gets back to normal. I also need a better humidity detector as mine is poor. If he would eat his veggies he would get hydrated but he wont and now I'm scared to bathe him again after yesterday!

Any further advice would be appreciated.
 

Volt

Member
When Noot was a baby, I always would wet his worms before feeding them to him so he could get water that way, because he hated (and still hates) taking a bath. Now he eats more vegetables and bigger, juicier worms, so I don't really have to do it anymore, but that's what helped for me.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

How is your boy this evening?
That is good to hear, that he hasn't had any black beard either so hopefully he is feeling
fine now. You are right though, with that type of behavior. When they become scared or
stressed, they oftentimes do go limp as a way of dealing with the stress.
I would try to keep him a little warmer though, for a few more days just to be sure he wont
develop any type of respiratory issue.
Keep us posted on him.

Tracie
 
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