Urgent!! Bearded dragon ate plastic!

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Okay so I always have pip out in my living room and let her roam about for cuddles or to explore, I’ve never had a problem but she does tend to sneak under hard to reach places.

My brothers were here this weekend and somehow I think a piece of plastic got under one of these places and she found it and ate it. I could hear a snap as if it was plastic but I have no idea if it was or wasn’t as she swallowed before I could get to her.

Should I be worried or wait and hope it passes through okay? How long should I wait and what should I look for? I’m really worried now (she’s almost a year old)
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
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Hello,

Oh my. Well, it will "probably" pass, but, it does depend on the size of the piece of plastic as
to how easily it will pass or what it was, exactly.
I hope that it wasn't large enough that it will get lodged in there & not pass.

Tracie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Drache613":28h53qlf said:
Hello,

Oh my. Well, it will "probably" pass, but, it does depend on the size of the piece of plastic as
to how easily it will pass or what it was, exactly.
I hope that it wasn't large enough that it will get lodged in there & not pass.

Tracie

My 8 yr old grandson loves his Legos , and a lot of the pieces are small enough to be swallowed even by a hatchling so we are very strict with him about controlling where he plays with legos and we are VERY careful to check for loose little bits of lego before any of pet lizards gets to go the floor.

The bright yellow, red, blue, and green 1, 2 and 4 pip blocks are particularly dangerous for any inquisitive lizard that comes across them.
 

Claudiusx

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Another thought,

Was it on carpet? Since you didn't see it I assume you're thinking it was plastic because of the noise? Or do you know that a piece of plastic got down there?

I only mention this because last week Tombo was roaming around the room and decided this strand of carpet looked tasty so he bit it and tried to pull it up. He tried again a second tone but much harder and a loud crack/pop occurred. It was his jaws smaking together super hard. It sounded like he just cracked a piece of plastic. That's what I would have thought you if I wasn't actually seeing the whole thing.

-Brandon
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
A visit to a vet - any vet and request an Xray - if there's any plastic in there - it will show up and you'll know exactly what you are dealing with.

If it's tiny - no dramas , it'll eventually make it's way out the other end.
If it's big - then you can start worrying and a visit to a reptile surgeon will be in order.
 

Claudiusx

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Plastic is very hard to detect with xrays unless it was a high density plastic. Most plastics have a density close to that of water which makes them very difficult to see with an xray.
Good example since you mentioned legos, they dont show up on xrays either.

You're probably going to have to just wait it out and pay attention to the stools and watch for any changes.

Keep us updated :)

-Brandon
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
detectable-objects-in-Xrays.png

and more info https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4173203/

Enough of a shadow is present in the case of a Lego and can be seen to warrant further investigation.

Different plastics , different densities and different XR visibility , most vets also have access to ultrasound which will be the likely followup.

Seems you don't need a large difference in density for an object to detectable. So where's the harm in asking for a high resolution xray & an ultrasound image ? I'd ask the vet after showing a sample of the material you suspect was ingested , the vet can then decide if it's detectable.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
If you read further past the abstract and get into the actual study, it states than none of the expert radiologists detected the Lego or plastic beads

four unique objects (33%) were not identified by any radiologist (round plastic bead, Lego™, pink barrette, and purple triangle).

Either way OP, point is youd most likely be wasting your money on an xray. Your best bet is what Tracie suggested, and myself, watch it and hopefully it will pass. Dragons are tough creatures and have a way of scaring us for no good reason :)
You cant even be sure he ate plastic. Like I mentioned, tombo ate air and it sounded like he broke plastic :)

-Brandon
 

Mipbip

Member
Hi! So, my beardie , Lily, got constipated one time , and someone suggested some mashed veggies or fruit like 100 percent applesauce and a few drops of olive oil to help something slip past if you really do feel like your beardie has eaten plastic, and even better, you can take them to the vet. You can also try boiling carrots until soft , mashing them, and adding a few drops of olive oil. Hope this helps! - Mel
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Any updates , did this object eventually come out naturally ?

How long did it take ? Assuming you decided to let nature take it's course.
 
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