Bearded dragon swallowed a penny. I really need help.

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Swungmilk

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My girlfriend's beardie (Buddha) was wandering around our room, and stumbled upon a penny. Well, I think you guys can guess the rest of the story. We tried to pry it out with no luck, we stumbled upon miracle stories and sad stories, but she is panicked and thinks there is no hope. She loves Buddha more than she loves anything, and I cannot stand to see her this troubled over a pet I know she truly loves. I've read through multiple articles about what to feed it, but I come across so many contradictions that I personally do not know what to feed it or why in order to help this situation. I've seen stories saying to feed them their regular diet, or baby food and oil so I'm a little confused. I just want to know how I can help to tackle this. What steps do I take to help Buddha? Surgery is out of the question due to costs. I'm really worried. I appreciate any help/advice anyone can provide. Thank you for reading.
 

Swungmilk

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He is about 2 years old, I'm not sure weight or length. He typically eats meal worms, mustard greens, blueberrys and wax worms. The penny it swallowed was newer, shinier 2010 or newer with no visible grime on it.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
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Moderator
Hi there,

I know it can be scary, but they can pass these items, sometimes it just takes awhile. Sometimes they will throw them back up too.

The best bet IMO is the do a mixture of both suggestions. Feed the normal diet, and feed some baby food every once in awhile too.

The reasoning is because we've seen both methods tried, and both methods help.
There was a case where someone was feeding only baby food for weeks, hoping to not cause an impaction, but still provide nutrients. The hope was the penny would eventually pass. After a few weeks they gave up on it, and went back to the normal diet. A few days later I believe (could have been longer) the penny passed. Its most likely due to the fact that the whole food was able to help push the penny along, while the baby food simply slid right past it.

Now, you don't want to create an impaction, so that's why I feel it best to do the normal diet, but once a day or every other day, feed some baby food to get things passing through again.

Make sure the temps in your tank are proper to allow for proper digestion. And you can try bathes if that helps your dragon poo.

Good luck! :)

-Brandon
 

Swungmilk

Member
Original Poster
Thank you so much for your quick informative response, I really appreciate it. I'll update as time goes on, I'm really hoping for the best here. Thanks again!
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
We all are! Keep us updated and we can help provide more suggestions as needed. :)

-Brandon
 
I’ll keep Buddha in my prayers! One thing I would suggest is baby food - squash - mixed with mineral oil. Also some greens. And let him run around (in a safe place, obviously) to keep him lose and his bowels moving. One of our beardies didn’t poop for 3 weeks and the poop was literally built up so much inside him it was encroaching on his lungs. The vet said to go this and if he didn’t poop in 48 hours to bring him in for an enema. Fortunately after about 24 hours he pooped.

Is also maybe put some mineral oil around his vent so it’s easier to pass.

Keep us posted!
 

Swungmilk

Member
Original Poster
Been feeding it organic peas and mealworms every now and again and giving him baths. He hasn't really acted or behaved any differently. He still hasn't pooped so nothing has made it through yet, but I'll keep you guys posted! Thank all of you so much for your concern.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Was wondering about you and your dragon. Hope things are still going ok! :D

-Brandon
 

Swungmilk

Member
Original Poster
GREAT NEWS! HE PASSED IT! He was acting a bit strange yesterday, he was perched in a strange upright vertical position for like 2 hours straight after a warm bath. We heard a bit of shuffling and checked on him, and surely enough, the penny was there! I am amazed by this community, how quickly your responses were and your frequent check ups were. You guys have been tremendous with advice and I cannot thank you enough for the concern and everything. We will keep a close eye on buddah and I'll update you guys if anything is wrong. Is there any post advice I should know about after an incident like this?
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
That is amazing news. I'm glad it worked out.

How does the penny look? Did any of the zinc become exposed in the penny?I would imagine that if there were to be any I'll effects from absorbing some copper or zinc, that it would have manifested by now. But, you can always keep a bit of activated charcoal on hand just in case. But I'd imagine everything will be just fine now :)

-Brandon
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

That is terrific he finally passed the penny! I know your girlfriend is definitely relieved
about that & he probably feels better with it out of his system also. They are so naughty
eating foreign objects. I guess you will have to baby sit him a little closer now with him
roaming around. :D
So, Buddah is ok now, that is always wonderful when things turn out so well in the end.
Is he eating today?

Tracie
 

Swungmilk

Member
Original Poster
Hey guys, know it's been awhile, just wanted to let you know Buddha is doing great and has been eating and going to the bathroom properly since the incident. Once again, I cannot thank you guys enough. The community here is beyond welcoming and I wish I could repay each and everyone of you. Thanks guys!
 
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