Hi I'm super nervous right now. I took my bearded dragon outside and after a few minutes I noticed some ants on him. I quickly rushed him back to the car and rinsed him off with a water bottle i had and after a minute he started gasping and opening his mouth wide. He then started shaking his head quickly while his mouth was open. It has been about ten minutes since then and he still has a black beard and every once in a while is opening his mouth up. Will he be ok or do you think he needs a vet?
Update: he seems to he feeling better his beard is back to its normal color and we got him to eat some fruit.
When you were spraying him down did you get any water in his mouth or down his throat? Even if you poured it over his head while he was breathing, he could have aspirated water through his nose.
It's possible an ant got in his mouth and bit him, but if he's fine now and their seems to be no swelling present, he should be good.
Poor guy! That sounds traumatic for him, but I'm glad that he is doing better now.
I agree, maybe an ant bite possibly but hopefully he didn't aspirate any water. Keep an
eye on him & monitor his behavior over the next few days to be sure there are not any
drastic changes with him.