Bearded dragon threw up, poops on himself, rejects any food

[premammalian]

So I had, as I told in a previous post, sent my dragon to another owner with a male for breeding. Only there it was proven mine is a male. I checked him as well, and he is definitely a male. For nearly 5 years neither me, nor his previous owner, nor the even previous owner who got it as a juvenile and then sold it, knew that he was male. The first owner simply was told that it was female, and no one checked. My dragon, although larger than the other one, was kept for so long alone that he was too calm and not able to fight. At the first introduction he was bitten by the other male. He only blackened his beard and bobbed his head, and then cowered in a corner. IN subsequent introductions, he became more bold and realized how small the opponent was, so in every chance he would get over him, pin him on the floor and do his display. Fortunately he didn’t bite the smaller one. Introductions lasted for 1-5 minutes, otherwise the animals were kept separately. He didn’t eat much if anything during the week housed there. I gave him on may 31, and got him back on June 6.
When I took him back, he wasn’t the dragon I knew before. He always was finding a situation to head-bob, and his beard was constantly black, lightening only for a little. Neither letting him roam outside his tank nor feeding could make a change. The other dragon changed as well, now black bearding and bobbing his head when disturbed.
As I said, my dragon wasn’t eating much, so when he returned, he quickly ate two locusts and a pachnoda larva. But then I had a meal refusal from a small snake, and not wanting to waste the rodent and having a nearly empty dragon, I tried assist feeding to the dragon. In the end he took it, and with difficulty swallowed it. It. Although his stomach got full, he didn’t stop being active and displaying. The next day he had also a black beard and displayed from time to time. Also he made small feces, probably from what little he ate while away.
The next day, June 8, he was less angry-looking, although he continued having a black beard. At the night of that day he threw up the rodent, together with fluid and made a mess. I needed to clean the parts of the terrarium soiled with vomit, which was in an amorphous state. I wonder, why in the middle of summer with all temperatures appropriate he threw up, while after brumation, when he had also eaten a mouse, digested it normally? Probably it is a silly mistake I won’t do again. From now onwards only insects and maybe very small mice. The only thing I learnt from this was that their vomit looks and smells like our own. 320 millions of years of separate evolution of reptiles and mammals, and yet the vomit is the same.
So I ended up with a deflated bearded dragon. The next ‘smart’ move I did is to force-feed him with some insects, as I thought emptying the stomach so violently would have enormous consequences. However, when I put the food in his mouth, he vehemently rejected it. It was the first time ever my dragon does that. Usually he eats everything. He really didn’t want to be fed. Finally I managed to give him a dubia and 3 pachnoda worms, but he was chewing them for too much and he was like not really wanting to swallow them. I was anxious if he had a permanent stomach problem which could never be solved.
The next day, the smell of feces permeated the room. Not much later I realized he pooped on the heating pad, and then went on it to bask. The feces were amorphous and dried up. That was also a first. Usually he poops at a specific corner and gets in great lengths to avoid his feces, until I clean them. The only few times he pooped on the basking spot (never on the heat mat, only on the basking spot twice at first), he refused to go there unless I cleaned the place. But now it did that. Was it the stress of transport? I don’t know. Anyway I took the beardie out, rinsed him with soap and water, took the heat mat out, scrubbed it, submerged it in a bleach and water solution to get any residue out, and then let it to the sun to dry. Then I connected it to the socket, and it was functioning normally, so I returned back in the terrarium.
The dragon was lethargic and in a tired-looking state. I don’t know if it was the summer heat or the things he has passed. However, his beard finally got normal again.
Today I found feces again, still amorphous, but at the proper place. Probably they are from the mouse. Still his stomach seems it contains food, like he hasn’t digested it. Today also I gave him a lot of water, to replenish his reserves if the vomiting dehydrated him. After I dripped a lot on is head and saw he needed more, I filled his bowl and he went on his own and drunk a lot like a little rabbit. Again a first for him in my care.
But still he rejects food, even really favorite food, like locusts. What should I do?

 

[BeardeddragonDino]

I would see a vet as soon as possible.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

There are quite a few concerns I have reading this.

Firstly, being sent elsewhere to mate and having to tap into his instincts to defend himself, and then being brought back home has probably stressed him greatly. He feels unsafe, and doesn't want to eat. Forcing foods on him is stressing him out more.

Secondly, why did you feed him a mouse??? He threw up because his body couldn't process it. He's not a snake. The only time mice are fed are pinky mice, no fur no bones, and even that is controversial. Stop this immediately and forever.

Why is there a heat pad in his enclosure??? It could easily malfunction and burn him. They need heat from above, and if additional heat is needed, get a ceramic heat emitter. He should not be able to touch a heat source.

PLEASE read up on how to properly care for a bearded dragon and take him to a vet for likely a very needed checkup. Normally I'm not this harsh, but based on what I've read it's like you have no idea what animal you have and think one reptile is equal to another.

 

[destiny1998]

Hi. If that was a full grown mouse he can't digest properly. Especially the bones and he can die from that. Some people feed pinkies, but not that often. He definitely need to be seen.t

 

[kingofnobbys]

Get him to a good reptile vet IMMEDIATELY.

What ever possessed you to give him a mouse to eat ? .... to force it down his throat !!

VERY BAD IDEA - NEVER DO THAT EVER AGAIN.

The rest .... you have eyes ? surely you could see he was a male .... never rely on what the seller tells you - you were looking for a girl , so they told he was a she and you bought him without even checking ??? Then compounded this by sending off your "girl" to be mated (so you can make some $) only to be told you sent a male to mate with their male .... no wonder he's upset.

Please bone up on bearded dragon husbandry if he comes through this.

I hope your beardie survives this.

 

[premammalian]

The dragon has both a heat pad and a basking spot, as the branch cuts off a lot of the radiation of the lamp and I needed an auxiliary heat device to keep good temperatures. I use the heat pad in conjunction with the lamp for years. Each one cares for his animals according to the specific circumstances, I don't consider a heat pad a wrong thing. It also has a deeming switch by which you can reduce its temperature, and now in summer I have it a lower setting.
I didn't get the dragon from a store, I got it from another owner who thought it was a female. I wanted a female from the start, but there is no problem now that he is a male. The only bad thing is he most probably will never have offspring, as males outnumber females in my area. The good thing is he may probably live more than a female. The offspring would go to a well-run reptile store I trust.
Yes, I saw the enlarged pores and the thickened tail base from the start, but I quickly dismissed my concerns and thought it as a normal female variation. I never raised his tail in order to check for hemipenile bulges. I just thought she had a lot of fat at the base of the tail for egg production. Also he was generally a calm animal, not head-bobbing and black bearding on the glass like other males are described here doing, and his head was narrower than other males I have seen.
I keep him for over 3 years, I pass him through hibernation each winter and give him time each day to get out and bask and exercise. So don't be so quick to criticize someone.
Also anyone tells me to take him to the vet. That unique responsibility-absolving magic sentence. The problem is that if I were to take to the vet my animals any time I heard that recommendation, I would be bankrupt now. And also the vet I know isn't the best person, she seems too judgmental, harsh and somehow I get the feeling she doesn't trust me. For example I got recently a week leopard gecko (he made a full recovery just by eating well), which was starting to shed, and she thought he had bad shedding problems and proceeded to peeling his skin by hand. I told her I could do that my self, if indeed it was a real problem, but she didn't payed any attention to me. I don't want to mess with such kind of people. She is also a crypto-anti-exotics person that is quick to judge any case whenever an animal like that is brought to her ill, not only from me. Also sometimes she talks bogus, for example she recommended me to put uv for my leopard geckos. I told her all experienced breeders don't do it, and also that I have grown geckos from hatchlings without it, but she responded that problems might appear later, and that breeders are evil greedy persons that stress their animals (ok she didn't say it exactly like that, but something similar to it). For all of my life, I knew that calcium problems manifest quickly in growing animals. Also she is suspicious to anyone wanting to breed animals, including me.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

No offense, but I don't believe you should be breeding dragons. Not only is the market already overflowing with them, your husbandry and diet, along with the lack of being able to judge which gender your dragon you've had for years was, tells me you are not experienced or prepared for raising clutches. They require a lot of time and care and lots and lots of food. If you can't even take the one you have to the vet now when you made a terrible mistake feeding something that could kill him without going "bankrupt", you cannot afford to care for all the babies that come with breeding.
Please be responsible. Vet care is important for all pets. When someone says they need to see a vet on this forum, they mean it. That's not just a default response. He needs a vet. If your vet isn't good, find another one. I know easier said than done in some areas, but a bad vet can do more harm than good, and no vet could be the difference between life and death. Not everything has a home remedy.

I don't care if you were using heat pads for 5 or 70 years, it's dangerous, and those that use heating pads put them UNDER something, and you clearly stated you had to bleach soak the actual heater which implies it's 100% exposed. That is extremely dangerous. Even heat pads sold to consumers always recommend something between you and the heating pad. Please correct this immediately. I'd say remove it, but something tells me you won't, so at least please cover it with a towel or something.

As I stated I'm not usually this harsh or forward, you may read advice I've given to others for comparison, but this particular post just really irks me, and I think it's just the complete lack of understanding what bearded dragons need. You're quick to try and breed your dragon you don't even know what gender it is or what is and isn't safe to eat after 3 years of ownership, and what bothers me now is the lack of responsibility you are taking. Please read the basic care of bearded dragons, even if you think you know it as I believe there is more to learn.

I do believe the mouse is why he is ill, especially if it was forced on him. I do believe he needs to see a vet, especially if he is lethargic since. I do hope he pulls through fine, whether you choose to have him be seen or not. I apologize if my responses feel like shaming you or pointing fingers, but please understand there are changes to be made with your husbandry and care. Your dragon deserves the best.

Reading this topic last night made me go hug my dragons.

 

[BeardieLover232]

hey bud! mice are not the best for beardies, especially the larger mice! if you are considering feeding your dragon a mouse, i would go for the pinkies. since they are high in fat, i would give one every month or two. the mouse was to big to swallow and i probably scar for life on mouse of feeding.
he will get back to eating doe.
as for breeding, i haven't done breeding but from what i read, they are a lot of work, time and money. and since bearded dragon breeding an selling is so popular as traildrifterphlanx mentioned. we re not mad at you, we just want you to be more careful with your dragon.
i am planning to breed mine when Pebbles reaches at least 2 years of age, she is not strong enough to go through the process of holding and laying eggs and my crazy male, she hasn't even produced infirtlized eggs yet.
I would hold back on the breeding for now, and take him or her to a vet. we care about you and your dragon, we hate to see a dragon get sick from a sickness out of no where.

 

[premammalian]

No offense, but I don't believe you should be breeding dragons. Not only is the market already overflowing with them, your husbandry and diet, along with the lack of being able to judge which gender your dragon you've had for years was, tells me you are not experienced or prepared for raising clutches. They require a lot of time and care and lots and lots of food. If you can't even take the one you have to the vet now when you made a terrible mistake feeding something that could kill him without going "bankrupt", you cannot afford to care for all the babies that come with breeding.
Please be responsible. Vet care is important for all pets. When someone says they need to see a vet on this forum, they mean it. That's not just a default response. He needs a vet. If your vet isn't good, find another one. I know easier said than done in some areas, but a bad vet can do more harm than good, and no vet could be the difference between life and death. Not everything has a home remedy.

I don't care if you were using heat pads for 5 or 70 years, it's dangerous, and those that use heating pads put them UNDER something, and you clearly stated you had to bleach soak the actual heater which implies it's 100% exposed. That is extremely dangerous. Even heat pads sold to consumers always recommend something between you and the heating pad. Please correct this immediately. I'd say remove it, but something tells me you won't, so at least please cover it with a towel or something.

As I stated I'm not usually this harsh or forward, you may read advice I've given to others for comparison, but this particular post just really irks me, and I think it's just the complete lack of understanding what bearded dragons need. You're quick to try and breed your dragon you don't even know what gender it is or what is and isn't safe to eat after 3 years of ownership, and what bothers me now is the lack of responsibility you are taking. Please read the basic care of bearded dragons, even if you think you know it as I believe there is more to learn.

I do believe the mouse is why he is ill, especially if it was forced on him. I do believe he needs to see a vet, especially if he is lethargic since. I do hope he pulls through fine, whether you choose to have him be seen or not. I apologize if my responses feel like shaming you or pointing fingers, but please understand there are changes to be made with your husbandry and care. Your dragon deserves the best.

Reading this topic last night made me go hug my dragons.

You aren't shaming and pointing a finger, but you do. My dragon is 500 grams and 500 grams do not come from neglect. As I told before and you blatantly ignored, I pass my animal through real hibernation each winter, a think that many are afraid to do, I let it outside to bask, I give it lots of good food, and it is normal. I care for it like a normal bearded dragon, not like a baby or something. Probably other keepers here do not really know what a bearded dragon needs. As for the pad, I have anchored it well and nowadays the dragon doesn't try to dislodge it, but I can cover it with something if it is so dangerous, but not remove it. That is its supplemental heat as I said. As for the gender, I again explained before. I had seen pores from the start but didn't consider it important.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there.....the chain of events with the extreme stress from his encounter with the other dragon followed by a forced meal is what caused him to vomit. Once he vomited he is now feeling very queasy....so just offer water or water mixed with baby food. His appetite will return, don't rush it, that can make it worse. Keep him calm and hydrated and he should start eating again when he is ready.....don't force it though !

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

I know it's hypocritical now to say I'm not trying to argue - I am trying to do what is best for your dragon and guide you on how to correct some errors. Whether you choose to make changes or ignore my advice is up to you.

I never stated your dragon was underfed or neglected. I have no photo or anything to go off of. I said you are not properly providing what he needs and putting him in dangerous situations with force feeding a mouse and the heating mat, and said I think you need to re-read up on how to properly care for a dragon as it makes me question what else is going on. Your original post was a string of just really bad/newbie mistakes in a row that I thought I was on the wrong forum. I am trying to help you correct this, as harsh as this may come out, because I am concerned for your dragon's well-being.

Regarding the gender, I know you stated seeing the pores, but an educated keeper, especially one intending to mate the animal, would be able to tell the gender of the dragon after 3 years and especially prior to scheduling it for mating... Not to mention it's always best to have a vet checkup prior to make sure they are healthy enough for mating, especially if you believed the dragon to be female, and the vet could/should have helped determine the gender. I went to my vet 100% certain about both genders of my dragons and she still checked and confirmed on their first visit.

I tried this the nicer way but let me rephrase it. That heat pad needs to move. Heating pads for reptiles and amphibians are called UTH - UNDER TANK heaters. A direct heat source should never be able to be touched or in contact with the animal. Heating rocks are sold but are still considered dangerous for this same reason and are highly discouraged with bearded dragons. Electronics, especially cheaply made ones, can malfunction and in this case overheat. If you need to supplement heat, please go the ceramic heat emitter route and place it out of reach.
For example, I had a fish tank community with an underwater heater. After 3 years it malfunctioned and overheated, killing the entire community, and it was used as intended.

What concerns me most, and I think is making my reaction more direct in this case, is that your main intention was/is breeding. While I understand you did not plan to keep the babies long term, you would still need to house and feed them for at least the first month, and based on your original post I think you may be jumping the gun. I understand now that your dragon is confirmed as male this likely changed everything, but I do not believe you are prepared to raise hatchlings based on your experience with your current dragon. While this is likely not the case, your original post made me feel your main intention with this dragon was mating, and I am hoping all the love is there, too.

Again, please understand that while very direct or harsh, I am trying to help. I hate to see posts about suffering, injured, and dying dragons and take the care of other people's dragons personally as I absolutely love these animals. I am wanting to help make your dragon a happy camper in any way I can, and that starts with the concerns I saw from your post. While my responses may anger you, please take the advice given to try and improve the life or your animal. At the end of the day, this is your dragon, not mine, but the least I can do is put you on the right path.

 

[EllenD]

Wow, this one is quite disturbing, and I'm going to be brief because I tend to get myself in trouble, yet I still want to help you out here because I think that you mean well, I really do, but the problem is that you really think you know what you're doing, as you said, you think you're treating your beardie like "a real bearded dragon and not a baby", while the truth is that you're just factually incorrect about some things pertaining to caring for bearded dragons. Period.

What upsets me the most is your statement that "Animals are cared for based on their circumstances", implying that everything that you've done regarding your husbandry is correct because you say it's correct. That's not how it works, I'm sorry but there are a lot of things that you have done and that apparently you're continuing to do that could hurt, make sick, or kill your bearded dragon. These husbandry things you are doing are not correct simply because you think they are. If multiple, experienced, and knowledgeable members are telling you that things you are doing are harmful for your beardie, don't you think you should listen and take them seriously? I mean, if I had come onto a pet forum because my pet was very sick and I explained the things I have been doing to him regarding husbandry, diet, breeding, etc. and multiple people told me I was doing them wrong, common sense would tell me that what I have been doing is what was making him sick, right?

One plus one equals two, not eight, just because you think it equals eight. I can't say it any more clearly than that.

#1- Bearded Dragons always get their heat from above them, and this includes "real" bearded dragons out in the wild in Australia, not just "babies" Beardies. They cannot feel heat burning their bellies, which is why you should never, ever, ever use heat rocks, heating pads, etc. inside their enclosures for them to directly lay on. He wouldn't know it if it was burning him and in-turn you wouldn't know it was burning him, that's a fact. And any heat mats you buy in a pet shop for reptiles tell you that they go underneath or on the side of the enclosure, never inside the enclosure. Besides that major issue, if your beardie's enclosure is not at the correct temperature gradient then your husbandry is off. You should have a cool side between 75-80 degrees, a hot side around 90 degrees or so, and a basking spot between 100-103 for an adult beardie. And all of those temps should be developed using the correct wattage of bright white basking bulb at the correct distances, or possibly a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) from above as well for extra night heat with no light, but only if his enclosure falls below 65 degrees. The fact is a beardie should never need a heating pad or heat mat and should never have on inside his enclosure that he could possibly lay on and burn himself.

#2- Feeding a bearded dragon a fully grown mouse with developed bones and fur is asking for him to die. Period. He's not a snake, or a monitor, or a tegu. He's a bearded dragon and if you want to treat him like a "real" bearded dragon, then don't feed him full grown mice, because they don't eat them in the wild, period. At the very most a beardie may eat a frozen and then thawed pinky mouse with no fur and no bones, because that's all his system can digest. That should be apparent to you now since it nearly killed your beardie and is the reason you came here to begin with, so you shouldn't be arguing that this was a good thing to do. Even a very large bearded dragon isn't large enough to even swallow a fully grown mouse, you're lucky he didn't choke to death while you forced him to eat it. And that's the other thing, I don't know what ever possessed you to force a fully grown mouse down his throat, but I hope you now know not to do it ever again. Insects only please, if your beardie can't survive eating healthy, nutritious, live insects like he would in the WD, then something is very wrong with either your husbandry or him, and he should see a certified Reptile vet.

#3- If you don't like your reptile vet then find another one. I agree you don't need to run pets to the vet every time they get sick, but if you force a fully grown mouse down your bearded dragon's throat and he vomits it up, and continues to vomit and black beard, then it's an emergent situation that requires a vet. And if you don't like a vet telling you you're husbandry is wrong either, you really need to sit down and take a minute to think about why everyone is judging your husbandry, diet, just your care in general. We're not trying to judge you or make you feel bad, we're all trying to make you understand that you're doing some things that are very wrong and that are harming your beardie. Period. You're taking it personally and that is making you defensive, therefore you're ignoring everything everyone is telling you and trying to say that you're correct and everyone else is wrong...All of the experienced beardie owners, the vet, etc. are all wrong, and you're correct, even though you're the one with a very sick beardie due to your husbandry. It's not a judgement, it's a chance to make positive changes. I've been there, I understand, and you eventually just have to tell yourself that you need to change for the better.

As far as the breeding situation, I'm not going to preach to you because you won't listen, you're obviously determined to breed your beardie, I guess for money because I don't know why else you would want to do it. That being said, good luck making any money at all, the market is flooded and if you check Craigslist you'll unfortunately find hundreds of beardies, young and old, babies, juveniles, adults, and everything in between, that need homes. Anywhere from free with full setups to whatever price. So breeding more Beardies is not the answer to the problem. And I will say that dropping your "pet" off at a stranger's house for a week to try and impregnate her is irresponsible enough, but to only find out that you didn't even know that she was actually a he, and you try to write this huge mistake off, saying something about large femoral pores, blah blah blah, that is what really angers me, and this is the only harsh thing I'll say. This in and of itself shows how little you know about Beardies and that you have no business breeding or raising babies. Femoral pores, fyi, have nothing to do with sexing, my female has huge femoral pores that could easily be taken for male. But if you lift her tail you'll know, lol...

A certified Reptile vet has its place and it's need, and if this situation doesn't warrant a visit then I don't know what situation does. I hope he makes it, for his sake, but I really suggest you get him professional medical help from an experienced vet, in case he still has mouse bones he cannot digest or internal injuries as a result of trying to digest it in the first place. I'm not saying this as a standard answer, this is what I would consider an emergent situation.

 

[premammalian]

Wow, this one is quite disturbing, and I'm going to be brief because I tend to get myself in trouble, yet I still want to help you out here because I think that you mean well, I really do, but the problem is that you really think you know what you're doing, as you said, you think you're treating your beardie like "a real bearded dragon and not a baby", while the truth is that you're just factually incorrect about some things pertaining to caring for bearded dragons. Period.

What upsets me the most is your statement that "Animals are cared for based on their circumstances", implying that everything that you've done regarding your husbandry is correct because you say it's correct. That's not how it works, I'm sorry but there are a lot of things that you have done and that apparently you're continuing to do that could hurt, make sick, or kill your bearded dragon. These husbandry things you are doing are not correct simply because you think they are. If multiple, experienced, and knowledgeable members are telling you that things you are doing are harmful for your beardie, don't you think you should listen and take them seriously? I mean, if I had come onto a pet forum because my pet was very sick and I explained the things I have been doing to him regarding husbandry, diet, breeding, etc. and multiple people told me I was doing them wrong, common sense would tell me that what I have been doing is what was making him sick, right?

One plus one equals two, not eight, just because you think it equals eight. I can't say it any more clearly than that.

#1- Bearded Dragons always get their heat from above them, and this includes "real" bearded dragons out in the wild in Australia, not just "babies" Beardies. They cannot feel heat burning their bellies, which is why you should never, ever, ever use heat rocks, heating pads, etc. inside their enclosures for them to directly lay on. He wouldn't know it if it was burning him and in-turn you wouldn't know it was burning him, that's a fact. And any heat mats you buy in a pet shop for reptiles tell you that they go underneath or on the side of the enclosure, never inside the enclosure. Besides that major issue, if your beardie's enclosure is not at the correct temperature gradient then your husbandry is off. You should have a cool side between 75-80 degrees, a hot side around 90 degrees or so, and a basking spot between 100-103 for an adult beardie. And all of those temps should be developed using the correct wattage of bright white basking bulb at the correct distances, or possibly a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) from above as well for extra night heat with no light, but only if his enclosure falls below 65 degrees. The fact is a beardie should never need a heating pad or heat mat and should never have on inside his enclosure that he could possibly lay on and burn himself.

#2- Feeding a bearded dragon a fully grown mouse with developed bones and fur is asking for him to die. Period. He's not a snake, or a monitor, or a tegu. He's a bearded dragon and if you want to treat him like a "real" bearded dragon, then don't feed him full grown mice, because they don't eat them in the wild, period. At the very most a beardie may eat a frozen and then thawed pinky mouse with no fur and no bones, because that's all his system can digest. That should be apparent to you now since it nearly killed your beardie and is the reason you came here to begin with, so you shouldn't be arguing that this was a good thing to do. Even a very large bearded dragon isn't large enough to even swallow a fully grown mouse, you're lucky he didn't choke to death while you forced him to eat it. And that's the other thing, I don't know what ever possessed you to force a fully grown mouse down his throat, but I hope you now know not to do it ever again. Insects only please, if your beardie can't survive eating healthy, nutritious, live insects like he would in the WD, then something is very wrong with either your husbandry or him, and he should see a certified Reptile vet.

#3- If you don't like your reptile vet then find another one. I agree you don't need to run pets to the vet every time they get sick, but if you force a fully grown mouse down your bearded dragon's throat and he vomits it up, and continues to vomit and black beard, then it's an emergent situation that requires a vet. And if you don't like a vet telling you you're husbandry is wrong either, you really need to sit down and take a minute to think about why everyone is judging your husbandry, diet, just your care in general. We're not trying to judge you or make you feel bad, we're all trying to make you understand that you're doing some things that are very wrong and that are harming your beardie. Period. You're taking it personally and that is making you defensive, therefore you're ignoring everything everyone is telling you and trying to say that you're correct and everyone else is wrong...All of the experienced beardie owners, the vet, etc. are all wrong, and you're correct, even though you're the one with a very sick beardie due to your husbandry. It's not a judgement, it's a chance to make positive changes. I've been there, I understand, and you eventually just have to tell yourself that you need to change for the better.

As far as the breeding situation, I'm not going to preach to you because you won't listen, you're obviously determined to breed your beardie, I guess for money because I don't know why else you would want to do it. That being said, good luck making any money at all, the market is flooded and if you check Craigslist you'll unfortunately find hundreds of beardies, young and old, babies, juveniles, adults, and everything in between, that need homes. Anywhere from free with full setups to whatever price. So breeding more Beardies is not the answer to the problem. And I will say that dropping your "pet" off at a stranger's house for a week to try and impregnate her is irresponsible enough, but to only find out that you didn't even know that she was actually a he, and you try to write this huge mistake off, saying something about large femoral pores, blah blah blah, that is what really angers me, and this is the only harsh thing I'll say. This in and of itself shows how little you know about Beardies and that you have no business breeding or raising babies. Femoral pores, fyi, have nothing to do with sexing, my female has huge femoral pores that could easily be taken for male. But if you lift her tail you'll know, lol...

A certified Reptile vet has its place and it's need, and if this situation doesn't warrant a visit then I don't know what situation does. I hope he makes it, for his sake, but I really suggest you get him professional medical help from an experienced vet, in case he still has mouse bones he cannot digest or internal injuries as a result of trying to digest it in the first place. I'm not saying this as a standard answer, this is what I would consider an emergent situation.

Why are you criticizing me so much? Obviously the thing about the inability of dragons to perceive heat from below is just bogus. It may happen with some pythons for which I don't have any experience to comment, but most animals can know this. An animal living in a desert needs that ability, otherwise it would have cooked to death on the basking rock and get extinct. If I let my bearded dragon outside under full sun and he is sitting on a black surface, after some time he will move to the lighter nearby surface, which is cooler. When suddenly the sky gets overcast, he can find which parts of the ground are warmer and lie on them. The same happens with the heat pad, if the temperature is too high either he lies at the border of the pad or leaves it completely. Also I was reading a study about opioid analgesic efficacy on reptiles and the bearded dragon and ball python were used, both species were able to feel the heat from a hot plate under their tail and pull it away. But if the pad is so dangerous I will remove it. The problem is how to heat the cage now. Will I need three lamps?
Today he started eating. He ate 72 mealworms from the start. He is still plump, but I have noticed a small loss of weight at the uper part of the tail base and waist. With a few feeding I think it will correct. Now he doesn't black beard, but he can head bob when climbing on the basking branch or getting into the cage after basking outside.
As for breeding, if you want so much to know the answer, the plan was like this: The other keeper is in fact a reptile store owner with whom I had a good cooperation. The first clutch would go whole to the store, and if he sold a lot of the younglings, I would give more hatchlings of the second clutch. to him again. Hatchlings would receive at least 3-4 feedings in my care before being given to him, and now being summer, their setups would be low-tech. Then he would put them in a normal terrarium. Then I could hold 4-5 hatchlings to give to people I know are interested, but not more, as I am sure I couldn't find homes for them. And season being late, she would at most make two clutches. Now that he is a male it is in fact easier to breed, but no females are around. Also you don't have the experience of incubating, hatching and caring for hatchlings.
Also mouse bones won't kill him or whatever. He had eaten a hopper mouse before. Also there are people that wrongly feed their dragons habitually mice. Yes, they have difficulty swallowing them, as it isn't their natural food, and also become aobese. But No dragon has died of impaction from bones. The digestive acids break them down fine.

 

[AHBD]

Hey there, it's good to hear that he's eating again. Throwing up a large meal is never an emergency, it just means they ate too much or the wrong thing or too fast. [ Not enough heat for digestion can also cause vomiting ] They pretty much always recuperate quickly. Just wondering if yiou have other insects available. ? While I don't agree with the opinion that mealworms should never be fed, they can cause problems if fed in very large amounts. [ For those who say that mealworms are worthless, just look up an insect nutritional chart ]

So it would be good if you had other insects as a staple. And no, it's not true that beardies can't feel belly heat, but it is true that at times they can't tell that they are actually being burned, that's why heat rocks are hardly ever used because they can be dangerous. But beardies also get burned from above with a strong spot basking bulb....there have been several on here in the past year or so that had burns. So they can be burned from above or below if there's a hot spot that they don't realize that they need to get away from quickly enough. Maybe you could put the heat pad under the tank as was mentioned or just get a higher watt basking bulb.

 

[EllenD]

Please don't feed 72 mealworms in one feeding, there are many other live insects you can feed him that will be more nutritious, he'll eat less and you'll save money, and you won't be risking impaction. If he has to eat 72 mealworms in one feeding then you'd be much better off feeding him large dubias or crickets.

And as just repeated, it's not bogus at all, they cannot tell they are being burned on their bellies from underneath. As far as "how to get his temps correct", it's a matter of trying different bulb wattages at different heights. No, you don't need 3 basking bulbs, you should only need one long UVB tube (has little to nothing to do with temperature gradient) and one bright white halogen flood bulb over his main basking spot. The way I do it is set up the UVB tube right alongside the halogen flood basking bulb so he'll get both while basking, and try different wattages and moving the basking bulb up and down until I get the basking spot temperature correct. Then measure the temp on the cold side. If it's colder than 75 degrees you may want to add another low wattage basking bulb on the cold side, or put your heating mat underneath the enclosure on the cold side. It's just a matter of playing around with the wattages and heights of both the bulbs and the basking platform.