premammalian
Hatchling Member
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?
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?