Beardie Threw Up Water After Drinking

[TheWaveCarver]

Does anyone know what causes a beardie to throw up water right after a drink? i had just given my beardie a drink then about 30 secs after she threw up a good amount of water (only once). My beardie has been in brumation for more than 4 months and about every 2 weeks I take her out to hydrate her. Right now she has an empty stomach because I heard they shouldn't have anything in their stomach during brumation and her fat pads are still noticeable so id say shes doing fine until this. And should u give them calcium during brumation?

 

[AHBD]

Is she still in brumation ? Since she was sick, you need to get the lights and heat back on her. Four months is about the longest I would allow mine to brumate, I prefer 3 months, just feel safer but I have done 4 months as well. What are your temps. in the tank ? I myself have never awakened a beardie to give a drink during brumation, and I've done that way safely for 16 years.

 

[AHBD]

I should add that mine mostly do a " full" brumation, temps. around 63-65 and they sleep non-stop for the most part without waking. Some dragons WILL move around a bit, if they do I watch to see if lights need to come on, if the dragon is wanting to wake for a short period. If they are restless at all, I put some lights, I offer a drink, but no food or supplements.

 

[TheWaveCarver]

Yes she is still brumating since november so its more like 2 months not 4 (my bad) and the temps in the tank are 105 on basking spot, about 80-85 F on the cool side and about 90 F near the basking spot/ warm side.

 

[AHBD]

O.K.,so if she has been sleeping at those temps, that's not a natural brumation, her body can't slow her metabolism down to where they normally need it to sleep. The right temps. for brumation are low 60's to no more than 70. Beardies will still do a semi-sleep even with the warm temps, because it's natural for them. So although she has been sleeping, it's not the real deep sleep. At least one part of the tank should have been no more than 70. As for the vomiting, I couldn't tell you why she did it, she may have been too sleepy to drink and some went down the wrong way. How did you give her water ?

 

[TheWaveCarver]

I put a bowl of water in front of her and she took sips for about 1-2 minutes. And would u suggest turning off all the lights so the temps can drop to 60 F? And yes she has been doing semi-sleep because every time I check on her its a 50-50 to whether she is awake or asleep.

 

[AHBD]

For right now I would keep an eye on her with the lights on and leave things the way they are to make sure she is really O.K. I don't want to advise you either way as to turning the lights off now, being as she has been in a semi-brumation for 2 months. She should be fine, and if you see that there are no problems after about a week, you can try lowering the temps. all around by 10 degrees, but continue to watch her, and I wouldn't do that for any longer than a month.

 

[TheWaveCarver]

Beardies should start waking up from brumation soon now, right? since its getting close to spring. And thanks for the help.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, many will. There is no exact time frame, but some will come out soon, mine will prob. sleep another month.

 

[fc3schick87]

you can use energy saver lights to give her light but not heat. 13 or 23 watt compact fluorescent light bulbs from the hardware store do great at giving light but no heat. i use them on my geckos who require room temp, but enjoy light.

 

[AHBD]

The reason to turn off lights during brumation is to cut off the heat. If he turned the lights off, that would be the reason, so there would be no need for light or heat, so the dragon could sleep. Some dragon owners just feel safer keeping the tank warm, or they do it because they don't know that temps. are supposed to be way lower, so they just leave the lights the same and the dragon just naps on and off. But lower watt bulbs that don't produce heat would not be necessary since the dragon would not need lights on to begin with during a normal brumation. One way to brumate with lights on is just a less intense over-all temp. acheived by using a lower watt basking bulb and a cooler end [ 65-70] and the basking area around 80, along with cutting the lights to 8-9 hours a day instead of 12-13.