Dubias....

[smackey2]

For about a week, Spike has refused to eat her small dubia roaches and would only eat the phoenix worms.
Today I tried again with the roaches. She was doing quite well chasing them around and munching like it was the best thing ever. I only put a couple in at a time so I can make sure she is eating them and not to overwhelm her. She was at 15 (last I counted as she was gobbling them up just about as fast as I could drop them in)
Long story short (hopefully): I put in more than I wanted and before I get could them out, she gobbled them up too. Probably close to 25-30 small dubia roaches altogether.
My youngest son made a loud noise in the other room and she puffed up and opened her mouth at me. I could see at least 2 of the dubia in her beard/throat. She isn't puffing up now and only did it that once, did drink some water for me and I can not feel any lumps or anything in her throat or beard, which I did massage gently for a little while. I used a piece of cardboard to open her mouth a bit, which she wasn't too fond of, and now I can only see a little bit of one, but much further down.
She is acting just fine, alert, but relaxing on her hammock under her basking light. She isn't puffing up, no heavy breathing, no opening and closing of her mouth, and no black beard or anything.

My question:
Should I be alarmed? Did she just eat too many and stuff herself too much for it to go down completely? Will it finally go down or will it be difficult for her? Maybe just keep an eye on her and check in a bit to make sure it went down completely?
Now I am just scared to even want to give her anymore dubia roaches.

 

[CooperDragon]

I wouldn't worry about it. Check on her in an hour or so but sometimes they just get excited and start stuffing the food in their beard to get more. My guy does that too. She should be able to clear her beard with her tongue after a bit and you may see some puffing and beard flaring to help out with that. Her beard should clear out shortly and she'll be ready for more yummy bugs at next mealtime =)

 

[smackey2]

Thank goodness.
I feel a lot better now. Thank you.
I tend to over react and become a worry wart.

 

[fuchsiaSkies]

Hi there!

Yeah, like Cooper said, Spike should be fine, just being a greedy-guts! My guys all did that, too, especially when they're really hungry or with their favorites.

Funny story: When my first guy, Bill, discovered he loved fresh peas, he would gobble them up like a hungry hungry hippo. Sometimes he would have soooo many stuffed in his beard, he looked like a bizarre chipmunk, and you could poke his little puffed out beard and he would spit out a single pea... *ploop* I really wish I'd had a camera phone way back then, even thinking about it makes me tear up a little with laughter. :lol: :laughhard:

 

[smackey2]

Oh! I would have loved to seen something like that! Haha. Made me smile.

Spike is, like you guys said, perfectly fine. I have never seen her do anything like that before so it definitely scared me. Now she looks like she swallowed a little crab apple or something, though. Her little belly looks so stuffed and chubby. Haha.