Help--blackbearding for 12hrs!

[discojan]

Hello all,

We're very worried about our 4 year old Electra. She is usually a very friendly, mild-mannered girl. In the year since we've owned her, we've never seen her beard get this dark. Yesterday, she was in the garden and she ate a small honeybee. It didn't seem to bother her (and she's eaten them in the past without trouble) at the time she ate it. She frolicked in the garden like the happy girl she is, but last night, she blackbearded when we put her back in the cage, and she slept and woke up with a dark beard. It lightened up when we handled her, and we gave her a warm bath hoping it might help her relax. She's made a small poop this morning, but she's very active (almost agitated it seems) and her beard has been mostly dark all day.Her tail, however, is not dark.

Any ideas about what would cause her to be upset? Is she is pain or just frustrated about something? We called the vet, but she's in surgery, so we haven't been able to talk to her yet.
Any ideas ? Would the honeybee have a delayed effect?

Many thanks in advance for insight.
Best wishes, Jan

 

[AHBD]

Hmmmmm..my dragons have also eaten bees with no ill effects. I would rule out a firefly ingestion because I think it would have taken it's toll by now. Has she ever laid eggs ? The agitation and dark beard sound like how my girls get at times before laying.

 

[discojan]

Thanks for your insight, AHBD.It definitely wasn't a firefly. We've been vigilant about not letting any in the house and the girls don't go outside after dark when they're out. She seems to have settled down a bit after being handled and loved on. It's also thundering profusely, but she was blackbearding before the thunder. She laid three clutches last fall, but no blackbeard then, and now she's not scratching. I took her outside after the storm and she was happy and orange out in the sun, and as soon as I brought her back in--black bearding. She's even refusing blueberries which are her favorite. This is very strange and worrisome.

 

[AHBD]

There's always a possibility that she ate a little something...without knowing what....that upset her tummy. Since she was outside there are all types of small bugs in the grass. Maybe the bee had previously been in a yard that had been sprayed with a pesticide....just things to throw out there. Whatever it is, it seems to be a mild reaction, and hopefully she'll be back to herself soon.

 

[discojan]

Thanks for your response. I think she's going to be ok, even if she seems a bit cranky. I had thought about the pesticide possibility. She's a sizable beardie, even at her svelter weight of 670g, so hopefully it won't take her too long to snap back to herself. I'm working from home today and keeping a close eye on her. I just hope she's not in pain, poor thing.

 

[AHBD]

Yes, I think she'll be fine. By the way, what is her length ? She sounds like a plus sized beardie. Is it all those tasty pollen - laden bees that she has been partaking of ? [ JK ! ]

 

[discojan]

She's nearly 22 inches. She's been on a bit of a diet/exercise regimen--she's down from 715!!, but she is a buxom girl. She seems to be ok, looking at the window.

 

[discojan]

Hmmmmmm....I wonder if she was just being bratty! She found the worm box in her wanders, and I let her eat 8 superworms, and then she went back and ate 2 blueberries (her favorite!). Now she's all orange beardie...Might she have just been jonesin' for bugs? We've had her on a reduced insect diet because she's so, ahem, buxom, and she's lost 45 grams and been alot more active as a consequence. She blackbearded after eating, and then turned orange again. Wow, I wish she could talk and tell us what's up!

 

[TASTIGER]

meaby she is throwing a fit :laughhard:

 

[discojan]

I don't know...She's blackbearding in her sleep, but as soon as held her, she went back to orange beard. The vet said as long as she's eating and pooping there's no reason to panic, but if she doesn't calm down, they'll draw blood to see what's going on.

 

[discojan]

Well, a few weeks later, it turns out Electra did have eggs. She did the manic scratching thing yesterday, and we put a lay box in and several hours later she laid 28 eggs!!! We gave her a warm bath, and some superworms, let her warm up in the heat, and then let her go to bed. She seems to be doing fine, and not surprisingly, this clearly took care of the extra weight she was carrying around. Thanks for all your help, BD community.

 

[AchiKat]

I'm glad she's doing better! 28 eggs?!? WOW! :shock:

 

[Drache613]

Hello Jan,

WOW, so Electra had eggs then, that would explain the extra weight! LOL
I hope she is doing better now.


Tracie

 

[discojan]

It was kind of amazing how many she had packed away! I feel badly, b/c I wasn't able to feel them in her belly, but she was quite the whopper before they came out, so I should have guessed Now she's a petite 600+ grams, and packing the greens in! We're just glad it was only eggs

Best wishes, J