Help my beardie looks like he's choking???????????

[carlanizzy]

Hi,
I'm a new beardie owner i've had him about 4 wks now. But just recently when i've fed him his crickets he looks like he's choking or gasping and his body inflates just as he finishes them all, it usually last around 5 sec then he goes back to normal. Hope someone can help because he's making me worry
some info bout the tank an stuff;
i use vinyl floor tiles
his tank is a 40 gallon tank
hot side around 100 degrees
cool side around 80 degrees
i feed him around 20 crickets a day
also veg which he rarely eats
i use temp probes to measure the temps

Carla

 

[NYDragon]

Not sure what he's doing but i'll bump it up for you. hopefully someone will be able to give you advice. good luck!

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Hello, what type of UVB bulb is it and how are you measuring the temps? Also how big are the crickets? They should be not much bigger then the size between the eyes! Good luck..

 

[carlanizzy]

Hi,
I'm measuring his temps with temp probes
The crickets are small size crickets not bigger than the size between his eyes.

Another thing he doesn't really bask under the lamp just lies on his vine or climbs on his rock wall, dont know if that will av anything to do with it.
Thanks for your replys much appreciated

Carla

 

[Jess]

Could he just be eating too fast? If mine drinks something liquidy that he loves, like baby food, he will gulp down a ton really fast, and then just sit there for a couple seconds with his mouth open to catch his breath. You cant exactly breathe when you are swallowing something, so maybe he is just being a piggy and not taking enough time to breathe while he is inhaling crickets :wink:
If his crickets are the right size, I dont think that he would choke on them.

 

[carmdac]

You stated that "he climbs on his wall". That caught my attention because i have my sons beardie in an exo-terra 2613 tank w/ the styrofaom rock background, which he climbs on. I just removed the background because we noticed what we thought were undigested poops and turned out to be vomit, so appearently he was swallowing up little pieces of styrofoam causing him to vomit. Is doing great now that a paper background is up outside his tank now. Just a thought.

 

[carlanizzy]

Yea his wall is similar to urs, i'll take it out an see if he improves. thanks very much, although not noticed any vomit or poops by it as i clean his tank daily!!! but will try it an see if he improves. Or like u say it could be he's eating his crickets too fast coz boy does he demolish them in seconds.
Thanks very much for ur help much appreciated

Carla

 

[norbertbd]

Our beardie did the same thing. My daughter had put a bunch of greens in his viv and he pigged out. Then a minute or two later he had his mouth open (full of greens) and made gagging, choking movements. My daughter went screaming and crying from the room yelling she had "killed" him. I spent 5 minutes just stroking his throat trying to help it go down.

The word I got on this site was that beardies will sometimes store food in their cheeks. The action is a normal result of that. Freaky nonetheless.

 

[carlanizzy]

phew!!!
thanks so much i really thought i'd hurt him some way, u've put my mind at rest now thanks again much appreciated
carla