How Long After Vomiting Should he be Off his Feed?

[ElectricPaladin]

Jabberwock is a young dragon (I got him at a PetSmart, so I'm not sure how old he is exactly) living in a five foot by two foot tank, 88* at the hot end, 80* at the low end. He mostly eats live crickets and salad, with the occasional live mealworm as a treat... and that's where the problem is.

While the wife and I were away, the Jabster stayed with some friends who ended up feeding him more mealworms than we usually do, including some dead mealworms (they ran out of crickets). He pooped and ate normally for the entire time.

The day after we took him home, I fed him on live and dead mealworms, as I hadn't had a chance to get more crickets. The next evening, suddenly started rushing around the tank, bearding and shaking his head. I thought he was just stressed, until he vomited up a pile of the dead mealworms (the live mealworms, oddly enough, were completely digested). Since then he hasn't touched his salad and has refused crickets. It's been three days. He has pooped once in that time, so I'm pretty sure he isn't impacted.

So, I know that a single spell of vomiting, especially after eating the equivalent of too much rich food, isn't a big deal. What I want to know is how many days I should expect Jabs to be off his feed before I should be concerned (and schedule a vet trip).

Thanks in advance.

 

[ChinelleKitten]

Hello there, 88 deg is not a high enough temp for a basking spot. Babies need 105-110 deg to properly warm up and digest food. 80 is good at the cool end though. As well, mealworms are bad for babies, they have a hard shell (called chitin) that they cannot digest. The combination between undigesting mealworms and not enough heat may be causeing your beardie to throw up. Some of the other memebers or mods can give more detailed help

Raise your basking temps and stick to crickets and vegis till he's older, hopefully he'll start feeling better soon!!

 

[ElectricPaladin]

I managed to get the temps up; I'm not sure if they're high enough, but instead of sitting miserable and stress-marked on his branch, Jabs was happily basking and occasionally (but not constantly) gaping to reduce his temperature.

Jabs didn't eat a full meal, but he picked unenthusiastically at a few crickets, and later hunted down and ate a few more that I accidentally left in the viv. His mood (judged via stress-marks) also improved. I'll feed him again tomorrow and see if his appetite is better.

 

[AHBD]

I agree with Chinellekitten....I see that he's feeling better already so it sounds like you are getting your answer already. Sounds good !

 

[Grogshla]

cool!!!!
also check your uvb lighting. You will need a reptisun10 or arcadia 12 uvb tube. This light needs to be within 7-10 inches of your dragon. This will surely help and is a massive necessity for the dragons

 

[Grogshla]

p.s only feed small crickets. They have a super soft shell and heaps of proteins. THey are the best for young dragons. In a few months i would introduce a few woodies or reptiworms. Don't feed mealworms at any stage or any other type of worm. Don;t feed him pinky mice either. Stick to simple old crickets they are the best

 

[ChinelleKitten]

Glad to hear your temps are up and he's starting to be more lively