Question about cause of death

[b72092]

My beardie died last night in her sleep. Her breathing was labored and she stopped altogether, it was a very emotional experience when I found her this morning but last night she was vomiting. She kept swallowing it so I was removing it from her mouth using a syringe and it was a yellowish mucus which was a little thick. I offered her some water which she refused but she was also pregnant and refused to eat. She hadn't eaten for over a week so nothing came up and I am thinking it was just bile but this happened out of nowhere. I actually took her to the vet because she wasn't eating and she gave me liquid calcium and multivitamin so she could keep up her nutrition. I gave her a bit of both and a few hours after that she was acting odd. It seemed like she was trying to lay at first because she was laying as if she were about to have a bm, which she had a very small one, and kept tensing up and opening her mouth while her beard was black. I checked on her all through the night and she was responsive but when I woke up today she was stiff and cold. I just wanted to know the possibilities of what could have happened and if I may have been the reason she passed. Thank you.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

My beardie died last night in her sleep. Her breathing was labored and she stopped altogether, it was a very emotional experience when I found her this morning but last night she was vomiting. She kept swallowing it so I was removing it from her mouth using a syringe and it was a yellowish mucus which was a little thick. I offered her some water which she refused but she was also pregnant and refused to eat. She hadn't eaten for over a week so nothing came up and I am thinking it was just bile but this happened out of nowhere. I actually took her to the vet because she wasn't eating and she gave me liquid calcium and multivitamin so she could keep up her nutrition. I gave her a bit of both and a few hours after that she was acting odd. It seemed like she was trying to lay at first because she was laying as if she were about to have a bm, which she had a very small one, and kept tensing up and opening her mouth while her beard was black. I checked on her all through the night and she was responsive but when I woke up today she was stiff and cold. I just wanted to know the possibilities of what could have happened and if I may have been the reason she passed. Thank you.

I cant really give you an explanation... but i wanted to say im sorry for your loss, and i dont think it was your fault if it happened out of no where.. this made me sad, these always do.

 

[b72092]

Thank you. It is very upsetting especially since I was so excited about the eggs and taking care of them. She was very loving and was the first pet I took care of on my own. I just wanted some closure.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Thank you. It is very upsetting especially since I was so excited about the eggs and taking care of them. She was very loving and was the first pet I took care of on my own. I just wanted some closure.

how old was she? im not sure if this is possible, but could she have been too young to lay eggs? also what exactly was she being fed and when was she being fed them?

 

[b72092]

She was a bit over a year old, I got her a year ago so that and however old she was when I bought her. And her diet was crickets and collard greens, never fed anything that could cause impaction, and she bathed daily so she could pass a bm.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

She was a bit over a year old, I got her a year ago so that and however old she was when I bought her. And her diet was crickets and collard greens, never fed anything that could cause impaction, and she bathed daily so she could pass a bm.

UVB light and distance from her at basking spot/cool side?
Basking and cool side temps?
Measuring these temps with what?

sorry, i just want to help i dont mean to sound rude if that is what it seems like...

 

[b72092]

Tank is about four feet long so there was two separate sides. Uvb was about six inches away from basking spot which was around 100 and cool side is 80-85 measured with sticky thermometers and a laser gun.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Tank is about four feet long so there was two separate sides. Uvb was about six inches away from basking spot which was around 100 and cool side is 80-85 measured with sticky thermometers and a laser gun.

i hope around 100 means 100-105 and not below 100 :/
are "sticky" thermometers the dials that stick to the walls? If so, they can be around 20 degrees off. Are you holding the temp gun 2inches away from what your taking the temp of?
Also, what about humidity? it may have nothing to do with it but it very well could too.

 

[diamc]

I am sorry for your loss, it is so hard to go through all that.

Since she was only a yr old, she was actually too young to be gravid. Beardies aren't full grown until they are at least 2 yrs old and that's why it's recommended not to breed them until at least 2 yrs. It sounds like your beardie might have been egg bound. Did the vet take an xray of her?

Again, I'm sorry.

 

[b72092]

I am sorry for your loss, it is so hard to go through all that.

Since she was only a yr old, she was actually too young to be gravid. Beardies aren't full grown until they are at least 2 yrs old and that's why it's recommended not to breed them until at least 2 yrs. It sounds like your beardie might have been egg bound. Did the vet take an xray of her?

Again, I'm sorry.

I had her with another beardie who was a male but I never saw them mate and they pretty much stayed away from each other most of the time. The vet offered xrays but quoted me at $200 and that was just for the xrays, she said if she was egg bound as well surgery and meds would be a small fortune.

 

[AHBD]

Hi there, I'm also sorry about your dragon, and I know it would have been very difficult to see that happen. The description you gave does point to egg binding. Even if you never saw them mate, it probably happened, and even if they didn't, she could have had infertile eggs. For future reference, it's best to keep males + females apart. I had a male + 2 females , my first 3 dragons about 20 years ago living in a large display case and I never saw them mate for at least 6 months because he was not an aggressive breeder as some males are, but the 3 were kept together and the females both produced fertile eggs. So your girl was probably mated at some point. And it's really the condition of the female and how much calcium she absorbs [ or doesn't absorb] that can lead to egg binding. Parasites may also contribute to the problem. As for her, age a dragon that is good sized + healthy will have no problem at 14 months old. A small thin dragon will be at risk. Fat older dragons may get eggbound more easily than young healthy ones. And sometimes they just have unseen problems, just like people do. So there's no way to tell why she had the trouble she did. My condolences to you.