Sick bearded dragon :(

[Taylor9582]

Well, my bearded dragon is about 6 or 7 months old. He LOVES to eat...Yesterday I put some crickets in his tank and he wouldn't touch them. That confused me a lot! Then when I came back he had his normal amount of poop in the corner, which is good, I was afraid he was impacted. When I started to walk in his room again later, I smelled something HORRIBLE. I looked over and there was a spew of vomit. Turns out my mom had fed him chicken (which I hear is a no no) but the girl at pet smart said it was okay. She has only fed that to him for two meals and I'll make sure she doesn't do it again. Today I woke him up and he stayed under his rock for a bit so I pulled him out and put him on top to bask because he was really cold. He stayed there for a while and as he started to get warmer he went from sad, sick looking bearded to a little more lively. I also noticed that he's shedding a bit. About 30 minutes into basking he jumped off the rock and crawled to the cool side of his cage for a while. I left the room for a bit and now that I'm back he is in his hide box (which isn't abnormal-since day one he has favored the box despite being healthy in pooping and eating).

My questions now are...
-What should I watch for to make sure he's not REALLY sick?
-I'm afraid to feed him crickets right now, is there anything bland I can give him for today?
-What will the two bowls of chicken do to him?

 

[zebraflavencs]

Hi Taylor. Now I want to ask, was there anything used to season or cook the chix ? Like what herbs, seasonings, and was any kind of oil used ?

Second, if you see a black beard, he Hurts. You will want to offer several warm baths to help hydrate his system as he needs the fluids since he threw up.

Also, can you keep him a bit warmer ? Higher temps will help while he isn't feeling good.

I would offer baby food squash, with a pinch of calcium in it, just warm it up and dab a bit on his nose. If he licks that up, great. If not, then we'll tackle that as it comes.
Let us know how he is doing ! Pictures would be helpful too !
Janie.

 

[Taylor9582]

Well, the lady at PetSmart told my mom that it was okay to feed him chicken cooked plain. It had no seasoning what so ever, pretty much she just threw it on the grill and gave it to him when it was fully cooked. I talked to her about it being bad for him and she feels really bad and won't do it again.

I will take your advice with the baths...He LOVES baby food, so hopefully he will eat his butternut squash like he usually does (actually, he drinks it). His beard isn't black, he's very alert as he usually is. I can tell that he is feeling better than yesterday. Yesterday he was so sweet and just wanted to lay with me on my shoulder. Today he is back to hissing and wanting to avoid being picked up. He kinda likes to do his own thing...He's sassy (or she...we're not sure, but we're hoping he's a he because he has a boy name )

 

[zebraflavencs]

Sounds like a normal adolescent to me. That is great he is back to his normal self !
Now to check for sex, gently lift his tail and bring it back towards his back, stop when you feel resistance. Now if you should see two distinct bulges on either side, congrates you have a boy
If however there is only one, well, you have a baby girl !
Janie