Unexpected Health Hazard - Hair!!!

[Rachella]

ICK!!

Strange but true! I've never had a problem with it before but boy oh boy am I freaking out now!

I don't have longish hair, it's about shoulder length a little longer maybe. I shed a lot though (grrr) but it's never been a problem.. until now!!

I've noticed while feeding Dude or Girl in their feeding tub sometimes a strand of my hair would be in there and I try to get it out before they snatch it up with a cricket - well sometimes I'm not successful and we have to gently pull the end out of their mouth until we get it all out.

Well Dude didn't poop for a few days which is a little odd because he's usually very good with pooping so I have him a warm bath because it never fails and sure enough after five minutes POOP!

But it didn't look like he was done, even when he started to move away because the poop moved WITH him. So I'm like what the heck? And I slowly pick him up and the poop is hanging onto a piece of HAIR that's still stuck in his butt!

I was horrified! My BF helped me and with a pair of tweezers we gently began to pull on the strand of hair, which worked for about an inch or two before suddenly Dude jerked and the hair tugged on -something- IN him!! He didn't like it at all and it must've hurt because he wriggled around frantically trying to get lose! So we set him down to let him relax, the whole time I'm shaking because I just feel so bad about it! What if I'd done something to critically injure him with my freakin' hair??!! I was already preparing myself to grab him up and take him straight to the vet!

So we pick him up again and begin to gently pull again and good lord this was one of my longest strands of hair! It tugged on something in him AGAIN so we stopped before it could hurt him, waited and tried again and third time's the charm we got it all out.

But good lord it was scary! To think that hair could do something like that! And just imagine if there's more hair in his belly! or Girl's belly! And Girl never poops as good as Dude does!

So I just wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem before? Hair clogs up drains so is it a good chance it could clog up a beardie's belly and cause impaction? Does anyone have any suggestions of what I can do to try and be sure it's all out or Dude and Girl aren't having a problem with it?

Dude's been just a -little- lazy the last couple of days, enough to catch my eye so I've been watching him very closely. I also don't know what the heck that 'tug' could've been on him that could've hurt him when we were trying to pull the hair out. Does anyone have any ideas on that?

Am I over-reacting?? :help:

 

[Elora]

ive had this happen too. I have medium length hair that is VERY thick and my hair is ALWAYS shedding. I have to use a lint roller on my clothes and room. My hair is always falling out but damn my hair is still thick! where does it all come from!? Ive had to pull out hairs from Skylers mouth that probably started from her stomach! poor girl. I don't know if there's much you can do about it besides making sure you don't see any stray hairs around or in the feeding area. I make sure to wash out the bin I feed Skyler in now and I havent had a hair in her mouth since.

 

[kariann]

You shouldn't really even gently pull out hair that is protruding from your Dragon's rear area. Pulling can cause a drawstring effect and seriously injure the intestinal tract. It's better to cut the hair off short so it can't drag behind and get caught on anything. With a little luck and maintaining good hydration, it should pass on its own.

 

[diamc]

You shouldn't really even gently pull out hair that is protruding from your Dragon's rear area. Pulling can cause a drawstring effect and seriously injure the intestinal tract. It's better to cut the hair off short so it can't drag behind and get caught on anything. With a little luck and maintaining good hydration, it should pass on its own.

I totally agree, just cut off the part that is protruding, never pull on it at all.

I also wanted to mention Rachella, that shedding human hair is normal but if it seems like you're losing more than you should be, you might want to be tested for thyroid disease as that is a typical symptom. I know because I went through that and am now on medication for it. I don't want to worry you, but it's always a good idea to have your thyroid level checked from time to time as your body can change over the yrs.

 

[Rachella]

Oh wow I didn't even think about cutting the strand! I'm definitely gonna do that from now on. Girl had a poop today and guess what? MORE HAIR!! Ugh!!

It's so gross and I feel so absolutely horrible!!

From now on we'll just cut them and hope the beardies can get them through. Thanks a bunch for the suggestion and info, I would've never thought of that...

I also wanted to mention Rachella, that shedding human hair is normal but if it seems like you're losing more than you should be, you might want to be tested for thyroid disease as that is a typical symptom. I know because I went through that and am now on medication for it. I don't want to worry you, but it's always a good idea to have your thyroid level checked from time to time as your body can change over the yrs.

I think I got checked for that a couple of years ago but I was okay. Shedding has always been a constant with me and it DOES seem like I lose a -lot- of hair, I sometimes wonder how I still have any. I mean it's everywhere - the bed, pillows, the carpet, my shirts, don't even get me started on the shower drain. I'll definitely mention it to my doctor next time I see him and see what he thinks and see about getting tested again. Who knows? Thanks a bunch for the suggestion!

 

[pscaulkins]

My male dragon loves to chew on my hair. I have to put it on top of my head when I handle him. He has done this since he was a baby. I have had to put my fingers in his mouth to get it out so I solved the issue by keeping a hair band available when I handle him. I have hair just below my shoulders.

I also have a thyroid disease and even on two different kinds of meds I still have hair loss. I know exactly what you are feeling about your shower drain.

 

[dolcedragon]

That sounds awful! Don't feel guilty though, you can't help you shed. It would suck to have to wear a hairnet every time you played with your dragons. Maybe just a headband or something. I occasionally drop a hair into the viv when I'm reaching in, but I've always been lucky to catch it out of their mouth.