Worried we have made a big mistake with our baby! UPDATE.

[Munchkin]

Hi,

We are new beardie owners. I am worried about our 3 month old baby dragon. We have only had him 4 days and he has been eating quite well we think, around 20 crickets per day. He has pooped once a day and as I am new to this I am not sure it was normal but it looked ok. It was formed but soft although it had a little white bit at the end each time. Two nights ago we were talking to a girl in a petshop (who specialises in reptiles) where we were buying supplies. She recommended and sold us mealworms for our beardie. He ate 6 last night and now this morning he won't eat and seems lethargic. We have since read that they shouldn't eat mealworms at this age as it could impact them and or possibly kill them. We did do our research before getting him but the is so much contradicting advice out there that it gets very overwhelming so we thought we were doing a good thing by listening to the girl in the petshop who seemed very knowledgeable. Now I am terrified we have done real harm to our baby beardie with our stupid rookie mistake. What should I do. I don't want anything to happen to him as although it's only been 4 days we are head over heels in love with Munch already.

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to read and reply.

Emma.

UPDATE.
Munch has pooped twice since the poop in the bath last night. Still undigested material in it but at least it's moving. He seems a lot happier and has eaten 6 crickets. We were going to feed him on soft food all day but he refused it and wasn't interested in veg. He seemed to be searching about for crickets so I gave him six which he scoffed immediately. I decided to leave it for a bit before giving him any more. Don't know if it was right to do that but I am going a lot on instinct and his behaviour. Please correct me if I am wrong guys.

Anyway thanks you so much for all the advice everyone, hopefully he's on the mend.

Emma (and Ross)

 

[jscott]

Hi, I'm sorry to here about the bad advice you got.

I don't want to give you some more bad advice, but I believe mineral oil can be used in small amounts to coax the undigested mealies from the beardies gut.

Again, I don't know that for sure; Best to research it(I will right now), or wait for a mor experienced user to answer.

 

[jscott]

OK, after a 14 second search of this site, I found a relevant post made by one of the more knowledgable members of this site;

This quote was relating to mineral or olive oil. Thoey taste bad so mix them in with applesauce or their favorite flavor baby food:

Hello,

Make sure you just use just a couple of SMALL drops, it doesn't take much. Use either one or the other, but you don't need to use both.
Other options are castor oil too. -Tracie

 

[gogga]

Pumpkin or squash baby food will also help pass the mealies. You can add the mineral or olive oil to that.

Also give him a bath (water up to his shoulders, lukewarm like for babies)
While in the water massage his belly from chest to vent gently . . . . It will also help, If he doesnt poop in the bath, give him another bath later (About 3 times a day till he poops normally)

 

[MALIBUSMOM]

A soak in a warm bath will not hurt... bathing is essential as they absorb the water through thier vent.

 

[Munchkin]

Thanks everyone, gave him a bath earlier but he wasn't too impressed, still hasn't pooped but we'll keep working on it.

 

[jeritta]

try the squash baby food. I have to use a medicine dropper and give it that way as neither of our guys would eat it on their own. just put a little on the mouth and he will lick it off.
Good Luck. Keep us posted.

 

[Freeie]

This very thing is how i found this website. Mealworms impacted our Chimaira....Warm baths, warm temps, canned pumpkin like what you use to make homade pies(kind thats only pumpkin and nothing else) The oil works wonders, applesause. Took 2 days for our baby to get better. I hope everything goes ok and your baby gets better real soon.

 

[AndyT]

Everything is being covered above. I wouldn't trust a "reptile expert" at a pet store. They're just employees tagged with a title so people trust them and they can make more sales. Good luck! I hope your baby gets better soon!

Andy

 

[SoarHigh]

Sorry that this happened to you and your beardie, but try not to worry all that much as it has only been one day.
I have noticed that it takes beardies a little longer to poo when they eat lots of mealworms so don't be upset if your little one doesn't go to the bathroom right away. Do keep bathing your dragon though as it helps a lot. There are so many people on this site with good advice and remedies so hopefully your dragon will feel better soon and put your heart to rest.
I know how it feels to figure out how wrong the pet store employees are. Because of them, my snake has no tail tip, and two bearded dragons have suffered from MBD and missing digits.
You are a great owner for seeking help right away when something isn't normal instead of waiting. Thank you and good luck to your adorable, soon-to-be pin cushion.

 

[Munchkin]

Thank you to everyone that has replied. We fed him babyfood with 2 drops of olive oil in it. Then give him a warm bath while gently rubbing his tummy. After 5 mins he did a poo. Was quite a bit and you could see some undigested food Not to sure if it is all out yet but we are so glad that something has moved
Such a relief. Thankyou once again

Ross and Munch

 

[Drache613]

Hello Emma,

Sorry that has happened to you. Unfortunately, it is all too frequent nowadays, getting bad advice. There is too much contradicting advice out there & is hard for new people to sift through it all.
Mealworms have their place in the feeder world, but, not with baby beardies. The primary reason is because of their tiny & sharply curved intestines do not allow food to pass very easily, & mealworms have a hard outer shell called Chitin, that is very hard to pass.
They are an acceptable treat once they get older, but, even for juvies & adults they are not a recommended daily staple.

I am glad to hear that Munch has passed an undigested stool. He will probably pass a little bit more as well, so, you can continue to give the soft foods for another day or so along with some oral fluids & a bath if he will tolerate it! You can also increase his basking temperatures a few degrees, but still staying under 110, just to help boost his metabolism & expedite digestion a little bit.

Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie