bearded dragon vomiting

Question
QUESTION: Hi.  we have a baby bearded dragon that is aproximatly 8-10 inches long.  I'm not sure of his age.  He just recently started vomiting up his worms shortly after eating them and then rushes to eat them again!  I've only seen him do it a few times but it is so disgusting!  Is this normal? I think maybe he's just eating too fast?  He has a bowel movement 1-2 times a week. We have been feeding him a combination of pheonix worms and wax worms twice a day.  He's not too big on his greens but does eat them.  Nothing else appears to be out of the norm.  He is pretty active and always acts as if he is starving!  Please help?

ANSWER: Hello  Tara,

Well, at 8-10 inches in length, he is probably around 3-4 months of age, approximately.
He is most likely eating too fast, so, try to get him to eat a little slower by putting fewer out for him at a time.
He is growing quite rapidly so he does need a good amount of protein right now.  
At his age however, he does need to be going to the bathroom daily, or at least every other day as much as he is eating.
The waxworms may be too fatty for him.  They are not a real good staple food, & should only be fed as a treat.  I would only feed them a couple of times per week, & no more than 10 per week, or less.  Stick with the phoenix worms, or appropriately sized crickets.  
Continue to keep greens & veggies out because he will eventually eat more of them as he gets older.  
What are the temperatues in his tank?  What type of thermometer are you using, a stick on type, a digital probe or a temp gun?  
How late are you feeding him?  He needs at least 2 hours to digest his food in the evening time, before bedtime.
Are you using a UVB light, & if so, what type & brand are you using?  A florescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?

Tracie


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:  We purchaed a exo-terra terrarium. (18x18x18) We have the coil uvA/uvB bulbs in the top of the tank.  I don't remember what type or brand.   I think it was the exo-terra brand, a 2.0 and 10.0???  It was what ever was recommended with the terrarium.  We also have an external basking light toward the top of the tank for him/her.  He spends a lot of time up there in the basking light.  We have a stick on thermometer that came with the tank and it is on the opposite side of the basking light.  It usually reads between 80-90 degrees during the day.  It tends to go down between 70-80 at night. /we are using the cacium sand but after reading a few things I think I will change it out to carpet.  We were feeding him pheonix worms exclusively (w/veggies) and he was having a BM daily to every other day.  I tried the wax worms because or pet store was out of pheonix worms, and the crickets were escaping!  That is when I noticed a change in his BM.  He went over a week w/o one!  So I let him bath in warm water and finally it came, but since then it is only once to twice a week.  So Maybe I will cut out the wax worms like you suggested and use them as a treat!  Thanks so much!  My son was very worried and you helped put his mind at ease!

Answer
Hello Tara,

Ok, well, unfortunately, the Exoterra reptiglo 10 coil UVB light is not going to be sufficient enough in UVB output.  The output of UVB emissions from coils most of the time is very poor.  Some coils hurt their eyes too & emit the wrong type of wavelength of UVB emissions.
Bearded dragons have a high UVB requirement so you will need to get a better UVB light.  Try getting a Reptisun 10 florescent tube bulb.  They are much better lights.  Here is a site you can order it from for a great price:
http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs/504983/zoo-med-rept

The coil light you can use for extra brightness along with your basking light & UVB tube light.  Once you get the tube bulb, it will need to be placed directly beside the basking light.  Is your basking light a bright white one or a colored bulb?
Unfortunately, the stick on type of thermometers do not read the basking temperatures, but only the humidity & the air temperature.  
You will need to get either a digital probe or a temp gun to measure your temps better.  The stick on thermometers are notorious for being off by as much as 20 degrees in some instances.  

The people at the petstore are not very informed most of the time, which is very frustrating.  I do think you should change out the sand right now & use carpet, or even non adhesive shelf liner for substrate.  

You can find a digital probe thermometer, the Acurite brand, at walmart in the plants section or the outdoor section most of the time for around $12.  The temp gun you can get from here:
www.reptileuv.com

The waxies were probably upsetting his system a little bit.  Try to stick with the small crickets & phoenix worms right now along with greens & veggies.  
Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie