bearded dragon is sick

Question
Hello My bearded dragon has pooped the a min later the poop was gone.  i think he might have eating it and then he has got very sick . his back to legs look unable to move at all. then i started to see yellowness on his head go toward his neck , he looks very blowded , and his sex hole sorry looks blowded as well. what should i do please help , hes just a little guy . 3 1/2 inchs long . a baby please help.

Answer
Hi Jesse,

The symptoms you are describing can have several potential causes. One cause is overly large crickets.  Feeding small crickets is extremely important with small beardeds like yours. The crickets should be the same length as the distance between your bearded's eyes. Large crickets cause blockages and also put pressure on the spinal cord as they pass down inside your dragon and this results in hind leg paralysis in baby beardeds.

Sand or any type of loose substrate can  be accidently ingested, especially by small beardeds, when they are hunting and this can also result in bloating, blockage and hind leg weakness.

Intestinal parasites are an extremely common diagnosis in bearded dragons. They are prone to pinworms (not the type humans get) which can cause blockages and the bloating around his vent (hole) that you described. Coccidia is another type of parasite that beardeds frequently get. Both of these are treatable but will need to be diagnosed by a vet by looking at a poop sample under the microscope.

Another potential cause is calcium deficiency. When young beardeds do not have enough calcium in their diet then their bones can become soft and this includes the spine and the bones in the legs. One of the symptoms is difficulty walking. Calcium also plays a role in nerve transmission and muscle contraction which affects the movement of food and poop along the intestines.

Proper temperature is critical for beardeds to be able to digest their food properly. If the temperature is too cool then food decomposes in the intestines rather then being broken down and absorbed. Your baby needs to have a basking area in the tank that is in the 95 - 105 F range.

Those are just some of the potential causes (there would be others) and you can see that they are all quite different and require completely different treatment. Having a vet take a look at him is really what is needed.

In the meantime, make sure his temp. is adequate. and soak him in a small amount of slightly warm water. This can enourage him to drink and stay hydrated and can also help him to have a bowel movement.