Bearded dragon ate foreign object

Question
Hi there,

I saw an answer you posted to someone regarding bearded dragon impaction, and I have a question of my own. My beardie managed to eat a stray bead today when I had her out of her cage while cleaning it. It was a standard sized small plastic bead and she quickly swallowed it before I could fish it out of her mouth. I fed her plenty of lettuce after to try and expedite the digestive process and get her to poop it out. It has only been 12 hours, so I'm not freaking out yet, I'm just curious what you think about this. Fortunately beads have holes and aren't sharp, so maybe that is a small blessing?

Thanks for any advice

Kai

Answer
Hello Kai,
Isn't it amazing how fast the little monsters are?
If your beardie isn't a baby, she should pass it with in a few days...sometimes it does take longer though.  You get to go "poop digging" to check to see when she passes it. You are correct in that the shape of the bead should make a difference.  
If the bead had that metallic coating(gold, silver, etc) then there would be more of a chance of it causing a problem due to the metallic compound...
Do keep an eye on her for any changes in eating, activity or pooping habits.  If something changes, then off to the vet. If she doesn't pass the bead then I would take her in to a vet, or at least call them.  Since the bead is plastic(if non coated) it is doubtful it would show up on an x-ray though...but may show on an ultra sound if the vet is equipped with that machine.
I do want to caution you that lettuce isn't a good staple diet for a beardie as that there is little to no nutrition in lettuces.  Dark, leafy greens such as collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion greens, arugula, etc are recommended for their "salad".
You may want to give her baths more often if you aren't already bathing daily or every other day, I would do so.  Lots of exercise will help as will keeping her well hydrated.  Watermelon is a good choice for that.