My bearded dragon pooped undigested hornworm. Is this a concern?

If they were refrigerated, it may not cause any harm. The concern is them eating rotting prey. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, loose droppings or regurgitation. You may end up taking them to your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles for exams and supportive care if they develop any of the symptoms mentioned above.

Mealworms are fine as long as they are freshly molted mealworms. These do not have as much chitin, which is what can pose a risk of impaction or obstruction. Waxworms are very fatty and should be fed only occasionally to juvenile dragons. Stick with appropriately sized crickets, dubia roaches and phoenix worms. Keep him hydrated and warm to keep his GI tract moving. Soak in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte for 20-30 minutes every few days. Yiu can massage the abdomen, front to back, during the soak to stimulate defecation. As long as he is behaving normally and defecating regularly, he is likely not impacted or obstructed.

Mealworms can be a problem for some beardies, especially juveniles, due the chitinous body. If you can, switch her over to appropriately sized crickets or dubia roaches. Gut load all prey for 24 hours prior to offering and dust with multivitamin and calcium powders to maximize nutritional value. Maintain adequate temperatures as well. Low temps can affect activity, appetite and digestion in reptiles. A temp gradient ranging from about 76 F (cool side) to 86 F (warm side) with a basking spot of 90 F to 100 F is recommended. To stimulate defecation, soak Lizzie in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte. Gently massage her abdomen from front to back during the soak. The soak will also hydrate her and aid in shedding.

Thanks for reaching out about Smaug and including photos. Adult bearded dragons are omnivorous eating bugs and vegetation. With the vegetables, red, yellow and orange vegetables are also important. Insect have inverse calcium to phosphorus ratio and are a poor long term diet. Gut loading the insects is important to provide appropriate nutrients. If he doesn't get as much bugs, he might be hungry and eat the vegetables. By the photos, he is a little overweight indicated by the thickness of the tail and fat pads in the axillary (armpit) area. Good luck.

The first thing I would do is take Eragon to a vet and has his feces examined. It can be common for young reptiles to have parasites and he might need to be dewormed. If he does not have parasites the vet can discuss proper husbandry with you. Make sure to dust the crickets with calcium and gut load them before feeding.

Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites. Monitor Drogon for difficulty breathing, blowing bubbles, lethargy, or odd sounds while breathing. These are symptoms of an upper respiratory infection. Parasites or URI may cause the condition you are seeing. Bump cage temps up by about 5F for a few days. Soak him in a warm 50/50 solution of water and unflavored PediaLyte twice daily for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the UVB light source is not older than 6 months and use quality vitamin and mineral supplements. If Drogon gets worse or does not begin eating soon, have him examined by an experienced herp veterinarian.

Hello, if this is a single event, I think it would be fine to closely monitor Cleopatra for any additional signs of illness like continued vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, etc. It’s entirely possible she just ate a bit too much or too quickly and then brought up some fluid. However, vomiting can indicate serious illness in bearded dragons, so don’t wait too long to see a veterinarian if it happens again. Sometimes, bearded dragons kept on walnut or sand bedding eat the bedding every time they eat a prey item and can get blockages in the GI tract. Also, tumors of the stomach can happen in bearded dragons, which can cause vomiting, as can general infection or illness.