Bearded dragons have been seeing a steady increase in their popularity as pets for over a decade now and they are starting to gain more and more traction as time goes by.
Due to this, there are a huge number of beginners to keeping bearded dragons as pets out there and we see a large number of questions from them with each month that passes.
We have lost count of the number of people that we see asking about why their bearded dragon threw up and due to so many people panicking as soon as they see that their bearded dragon has vomited.
Now, the majority of the time, there will be a simple reason as to why your bearded dragon threw up and there won’t be any reason to worry and your bearded dragon will be totally fine.
That said though, if you do think that your bearded dragon may be vomiting due to a health problem or if your bearded dragon starts to constantly vomit then we would highly recommend that you book a video call with a veterinarian.
This can help to quickly and easily diagnose any potentially serious health problems with your bearded dragon and video calls with vets tend to be cheaper and quicker than a trip to your local vets while offering the exact same advice.
Can Bearded Dragons Throw Up?
Contrary to what some people believe, bearded dragons can throw up and will vomit for a number of different reasons.
Although the more common reasons that your bearded dragon may throw up are not serious and are usually no cause for concern, there are some serious health issues that may cause your bearded dragon to vomit but these do tend to be rare.
Bearded dragon vomit is usually very easy to identify in their vivariums making it simple to realize that your bearded dragon has thrown up.
Even if the vomit has been there for a while and is in the path of a heat lamp, it does tend to be very easy to identify as vomit in most cases.
Bearded dragon vomit will usually be a color ranging from a dark yellow to orange or brown depending on the specific diet that your bearded dragon eats.
Sometimes a bearded dragon will throw up a water like substance, blood, or mucus and although the end result is not undigested food, it is still usually easy to identify in the vivarium.
My Bearded Dragon Threw Up…
When your bearded dragon throws up, the most important thing to remember is not to panic and overreact.
Although there are some situations where you may require the assistance of a veterinarian, they should not be your first port of call. Try to identify what cause the bearded dragon regurgitation if possible so you can better assess the situation.
In our opinion, the only two situations where you should be immediately seeking advice from a vet when your bearded dragon throws up is if there is blood in the vomit or if the bearded dragon has been consistently throwing up for a few days in a row. If you notice that it is simply undigested food, partially digested food, or water then there is usually no need to worry.
If your bearded dragon has thrown up mucus then there can be cause for concern but even then, there are some reasons that a bearded dragon may throw up mucus that is of no cause for concern.
A bearded dragon throwing up mucus will usually be down to the owner’s risk tolerance as to if they will get a vet involved in the situation right away or if they will wait a day or two.
Why Did My Bearded Dragon Throw Up?
The most common two reasons that a bearded dragon will throw up is if it either eats too much food in one sitting or if it drinks too much water.
This will usually result in the bearded dragon throwing the food back up but if it is vomiting due to drinking too much water too quickly then it can throw up water and food at the same time but this is normal.
It can be common for some bearded dragon vomit to still have enough of any insects that they have ate to be close to whole too due to how little a bearded dragon chews prior to swallowing.
This is why it can be a good idea to limit the amount of food your bearded dragon has access to at any given time and restrict it to smaller portions offered more frequently throughout the day to prevent it from vomiting.
If your bearded dragon is vomiting mucus then it can be a mild infection to a serious infection with a few other potential causes being in there too.
If your bearded dragon is vomiting blood then it usually needs checking over as soon as possible as most of the causes of a bearded dragon throwing up are serious health risks.
4 Types Of Bearded Dragon Regurgitation!
There are four main types of bearded dragon regurgitation that we will now quickly cover. Our goal is to try and help our readers better understand the cause and the risk level associated with each type of regurgitation and vomiting.
Please note, we are sticking with the most common causes for each type of regurgitation but there is always a small risk of the cause being down to a serious health risk.
Bearded Dragon Throwing Up Undigested Food!
Bearded dragons tend to eat their food at a very fast pace if they are hungry with there usually being a delay between their stomach being full and their brain registering it.
This is why so many bearded dragons will throw up undigested food on a relatively regular basis with this being the most common type of bearded dragon puke by far.
The most common cause is due to a bearded dragon eating too much food in a short period of time and its stomach having to purge itself via throwing up.
Bearded Dragon Throwing Up Water!
Although a bearded dragon throwing up water is not strictly bearded dragon vomit due there not always being food in there, it is causes by the stomach having to purge itself so depending on when your bearded dragon last ate, there may or may not be parts of food in with the water.
A bearded dragon throwing up water is almost always due to it drinking too much water at once but most bearded dragons will naturally space out when they take on water throughout the day making this rarer.
Bearded Dragon Throwing Up Clear Slimy Fluid!
If your bearded dragon puke is a slimy fluid then this is usually mucus build ups being cleared from the throat and lungs.
It is usually due to a mild infection with there often not being anything to worry about but sometimes a serious infection can take hold and your bearded dragon may require medication from the vet.
We understand why some people will get the vet involved right away when seeing their pet throw up a slimy fluid but you can observe your bearded dragon for a day to see if the condition improves before contacting a vet.
Bearded Dragon Throwing Up Blood!
If there is blood in your bearded dragon vomit then we always recommend that you contact a vet for professional advice as soon as possible.
Although there are some none serious reasons that your bearded dragon may throw up blood, the majority of reason are serious health risks so its simply not worth taking the risk in our opinion and a vet will be able to offer you specific advice to your bearded dragons symptoms.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over why your bearded dragon threw up to an end. As we mentioned back at the start of the article, there is usually no need to worry if your bearded dragon does throw up once as it is usually just due to over eating or over drinking in most cases. If you do noticed that your bearded dragon is consistently throwing up though or is throwing up blood or mucus then you may have to get a vet involved right away.
