A veterinary doctor has extracted a 7-inch toy rubber lizard from a 12-inch bearded dragon named Mushu after its owner thought the dragon might be having a baby.

When seven-year-old Finley Collins noticed an unusual protrusion near the lizard's tail she became worried of her pet and rushed her to the animal hospital.

Jacksonville veterinarian John Rossi immediately sedated Mushu and worked on pulling out the protrusion.

"The next thing I knew, I was seeing legs and a body and a head. It was very strange to be tugging on this thing," he told the Associated Press.

Rossi, who spent 21 years as a veterinarian said: "I've never extracted a lizard from another lizard before."

"We were all laughing," he said. "It passed completely through the entire (gastrointestinal) tract," Rossi added.

Since the bearded dragons, a variety of Australian lizards, often swallow such things as small suction cups, screws and dimes, the doctor says one must be careful while selecting the toy for your pet.

"You need to be careful what you give your pet to play with," he added.