Health & Illness

Bearded Dragons are relatively health issue free animals. But as any being there is a danger of getting infected or injured. Here we would like to mention few most common conditions that could happen to your little friend.

Brumation is not an illness nor a dangerous condition it is a dormant state of reptiles when the living temperatures are either too cold or too hot. In the wild it is a very natural way to survive the extreme conditions. In such time they look for a hide. The dormant state allows them to slow down their digestion and keep the right body temperature. They stay hidden until the temperature goes back to normal.

Bearded Dragons kept in enclosures don’t need to go into brumation. Some breeders however believe it is good for the sperm count of the lizard and create the adverse conditions. Your beardie may go into the dormant state by nature or through heat deficiency. But don’t worry the full recovery will occur once the ideal temperatures are reestablished. If however such behaviour last longer than 24 hours a vet consultation is advisable.

Shedding is another very natural state. Bearded Dragons shed their skin in pieces. The amount of shedded skin and frequency depends on the age of the lizard. Juveniles for example shed skin every two weeks due to their rapid growth.
You have to however look after your beardie during this time to provide plenty of hydration. A bath in a lukewarm water will also help them to loose the hanging skin quicker and with less irritation. Yourself never peal off the skin that is still attached! It can cause an injury.
If you notice any issues related to shedding a vet visit is advisable.

Wounds are usually caused by other animals. If the wound is small you should youse an antiseptic recommended by your reptile vet. If however the injury is more severe you should visit a vet as a other measures may be required.

Burns happen mainly when beardie is too close to the heat source egz. lamp, heat rock or heat mat. They are looking for a heat source when they feel cold and sometimes don’t even notice the temperature is too high. Oftentimes you will not notice the injury until few days after. The skin may not look severally damaged but it is very important to consult the vet whenever you notice or suspect possibility of a burn. The injured area often get infected and there is a high risk of blood poisoning which can be lethal.

Other known as Overheating, is very dangerous and can be lethal. If the Temperature in the enclosure reach above 38 degree C (100.4 F) and you see your beardie with their mouth gaping and looking for air immediately remove him/her from the vivarium. I also advise to prepare a cool bath not cold to avoid shock. You should then contact your vet as irreversible damage to the brain or other internal organs could happen.

Also just because your beardie sits in the hot spot with open mouth doesn’t mean there is an issue. As long the temperature is not above 38degree C he/ she is just thermoregulating which is perfectly normal behaviour.

To avoid hyperthermia it is important to always monitor the temperatures in the vivarium every single day. Especially be careful if you have a glass or plastic vivarium or one that is close to the window.

Bearded Dragons as most of the lizards have only one set of teeth throughout whole life. In wild they eat a variety of vegetables and hard-bodied insects like beetles and cockroaches that requires more chewing, hence reduces the risk of the disease. In captivity on the other hand they eat more crickets or fruits which lead much faster to develop periodontal disease.
If you notice any change on the teeth of your lizard contact your vet immediately. The doctor will then examine if the nature of the illness is fungal or bacterial and will apply appropriate treatment.

Do not wait with the visit to the doctor as often the state is more serious than it looks.

Otherwise known as Stomatitis. It is a type of inflammation around the snot caused by underlying disease, often the dental disease or incorrect nutrition. Similar as the periodontal issue it requires medical care and often treatment with antibiotics.

Is caused by lack of fluids in their body. It characterise with droopy eyes, fatigue and apathy. Dehydrated lizard should get the fluids as soon as possible. If the condition is lasting few days the vet visit is necessarily to see if simple oral treatment will be sufficient or maybe the fluids need to be given directly into the bone.

The best way to keep your dragon hydrated is by giving him regular baths in lukewarm water. Also gut-loading crickets and hydrating crickets is important. And last but not least, always give your dragon plenty of freshly washed leafy greens and vegetables.

Please, never give any liquid feeding products designed for humans or other animals. This can harm them even more.

Mostly is caused by parasites. It can be however also a bacterial, viral issue or simply wrong diet.

If you notice those symptoms with your beardie. Collect the stool sample and visit your vet to find out the cause and treatment.

Diarrhoea often results in dehydration, so make sure to address this also to your doctor. Do not give any medicine designed for humans or other animals to stop loose motion. This can harm them even more.

Come in various types and gravity of the danger. None however should be ignored as not treated they can have serious consequences. The symptoms of having parasites is dehydration, apathy and lack of appetite. If you notice some of them contact your vet straightaway and for the visit take the fresh stool sample with you to save up time. Most of them can be detected easily and can be cured pharmacologically. It is however essential to discover which type of parasite we are deal with as the treatment will work for certain types but not for others.

They are grouped in to internal and external parasites.

Internal are most common in Bearded Dragon kept alone and indoors. They usually come from faeces infected food. Those lizards don’t care if they walk through their faeces and later march through their drinking or feeding bowl. Then they eat the contaminated food and get quickly infected with the parasites. The other way of getting infected is by crickets. Uneaten crickets jump around the vivarium and could get contaminated also. If then your beardie will eat a such cricket he will get infected. All wild caught insects or pinkies have high risk of caring parasites so do not feed your lizards with those. Yes a wild dragon in Australia is used to them but his immune system is entirely different to a Bearded Dragon born and raised in captivity.

Here is the list of some most common internal parasites:

• Coccidia
• Pinworms
• Flagellates
• Typeworms
• Pentastomids
• Microsporidia

External parasites are much more rare for reptiles kept indoors. They may sporadically catch mites from other lizards and can be removed with a bath. Sometimes however you would need to use additional products recommended by your vet. Don’t use products advised by the pet store as they maybe toxic for your beardie.