The home of Bearded Dragons - Pogona Vitticeps
Care sheets | Dragon Health
Further information on Diseases, Parasites and Viruses can be found by clicking here.
Bearded dragons are one of the hardiest reptiles available in the pet trade, yet they still can succumb to numerous diseases and problems.
We are not veterinarians; please do not use this information as a replacement for taking your lizard to a vet. This information is meant to raise your awareness of signs and possible problems. If you notice that your lizard is ill, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a reptile specialist.
Several pointers to ensure optimal health for your lizard:
- Follow all housing, heating/lighting, and feeding/supplementation requirements for your lizard.
Quarantine all new reptiles. - DO NOT HOUSE YOUR BEARDED DRAGON WITH ANY OTHER SPECIES OF REPTILE. Different reptiles come from many different environments requiring different needs in captivity. Even animals that come from similar environments can cause stress and pass parasites onto your dragon, costing the life of your lizard.
- Do not house bearded dragons of different sizes together--this is a sure problem for the smaller dragons' health.
- We recommend housing males separately. You may even need to prevent males from seeing each other across cages.
- Keep your cages and food CLEAN! Clean and sift poop often. Remove all old food.
Wash your hands before and after handling your lizard. Be sure to sanitize hands in between handling different reptile species. (Hand sanitizer is a good thing to have handy).
Salmonella
Bearded dragons are like any other reptile and they may carry Salmonella. This is a bacterium that causes food poisoning, the same that's in raw chicken and can sometimes be lethal. This is especially true for children that have an immuno-compromised condition. Careful handling of the bearded dragon lizard will ensure that you remain healthy along with your bearded dragon pet.
Please don't go kissing your dragons (some people do!) unless you want to have regular visits to the toilet. Salmonella is very common and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Good hygiene and washing of hands with anti bacterial soap after handling or cleaning your Bearded Dragon should be sufficient to prevent any risk of infection.
Calcium/vitamin deficiency aka Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)
MBD - This occurs when there is not enough vitamin D3 utilized by the lizard or not enough calcium is given. This special form of D3 must be attained through UVB rays, and will not function correctly if given through the food they eat or water they drink. The D3 is what allows the calcium to be utilized. Without this, the lizard starts taking calcium from stores it has, such as the bones. The bones then become brittle, and then they start to fracture and break. Symptoms of this include a weak and rubbery mouth, dragging the legs (broken bones) and paralysation (spine broken). Other symptoms include tremors and shaking, turning in of the feet, and stunted growth. It is best if a vet steps in on this one. They will give calcium shots or liquid calcium, and some other treatments. On your part, get a good UVB bulb (see the lighting section), take your pet outside if it is above 70 for some sunlight, up the calcium dustings on his food, and if possible add some high calcium foods to his diet as well. It is really best for a reptile vet to look at a pet suspected of having this disease though.
Impaction
Impaction occurs when something is lodged in the digestive tract and blocks everything up. This can be deadly if left untreated. Its causes are dangerous substrates, such as wood chips, calci-sand, repti-sand, repti-bark, gravels, etc. and prey items larger than the space between your Bearded Dragon's eyes. Impaction can also occur if the temperatures are below 95 degrees, in which case your Bearded Dragon may have trouble digesting. Symptoms include lethargy, dragging the back legs, and most obviously not having any bowel movements. At home treatments include giving natural laxatives like drops of olive oil and apples. Upping the temperature to the warmer side towards 110 degrees is helpful as well. Another good trick is frequent warm baths. While your Bearded Dragon is in the water, gently massage just above the tail on his body and to the right to get things moving. In extreme cases, surgery may be required.
Parasites
There are numerous parasites that can become a problem for a bearded dragon. For a basic list of parasites, click here. Many dragons live with these parasites without problems, but symptoms can often be triggered by stress (such as contact with an other dragon or animal, change of enclosures, hibernation, breeding, etc.) Parasites often come from insects, greens, and/or unclean cage conditions so that it is imperative to keep proper hygiene in these areas. Clean cages often, sift faeces out daily, make sure that your insects are in clean environments, and remove all old food from your enclosure and your cricket/worm containers. Even fresh greens and fruit can harbour parasites, so wash them well. If you feed your dragon live insects it is probable that your dragon carries some level of coccidia and maybe pinworms. The idea is to keep the levels low.
Symptoms of a problematic parasite infestation include consistently runny and smelly stool (more foul smelling than normal), an inability to retain weight, loss of appetite, loss of weight. Do not hesitate to bring your lizard to a vet if you see these signs. Treatments are relatively easy to administer and successful, especially if the parasite is caught early.
Because of the high probability of your dragon carrying parasites, many vets recommend deworming dragons 1-2 times per year as a preventative measure similar to dogs and cats. However, new research does indicate that it might be best to only use medication if your dragon shows outward symptoms such as weight loss or lack of appetite. This is especially the case with antibiotics such as albon and with young dragons. It is a good idea to have medications on hand and we also recommend Parazap as a natural preventative and treatment. www.parazap.com.
Personally, we are against medicating young dragons unless absolutely necessary. We believe that the treatments can sometimes do more damage than good. However, we realize this is a controversial subject and much research still needs to be done. You must decide what works best for you. Be aware that parasite levels may hike during acclimation to a new home. We believe that if left alone, a young dragon can control and lower these levels on their own through "stress management".
Respiratory Tract Infection / Problems (RI)
Respiratory Tract Infection is a bacterial infection in the lungs. Clogged nostrils, the presence of mucous and open mouth (often raspy) breathing (do not confuse this with venting due to heat) are signs of respiratory problems. It is caused by too cold temperatures (keeping in mind here that the temperatures should be 100-110 on the surface of the basking temperature and 70-85 degrees on the cool side).
It is also caused by too high of a humidity (above 60%). Animal stress can exacerbate this condition as well.
Symptoms of Respiratory Infections include gaping constantly, mucus coming out of the mouth or nostrils, and a clicking or rattling sound when breathing. All you can do is correct the husbandry issues that may have caused this, and make the overall temperature a bit warmer. Be sure to check the night time temperature too and make sure it is above 70. Then take your animal to a vet, who will probably treat with antibiotics and some other treatment options.
Tail Rot
Causes of this include too low of a humidity level and tail trauma. Often, Tail Rot occurs when multiple sheds are done incompletely or improperly. Gradually, these sheds layer one on top of the other until they cut off the circulation and live tissue in the tail. What is left is thick, dead, often black or dark-coloured tissue that will gradually lose feeling in it and start to work its way up the tail. Part of the tail may even fall off. If the tail rot works its way all the way up to the body, it can infect the organs and kill your Bearded Dragon. A vet really needs to see this before it advances far. Amputation may be required in extreme cases to save your Bearded Dragon's life. In the time you are waiting for the appointment, though, you can give frequent baths with diluted Betadine and slowly brush the caked on old shed with a soft-bristled toothbrush. After the bath, apply aloe vera for moisture.
Yellow Fungus
Yellow fungus is a contagious disease. It is thought to be caused by yeast infections in the digestive system, gotten from antibiotics, that then exits with the faeces and infects the Bearded Dragon on the outside. Or it can be passed on from an infected dragon to an uninfected one. It is characterized by the appearance of yellow patches of fungus on your Bearded Dragon. Preventive measures include always using a probiotic when you are using an antibiotic. Once this disease is contracted, a vet is a must. They will probably give anti fungal treatments.
Further information on Diseases, Parasites and Viruses can be found by clicking here.
