Sick Bearded Dragon
Nobody wants a sick bearded dragon. Like any animal bearded dragons can get ill – in this post we look at common bearded dragon diseases and how to avoid them or help them if they get one
Last Updated: October 31st, 2023
By: Steve
Table of Contents
I Think I Have a Sick Bearded Dragon, What Can I Do?
Bearded Dragons do occasionally get sick – like any animal. I’ll go over some of the illnesses / diseases that can afflict Bearded Dragons, but if you’re in any doubt about the health of your bearded dragon, or you’re worried that your bearded dragon is dying then you should contact a qualified Herpetologist Veterinarian as soon as possible. If you’re not sure if you have a sick bearded dragon then this article should help you determine what is wrong and give you some tips and advice on how serious it is.
If you don’t know where to find a qualified herpetologist, check Google for;
“Qualified Herpetologist in my area” or
“Specialist Reptile Vet in my area” or
“Qualified Reptile Veterinarian in my area”
Or check for a good Facebook Group relating to Bearded Dragons, or a good forum for Bearded Dragon Owners to ask for advice. You’ll still want to consult a qualified vet though as the advice you’re given will be general in nature. But a forum or Facebook group can give you some tips in the meantime.
Common Bearded Dragon Diseases
Impaction
This is where your bearded dragon has ingested something that it can’t digest. This could be sand from the vivarium, if your substrate is sand or soil. Or it could be because you feed too many hard-shelled foods such as crickets or mealworms. The hard exoskeleton of these insects are much more difficult for bearded dragons to digest and end up building up in the gut and causing impaction.
It can also happen if your bearded dragon can’t digest food because it’s not warm enough or is becoming dehydrated. The light and temperature in their environment is very important to avoid an impacted bearded dragon or indeed for avoiding various other things that cause a sick bearded dragon.
We have a specific article about bearded dragon impaction. The article will give you all the information you need to know to avoid or fix bearded dragon impaction. You can read that article by clicking the button below;
Learn About Bearded Dragon Impaction – How To Avoid It, How To Help
Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)
This debilitating disorder is similar to Osteoporosis in humans, but in bearded dragons tends to be an exaggerated form. This is primarily due to the fact they’re kept in captivity and can’t moderate their own food intake nor their exposure to UVB light.
Bearded dragons require a lot of calcium in their diet and the right housing conditions to be able to properly metabolize that calcium. It’s a fine balance of dietary requirements and environmental requirements. If your Bearded Dragon isn’t getting enough calcium, or isn’t able to process the calcium it is getting, then its body will start degrading its own bones to get it. This leads to a very very sick bearded dragon.
For more information about preventing metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons, or how to reduce the impact of MBD in bearded dragons if your dragon already has it, then please click the button below;
Bearded Dragon Tail Rot
Tail rot is a condition of the Bearded Dragon’s tail whereby the blood flow becomes restricted. The end of the tail then dies, becomes necrotic (rots) and eventually falls off. The condition is somewhat akin to gangrene in humans. Similarly to gangrene the affected limb, in this case the tail, may require amputation.
Of course, a dead tail that is still attached causes it’s own set of complications. Toxins and/or infection can enter the bloodstream leading to septicaemia and ultimately death. So, keep your eye on your bearded dragon’s tail.
For further information about Bearded Dragon Tail rot, click the button below;
Mouth Rot
Mouth rot, or infectious stomatitis, is a condition that many lizards can get. Bearded dragons are susceptible to this too.
For further information about bearded dragon mouth rot please click the button below;
Reptile Yellow Fungus Infection
Yellow fungal infection is, as it suggests, a disease caused by a fungal infection. It has the very complicated name of Chrysosporium Anamorph of Nanniziopsis vriesii (CANV). Infection is becoming more common recently and is spread by direct contact between bearded dragons. It can also be passed between reptiles who’ve been in a vivarium that has housed an infected individual.
Yellow fungus can cause a very sick bearded dragon and veterinary advice is essential. The earlier you discover this disease and look for treatment the better the outcome. Yellow fungus is almost always fatal though – but treatment is available to prolong the life of your bearded dragon if the disease is discovered early enough.
For more information about Yellow Fungus infection in bearded dragons, please click the box below
Bearded Dragon Yellow Fungus And How To Avoid It
Diarrhoea In Bearded Dragons
Bearded Dragon stools should be relatively hard and brown in colour. They should have a nice white part (chelate) at the end. The white part is the urine byproducts. If the dragon has diarrhoea, as in humans, it means something is not right. Diarrhoea can be caused by a number of factors. This can be something as simple as being fed Iceberg lettuce – but sometimes more sinister factors can be at play.
To find out whether your bearded dragon has issues, or whether it’s nothing to worry about click the link below;
If Your Bearded Dragon Has Diarrhoea Here’s Some Things To Check
Atadenovirus / Adenovirus
Adenovirus or Atadenovirus is a disease that is highly contagious among reptiles. It usually infects baby or juvenile bearded dragons. Adults can contract it as well, but it tends to be rarer in them.
Atadenovirus can be fatal to baby bearded dragons. Infected babies will usually die within 90 days. The cause of death from atadenovirus is usually liver failure or multiple organ failure. If the baby does manage to survive the disease it will remain a carrier for life. For this reason it should not be housed among atadenovirus negative reptiles.
Latest research however indicates that many captive bearded dragons carry atadenovirus and live perfectly healthy lives – indicating that perhaps something else is also required in the infected individuals in order for atadenovirus to cause any grave problems. We go into more detail in the post linked below.
For further information about Atadenovirus In Bearded Dragons, click here
Respiratory Tract Infection In Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons can develop respiratory tract infection (often abbreviated to RTI or RI) for a number of reasons but they all come down to something wrong in the environment or husbandry. Usually, a RTI is due to the temperature being too low or the humidity being too high, but aspiration of water or food can instead be a culprit.
Aspiration is more of a problem if you’re syringe feeding your dragon or providing water through a syringe directly into their mouths. They can aspirate when drinking from a normal water source too. A respiratory infection can be fatal for a bearded dragon if the husbandry is not corrected and the infection treated.
For a far more in depth look at Bearded Dragon Respiratory Infection Click here.
Burns
Although not a disease in itself of course, we thought it wise to include the possibility of burns in this book as there are many people who don’t know better who’ve caused some significant burns to their dragons.
Burns can happen for a number of reasons which we’ll go into below, but they’ll present as an area of skin that is inflamed, possibly gone white or yellow with a pus-like exudate, similar to when humans are burned.
Burns can appear on your dragons underside, which is probably the most common area as they don’t feel heat properly through their bellies. They may also appear on their backs, legs, toes and tails though.
Preventing Burns
Whilst this may seem obvious, the best way to prevent burns is to ensure that your dragon cannot come into contact with anything hot. Be aware though that even a relatively low temperature (50 to 60 celsius, 122 to 140 Fahrenheit) can cause burns if the dragon is subjected to it for a long enough period. It is for this reason that we don’t recommend the use of heat mats for example.
Remove any heat mats within the vivarium, particularly if these are exposed with no substrate covering them. Heat rocks are equally dangerous from a burns perspective. This is because bearded dragons rely on heat on their backs to decide if an area is hot or not, they cannot feel the heat as well on their stomachs. A dragon will think it is cool or cold even while laying on a heat mat or heat rock if there is no overhead heat to stimulate them.
Heat mats are very suitable for other reptiles, but they are not suitable for bearded dragons.
Be especially careful with any cages that surround heat lamps. These cages can get quite hot in themselves and if the dragon manages to jump onto the cage surround, they’ll be presenting the underside of their body to the cage, which means they won’t feel it is hot. They may therefore hang around on the side of the cage and get burned.
Ideally, any heat lamps should be positioned at the very top of the vivarium, with a hole cut to exactly the right size so that a heat lamp doesn’t need a protective cage. That is to say, the bulb/lamp is actually outside the vivarium, with just the very base of the lamp lining up with the top of the vivarium. If that’s not possible, make certain there is no way at all that the dragon can jump up to hang on the protective cage.
Treating Burns
This is a specialist area requiring a specialist trip to the vet. In an emergency we would recommend cooling the burned area with tepid (not cold) clean water on a cotton wool ball – changing the water regularly to keep it cool. Don’t apply any ointments or creams unless advised by the vet to do this. They will need an emergency appointment with the vet as the skin will be damaged and subject to circulatory problems and infection. The vet should be able to advise you over the phone with immediate home remedies before seeing them.
Hypervitaminosis ( or Over Supplementing )
Hypervitaminosis is relatively rare, but is becoming more common. Hypervitaminosis in bearded dragons occurs when they receive too much supplemental vitamin. This is usually Vitamin D, but has been known to be Vitamin A.
The fat soluble vitamins ( A, D, E, K ) can all build up in a bearded dragons system and contrary to the believe that ‘all vitamins are good’ can cause toxicity issues. The water soluble vitamins ( B, C ) don’t do this as they’re excreted easily if there’s too much in the system.
Conclusion
Even with the proper care, bearded dragons, like every other living creature, including of course us humans, can get sick. I’ve outlined some of the more common symptoms and causes and how to help your Beardie pet get better.
The best defence against all these illnesses is to make sure your vivarium is at the right temperatures with the right amount of UVB light for basking. Finally, the best thing you can do to keep on top of your Bearded Dragon’s health is to make sure you interact with them
Regularly interacting with Beardie will alert you almost immediately if something is wrong because you’ll notice a change in their behaviour or character.
If you have anything that concerns you it’s always best to consult your vet, but if it’s something you think we might be able to help with then do feel free to drop us a line in the comments below. If you’ve experienced any Beardie illness and want to share your thoughts with other readers, please also leave a comment – we’d love to hear from you.