4 Common Bearded Dragon Diseases; Signs & Treatments!

If you have a Bearded Dragon, here are four diseases you should be aware of. The first one is Metabolic Bone Disease and beardies in the wild will not suffer from this disease because it is caused by improper care of  the owner. One of the main causes is the imbalance of Vitamin D3, Calcium and Phosphorus as well as too little UVB light.

You must make sure your beardie is getting the proper supplements of Calcium, Vitamin D3 and Phosphorus. You must also understand they need proper lighting as beardies can`t digest Calcium the right way without it.

The most visible sign of this disease is the swelling and softening of the lower jaw. He may also develop bumps and lumps along his back, legs and tail. If not treated, he WILL die. You must treat the underlying cause to fix the problem, which is providing calcium supplements!

The next one is Stomatitis or what is commonly referred to as mouth rot. Even though it isn`t an actual disease, it is a sign of an underlying condition, that being an infection of some sort. Beardies with mouth rot will develop a grayish or whitish substance on the soft tissues in their mouth. If not treated, this problem will loosen teeth and their gums may start to bleed. Unless you treat the underlying infection, the problem will continue.

The next problem is Egg Binding, so male beardie owners can relax on this one. This problem happens when the female is unable to pass one or more eggs through her reproductive tract. Things that can cause egg binding include improper diet, various illnesses, malformed eggs and obesity.

This problem can be fatal within days, so you will need to contact your vet pronto! If the drugs to induce egg laying don`t work, she will need to have surgery to remove them.

The last problem is Adenovirus and this infection is relatively rare in beardies. This is  good because most lizards will NOT survive! The more susceptible are young dragons and those with a weak immune system.

What`s even worse is there are not many noticeable signs of this disease. Treatments that are tried include forced feedings/fluids and antibiotics. For more info, you can visit: www.bearded-dragon-care.net

Image source  en.wikipedia.org  used with permission

Related posts:

1. If You Have A Bearded Dragon, Here`s Some Facts/Myths You Need To Know, Part 1!
2. If You Have A Bearded Dragon, Here`s Some Facts/Myths You Need To Know, Part 2!
3. If You Have A Bearded Dragon, Here`s Some Facts/Myths You Need To Know, Part 3!
4. Do You Have A Bearded Dragon? Expert Tips On How To Bathe Them!
5. Some Common Tropical Fish Diseases And How To Treat Them