| Bearded Dragons are extremely hardy lizards, | | | | |
| when they are provided with the proper | | | | For this reason, once you have had your |
| temperatures and lighting in their | | | | dragon for two weeks, you should make it a |
| environment. However, they are also pets who | | | | point to have him or her seen by a reputable |
| do their best to hide their symptoms from us | | | | vet, who is well versed in the care of |
| when they become ill, as do most other | | | | reptiles, and take in a stool sample for |
| reptiles. This is no doubt an instinctual | | | | testing. Give your dragon at least two weeks |
| behavior, since a sick Beardie, in the wild, | | | | to settle in, unless it is apparent that they |
| would probably not live for very long. | | | | are ill, as when they are stressed, their |
| | | | parasite count, particularly the coccidia |
| Since your Beardie can't groan or complain | | | | count, may be higher than normal. |
| about where it hurts, you must use your | | | | |
| observation skills to determine when | | | | Diseases and Disorders |
| something is not right. There are times when | | | | |
| a healthy Beardie will act differently, but | | | | Normally, if you provide your dragon the |
| these changes should be seen for what they | | | | standard habitat, food and care, you will |
| are by the experienced veterinarian. | | | | have the healthiest bearded dragon on earth. |
| | | | But, from time to time your dragon could get |
| Because of this, you need to be very aware of | | | | sick. The most often diseases, beardies get |
| what normal behavior is for each of your | | | | are: |
| particular dragons, and what is not. An alert | | | | |
| eye can generally spot a problem long before | | | | 1. Mites |
| it becomes a major concern. Particular | | | | |
| attention should be paid to each dragon's | | | | 2. Terminal Ingestion |
| eating habits, and the amounts that they | | | | |
| usually eat, as well as what is the norm as | | | | 3. Thermal Burns |
| far as how often they present with bowel | | | | |
| movements, and what they usually look like, | | | | 4. Calcium Deficiency |
| when they do. Attention should also be paid | | | | |
| to the amount of urates (the white solid or | | | | 5. Impaction |
| powdery materials) that are passed within the | | | | |
| bowel movements, as a change in this can be a | | | | 6. Hypovitaminosis A |
| sign of kidney problems. | | | | |
| | | | 7. Respiratory Infections |
| If you purchased your dragons from a pet | | | | |
| shop, unfortunately you may have gotten more | | | | 8. Dehydration |
| than the one living thing that you paid | | | | |
| for... there is a better than a 50% chance | | | | 9. Stomatitis |
| that your dragon may be carrying some type of | | | | |
| intestinal parasite, particularly if they | | | | 10. Internal Parasites |
| were being housed with other dragons, and the | | | | |
| conditions that they were being kept in were | | | | 11. Coccidia |
| not exactly as clean as you would have liked. | | | | |
| | | | 12. Other Parasites |
| They may be infested with coccidia, | | | | |
| roundworms, pinworms, hookworms, or numerous | | | | 13. Dystocia (Egg Binding) |
| other pests. If you should buy from a | | | | |
| reputable breeder, this is much less likely | | | | 14. MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) |
| to be the case, but even then, it is | | | | |
| possible. | | | | 15. |