Chapter 5 of 9 · Bearded Dragon Care Guide
Health
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This guide is compiled from the published sources listed in every chapter. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
The short version
- Quarantine every new dragon for 60–90 days, ideally at least 90, and get a fecal exam and an atadenovirus test [9][15].
- Any change from normal is a reason for concern. Find a reptile vet before you need one [7].
- Soft jaw or tremors mean metabolic bone disease: fix the UVB today and call the vet [7].
- Yellow or brown crusts that do not wash off can be yellow fungus. That is urgent and contagious [11].
- Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your bearded dragon, its enclosure or anything in it [46].
Quarantine
Quarantine every new dragon for 60–90 days, in a separate room if possible, on paper substrate such as paper towel, with its own tools and bowls [15].
- Get a fecal exam near the start, to check for coccidia, pinworms and protozoa [7][15].
- Have an atadenovirus PCR test run on a fecal sample (your vet may use a swab instead) before the dragon leaves quarantine. Dr. Duncan Houston recommends at least 90 days plus PCR for every new animal [9].
- Care for your established animals first, then quarantine animals, then sick animals. Wash up and change your shirt between groups [15].
- Weigh weekly and write it down. A baby that is not gaining weight has a problem.
Common illnesses: signs and when to see a vet
Any change from normal is a reason for concern [7]. A reptile-experienced vet should see any of the following.
| Condition | Cause | Signs | See a vet when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metabolic bone disease (MBD) | Low calcium, high phosphorus, no UVB or an old UVB tube; mostly under 2 years old [7] | Soft or swollen lower jaw ("rubber jaw"), swollen back legs, tremors, trouble lifting the body, later seizures [7] | At the first tremor or jaw softness. X-rays show thin bones and fractures; blood calcium to phosphorus should be about 2:1 [7]. Fix UVB and diet at once |
| Impaction | Dehydration, a basking spot too cool for good digestion, too many hard-shelled insects, too little roughage [8]; calcium sand or nut-shell substrate [10]. Oversized insects and heavy parasite loads are also blamed (keeper experience, not proven) | Poor appetite, straining or no stool, lethargy, back-leg weakness or partial paralysis [8]; a hard swollen belly (keeper experience, not proven) | If 1–2 warm soaks and a check of basking temperature do not help. Back-leg dragging, or no stool for over a week in a dragon that is eating, is urgent (keeper experience, not proven) |
| Atadenovirus (ADV) | A virus spread mainly by eating traces of infected feces; very common in young dragons; adults can carry it with no signs and still spread it [7][9] | Sudden: weakness, refusing food, sudden death. Long-term: failure to thrive, poor growth, weakness, possible paralysis, on-and-off appetite [7]. Head tilt or stargazing is also reported (keeper experience, not proven) | Any failing baby. A fecal PCR test detects it. There is no cure, only supportive care. Isolate sick animals and take carriers out of any breeding plans [9]; ask your vet about testing cage-mates |
| Yellow fungus (Nannizziopsis guarroi) | A contagious fungal skin disease; poor husbandry raises the risk [11] | Yellow to brown crusted or thickened patches that do not clean off; cracking, peeling, bleeding; spreading [7][11] | Immediately. Treatment is weeks to months of oral antifungals and sometimes surgery, and it does not always work; the outlook is guarded to grave. Isolate; disinfect with 10% bleach with at least 2 minutes of contact; do not reuse that enclosure for dragons [11] |
| Parasites | Coccidia, pinworms and protozoa in the gut; mites and ticks on the skin, picked up from other dragons [7] | Loose or foul stool, diarrhea, weight loss; many dragons show no signs or only mild loose stool [7]. Mites look like moving specks under scales, around the head and in skin folds [7] | Your vet diagnoses gut parasites with a fecal exam under the microscope [7]. Many vets suggest a fecal at purchase and yearly, and at any diarrhea or weight loss. Treat only what the fecal shows, and clean the enclosure to stop reinfection (keeper experience, not proven) |
| Tail rot | Tail injury (including a bite from a cage-mate), or stuck shed cutting off circulation [17] | Blackening that starts at the tail tip; the tail does not shed [17]. Keepers report the dark area creeping upward | At the first darkening. Tails do not grow back; a vet may remove the dead part surgically or let the tip fall off [17] |
| Mouth rot (infectious stomatitis) | Bacterial infection of the gums or jawbone [7]; stress and poor temperatures are common triggers (keeper experience, not proven) | Pinpoint bleeding or swelling on the gums, thick mucus, cottage-cheese material in the mouth, swollen jaw [7] | Any mouth swelling or discharge. Treatment is antibiotic injections and antiseptic mouth rinses; some dragons need help eating [7] |
| Respiratory infection | Bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, after stress, poor diet, or cold or dirty housing [7] | Open-mouth breathing, fast or shallow breathing, bubbles or discharge at the nose, mouth or eyes, sneezing, poor appetite, lethargy [7] | Immediately [7] |
| Egg binding (dystocia) | Adult females can produce eggs even without a male [26]. No lay box, low calcium or poor temperatures are commonly blamed (keeper experience, not proven) | Digging and restlessness, then lethargy and a swollen belly in an adult female (keeper experience, not proven). Some reptiles hold eggs for weeks, so a vet uses touch and X-rays to tell normal from stuck [26] | Any adult female that goes off food and swells, or digs without laying. Give every adult female a lay box with 6–8 in (15–20 cm) of moist sand or soil, but do not wait on it if she is weak |
A fecal exam at your first vet visit and once a year catches parasites early.
A note on health and genetics
Some morphs come with built-in health problems. Silkback (scaleless) dragons have almost no protective scales, more illness, trouble shedding and a shorter life [12]. Heavily inbred short-snout "pug" lines are also best avoided (hobby report) [13]. Hypomelanistic, translucent and silkback dragons need UVB capped at UVI 3.0 at the basking spot [4]. The Genetics and Morphs chapter has the full list.
Salmonella: keeping people healthy
Reptiles can carry Salmonella even when they are healthy and clean [14].
- Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your bearded dragon, its enclosure or anything in it [46].
- Do not kiss or snuggle your dragon [14][46].
- Keep your dragon and its gear out of the kitchen and away from food [46].
- Supervise older children and make hand-washing a habit.
The CDC says children under 5 should not touch reptiles, and reptiles are not recommended for homes with children under 5, adults 65 and older, or people with weakened immune systems [46]. Its 2022 bearded dragon warning tells families with young children to keep them away from dragons, their habitats and anywhere they roam [14].