Signs That Shows Your Bearded Dragon is Sick

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Bearded dragons are pretty beginner-friendly reptiles – granted you take proper care of them. But at times, due to some reasons, they can get sick. And it’s really important that you take them to the vet when they get sick. But the problem is if you don’t know what are the signs of a sick bearded dragon, you might not know when to take them to the vet. But  don’t worry, in this article we will tell you all the signs that indicate your bearded dragon is sick.

1. Lethargic

Sure, bearded dragons aren’t that active, but they aren’t lazy either. If they are healthy, they will actively go after their favorite food. 

But when they are sick, they become lethargic. They stop moving and basking. In short, they don’t perform actions they normally do. For this very reason, it’s also important you keep an eye on their routine. See what’s something they usually do but are not doing? Remember that beardies are somewhat lethargic when they wake up in the morning—for about an hour.

Also, keep in mind that bearded dragons do become lethargic after they come out of brumation. So, if your beardie just came out of brumation and is lethargic, then that’s fine. There are no issues with your beardie. But if suddenly, your beardie is becoming tired, it means they are sick.

Further, keep in mind that every bearded dragon is different. Every beardie behaves differently.  For instance, some beardies love spending most of their time basking. And there are also those beardies that don’t like basking. Some don’t eat greens, whereas others eat greens sparingly.

2. Losing Weight

If your bearded dragon is more than 12 months old, it should weigh about 380-510 grams. But if it’s lower than the mentioned weight, it’s underweight. And just being underweight is a huge problem. Your bearded dragon will contract diseases and infections. It will get sick often.

Another way to tell if your bearded dragon is sick is by their fat pads–located on top of their head. These fat pads store fat and during brumation, they are used as a food source. But if your beardie is sick, these fat pads will sink.

Moreover, a healthy bearded dragon’s stomach’s bottom will neither touch the ground nor the bone between its hips and legs will protrude. But a sick bearded dragon will have all this – its stomach will touch the ground and the bones will protrude. Their eyes will also bulge – since the fat pads on their head are sinking the skin on their head becomes tight.

3. Respiratory Issues

When bacteria like Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma spp grow in bearded dragon’s lungs, it causes symptoms like:

1. Heavy or shallow breathing. 
2. Mouth opening.
3. Liquid, or foam coming out of the mouth.
4. Changing  positions during sleep.
5. Spitting bubbles.

These are all the signs of Respiratory Infection(RI). Worse is that some beardies die from this infection only after three days of showing these symptoms. That’s why it’s really important for you to keep an eye on your beardie. If it’s showing RI signs, go to the vet immediately.

4. Skin Issues

If there are yellow plaques on your little roomie’s face, back, side, legs, or even chest, then unfortunately, your beardie has yellow fungus disease. These plaques will also bleed if you don’t take care of your beardie. Affected beardies don’t eat and move. They become lethargic. They can also become paralyzed because the cause of skin issues is hepatitis and gastrointestinal infection.

Keep in mind that if your bearded dragon’s shed comes off before it’s ready to shed, this can also cause skin issues. At times skin infections can quickly become necrotic. They go deeper and cause necrosis in internal organs. So, make sure you are consulting with your vet whenever such plaques appear on your beardies’ body.

5. Swelling

If your beardie’s lower jaws, hind legs, tail, facial and jaw bones are softening or even swelling then it’s a sign of concern. This is because these are the signs of diseases including Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). Beardies with this disease have weaker legs. They can’t stand on their legs. Instead, they stand by laying their abdomens on the ground. 

However, if you have ensured that your bearded dragon doesn’t have MBD, but it’s still limping then it means they have a broken bone or fracture – beardies are active reptiles so it’s possible for them to get fractures. 

Moreover, when Parasites like pinworms and coccidia are present in your beardie’s intestinal tract, your beardie gum can swell as a result. Now, keep in mind that parasites do live in bearded dragons. They become a problem,  when their number increases excessively. Sometimes affected beardies produce thick mucus. Other times, they pass loose stool.

6. Aggressive

Bearded dragons rarely show their love. But if they are not hissing or attacking you, the chances are they don’t consider you as their predator. And if your bearded dragon is like this, good job! This means it’s healthy. However, if they are sick, they will become aggressive. You will see them head bobbing, fluffing beard, twitching their tail, gaping their mouth, digging, arm waving, hissing and even biting you! And beware. They aren’t venomous. But their bites hurt like hell. They haven’t even left Steve Irwin.

7. Sad and Depressed

If bearded dragons are given proper UV lights, food, and water they live a happy and healthy life. But just try minusing anything they need for their survival and you’ll find them sad, depressed, and sick!  And unfortunately, like humans, bearded dragons can’t tell you that they’re sad. But the good news is that from their actions and behavior, you can gauge whether they are sad or not.  

8. Changing Color

Even though bearded dragons change color based on what they eat and their surroundings, if it’s sick, then they will discolor as well. Blood will come out of their open wound–if they have–turning them red. So, like a hawk, look for any wounds on your bearded dragon every single day!

9. Stress Marks

If you see black lines or spots on your bearded dragon’s body, then the chances of them being stressed are high. Apart from stress, bearded dragons get these marks stress when they are:

1.  Hurting.
2.  Shedding.
3.  Too big for their terrarium.
4.  Scared.
5. Relocated to another room.

10. Trouble Sleeping

Bearded dragons need to sleep at least 14-16 hours a day. A healthy bearded dragon will sleep on its own. But sometimes you have to take action to make them sleep. Read this article to find more about this. 

But at times, even if you do everything, your beardie will not sleep. Why? Well, because it’s ill. When beardies have parasites and MBD, they have trouble  sleeping.

11. Not Eating

The first thing your bearded dragon will stop doing after they get sick is eating. They won’t eat as passionately as they normally do when they are healthy. This is because either they are hurting or in pain. Though, there are other reasons as well behind your bearded dragon not eating, like:

1. Stress 
2. Shedding
3. Vitamin deficiency
4. Injury

But if you have checked your bearded dragon and they don’t have any of this, then they are probably sick.

12. Vomiting

If your bearded dragon has overeaten or overdrank, it will regurgitate. Vomiting one or even two times a day is fine in this case. But if your beardie is constantly vomiting, then it could be an indication of some disease. 

Salmonella, dehydration, impaction are some reasons due to which your bearded dragon is vomiting. So, get your bearded dragon to the vet as soon as possible. And don’t forget to take your bearded dragon’s vomit to the vet.

13. Shaking Head

A healthy bearded dragon bob head, but an unhealthy bearded shake head. And the good news is that unlike all the mentioned signs, head shaking isn’t a severe health issue.  If your beardie has vitamin deficiency, its nail has been cut wrongly or its q-tip is cut wrong then it will shake its head. Some signs of MBD also include head shaking. 

14. Epileptic Attacks

If your beardie is:

1. Twitching and limping
2.  Breathing deeply
3.  Becoming yellow
4.  Beard and tail are black

Then it’s sick. When bearded dragons get epilepsy, they show these signs. During seizures, they turn completely in a U-shape: their head and tail both move upwards, their beard becomes black, and their hind legs start shaking.

15. Not Responding

Healthy bearded dragons look alive and energetic. Whereas, a sick bearded dragon looks lifeless and dull. They will neither respond to their names calling nor they will run after their favorite food.

16. Eye Problem

When bearded dragons got water in their lungs, you’ll see bubbles coming from their eyes. They are basically water bubbles. If you don’t do something about it, your bearded dragon can get RI or pneumonia. At times, if the duct between their eyes and nose are clogged, their eyes become watery. Consult your vet in this case. 

17. Bathroom Issues

The color of your bearded dragon’s poo depends on what they eat. For instance, if they eat lots of green vegetables, their poo will be green. Take them to the vet if their poo turns red or even dark orange. Furthermore, keep in mind that bearded dragons should poo at least one or two times a week. If they’re not pooping for weeks, that’s a real problem. Take them to the vet immediately. Their poo should also be solid. If it’s super mushy or just liquid, that’s a real problem. Also, no poop smells like perfume. But when your bearded dragon is sick, its poop will smell even after you’ve cleaned it. Your whole house will smell really bad.

18. Star Gazing

If you have just bought or rescued a bearded dragon, make sure you get it tested for Adenovirus also called wasting disease. Beardies with this disease arch their neck and look at the sky – like they are star gazing. Symptoms include:

1. Diarrhea
2. Loss of energy
3. Uncontrollable rolling
4. Weight Loss

And beware. This disease is really contagious. So, make sure you are washing your hands after you pick up a bearded dragon with this disease.