Strange or not? bulging bearded dragon eyes (2023)

FAQs

Why is my bearded dragon bulging its eyes out? ›

Preparing to Molt. One of the more predominant theories regarding eye bulging is that the dragon does it to loosen the skin on the eyelids and around the eyes in preparation for shedding.

As the skin on the eyelids is undergoing the changes associated with getting ready to shed, the lizard will puff out the eyelids when its eyes are closed. These distensions look frightening from the outside, but they apparently help loosen the old layer of skin, readying it to shed.

The eyes of a healthy bearded bearded dragon should be clear, bright and alert. Eyes that appear dull could simply be a shedding issue. If there is a discharge coming from the eyes it could be something more serious like an infection.

Sick beardies may seem weak or grumpy, and they may hide and/or stop basking. Shaking, dizziness, head tilting, and loss of balance are also red flags.

Signs of Dehydration in Your Bearded Dragon

Wrinkly, dry-looking skin. Loose skin. Sunken eyes. Fatigue.

Signs of Calcium Deficiency in Bearded Dragons

Lethargy and weakness. Stress. Constipation. Receded lower jaw.

Abnormal and undesirable behaviors of bearded dragons include: Lethargy. Wobbly walking. Lack of movement.

A depressed bearded dragon might become lethargic and lose their appetite. If they're stressed, they may be hiding more often. Their belly might also become discolored. Since these can also be symptoms of serious health conditions in your beardie, contact your veterinarian to rule out other causes.

How do I know if my bearded dragon is malnourished? ›

Thin tail – A healthy beardie should have a robust (but not too large) tail. A boney or thin tail is a common sign of a malnourished bearded dragon. Deflated fat pads – Bearded dragons have fat pads on their heads. If your dragon appears to have deflated fat pads, it could be missing critical nutrients in its diet.

In addition to providing a water dish and hydrating foods like cucumbers and grapes, baths can be a great way to keep your dragon hydrated. Many dragons refuse to drink from a water dish but will drink from their bath (maybe yours is one of them!).

MBD does have some specific warning signs. These include swelling of the face, mouth and/or back legs, lethargy, and trembling limbs. In more severe cases, we may also see muscle twitching, general weakness, unusual postures, and deformities.

Bathing your bearded dragon is important for several reasons. Hydration is one of the biggest ones. Many beardies don't like drinking from bowls, but will happily slurp up their bathwater. Baths are of course also important for hygiene.

diarrhoea with or without blood, weight loss and depression, anorexia (not eating) or vomiting after eating, or. poor growth and/or death in both young and old or unwell reptiles.

Common symptoms are loss of appetite and lethargy. Because it can affect the immune systems ability to fight infections, some may have problems recovering from other infections and illness or have recurrent problems with parasites.

Affected lizards may sneeze, have discharge from their eyes or nose, bubbles from the mouth or nose, unnaturally rapid or shallow breathing, open-mouthed breathing, decreased appetite, and lethargy. These cases call for immediate attention and aggressive therapy from your bearded dragon's veterinary team.

Sick lizards, on the other hand, often will stay stationary for hours or may even hide under lizard bedding or other objects in the tank. They may be too weak to push up off their bellies onto their legs, so if they move at all, they slither around like snakes.

Bearded dragons should spend at least 30 minutes outside of their terrarium a day. The more often they are out (without getting cold or away from their UVB bulbs too often) the more docile they can become.

How do you know if a lizard is in distress? ›

Behaviors such as thermoregulating, hiding, prolonged soaking, reduced appetite, irregular defecation, attitude, regression/increase in tameness, and more can all indicate signs of stress and illness.

Signs And Symptoms Of Impaction

The first sign, of course, is when your beardie stops moving their bowels and fails to poop. Baby dragons usually have a bowel movement every day (depending on their activity level), and adults can actually go for a week or longer without going to the bathroom.

Behavioural signs of pain in reptiles

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association has also documented general signs of pain in reptiles including anorexia, immobility, abnormal posture/locomotion, dull colouration, and increase in aggression (Brown and Pizzi, 2012).

Bearded dragons usually tolerate handling better than other lizards. Regular handling helps bearded dragons get used to people, so you should handle your beardie daily. Doing so also minimizes stress during regular care, such as bathing or tank cleaning. They are generally gentle and easy to hold.

Your pet's eyes should be clear and bright. If he isn't opening his eyes, or if they seem puffy, bulging, or swollen, you could have a sick lizard on your hands. (It's worth noting that this can sometimes be associated with shedding, in which case it may self-resolve.)

Bearded dragons have a higher need for dietary calcium than phosphorus, especially when they are young and their bones are growing. Generally, veterinarians recommend that you LIGHTLY sprinkle a 'Phosphorus-free' calcium powder (calcium gluconate, lactate, or carbonate) on their food daily.

Offer bearded dragons between 6 months and 1 year crickets dusted with calcium every other day and with vitamins three times a week. For a bearded dragon over 1 year old, offer calcium every two to three days and a vitamin supplement twice a week.

Bearded dragons just can't live well without calcium, and supplementing is the best way to make sure they get enough. Keep your dragon happy and healthy by giving your dragon calcium powder each day, mess-free!

Cryptosporidia are a type of protozoa – a microscopic, single-celled parasite – which live in the intestines and can have devastating consequences.

The only way to confirm a parasite infestation is via stool testing. The vet will ask you to collect a fecal sample, and then he or she will test it for the presence of parasites. If your bearded dragon does have parasites, s/he will put given a dose or two of dewormer, which should clear up the problem.

When should I worry about my bearded dragon? ›

If your bearded dragon is shaking or displaying jerky body movements, chances are they could have a calcium deficiency, which can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease, a very serious affliction.

Environment: Don't - While bearded dragons are relatively docile; they can still experience stress. You never want to overstimulate your pet by handing them off to too many different people or getting them out of their habitat in a particularly busy or loud environment.

Bearded dragons typically only hiss when they feel threatened. If your dragon is new, he may need some time to get used to the new environment and you. Your dragon may also hiss if he sees his reflection, or if you are reaching for your dragon from above.

Beardies will often darken or turn black if threatened or upset. If your bearded dragon's coloration of skin becomes lighter, it could be due to an impending shed.

6. No Place To Hide. As much as bearded dragons enjoy climbing around and exploring their tank, they also love to find a nice quiet spot to hide and relax. If your bearded dragon's tank doesn't have enough places to hide, or if the hiding spots are too small, then they are going to be very stressed.

Healthy bearded dragon poop would be brown and firm with white or yellow urates. The poop will also have a strong consistency and a log-like shape. The white part is the urate which is usually soft and does not smell.

Two or three superworms once or twice a week should be sufficient for your adult bearded dragon. Juvenile. A juvenile dragon who can handle the aggressiveness of the worms might be able to eat more superworms in one feeding than an adult.

How Long Can A Bearded Dragon Go Without Food? As desert dwelling reptiles, bearded dragons can go weeks without food, sometimes a few months. This allows them to survive in their native habitat when food sources are scarce. In captivity, this usually occurs during brumation.

Hypovitaminosis A is caused by a diet lacking in vitamin A which can lead to swelling of the eyelids. Make sure you feed a balanced diet with enough vitamin A to prevent eye problems in your gecko.

Reptiles only use the phallus and hemipenes for reproduction, and not for urination, so your veterinarian may surgically remove it, and it the animal can still live a healthy life. To prevent the tissue from prolapsing again, the veterinarian will often suture each side of the vent to make the opening smaller.

Why is my green anoles eye swollen? ›

This could be a parasitic problem, bacterial problem, fungal disease, congenital problem, foreign body or environmental issues. So, you see, you will need a vet to determine what is causing the problem to get the best chance of treating your anole correctly. Please don't wait any longer.

Topical treatment using a suitable antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin usually cures any infection. Uveitis is rarely diagnosed in reptiles although it occurs associated with systemic infectious disease, post hibernation disease (hyphema and hypopyon), trauma and neoplasia.

Conjunctivitis in turtles and lizards without spectacles can be treated with topical eye ointment. Snakes and lizards with spectacles need surgery to drain the abscess and flush the eye with an antibiotic solution. Some affected reptiles, especially turtles, may need supplemental vitamin A.

Eye Problems: One of the most common causes of eye problems in leopard geckoes is substrate! Fine sand, dusty mulch, and peat moss can all get beneath the eyelids of leopard geckoes and be very irritating. The gecko may squint a lot and develop a watery to crusty discharge from its eyes.

If something has become lodged in the eye of a bearded dragon, the best thing to do is to take it to the veterinarian immediately. The vet can flush the eye with a sterile saline solution or use a small instrument to remove the object.

Urgent care tips. Keep prolapsed tissues moist until they can be gently cleaned. Liberally and gently apply water-soluble lubricant. Reduce tissue edema with cold compresses or hypertonic solutions like 50% dextrose, glycerin, or hypertonic saline.

Call your vet right away! If action is not taken quickly, the organ can die, which can kill your beardie. En route to the vet, keep your beardie on paper towels and keep the tissue moist with water-soluble KY jelly. Once you arrive, the vet will clean and rehydrate the tissue, then gently push it back in.

For some women, their prolapse gets worse over time. For others, their prolapse will stay the same with conservative treatment options. Prolapse generally does not improve without surgery, but symptoms can be managed with less invasive treatment options.

This could happen in any number of ways, for example bedding caught in the eye or a scratch caused by a sharp object. An ulcer may form on the cornea, which is the transparent outer layer of the eye. Ulcers are very painful and in severe cases the eye could burst.

Diurnal reptiles generally have more cones than rods. Like humans and other mammals, lizards change the shape of their lens to focus on nearby or distant objects.

Why do lizards eyes look like that? ›

Lizards, as well as frogs, salamanders, and some fish, possess an organ known as a parietal eye, or a “third eye.” This “eye” is very small and primitive, but it is able to perceive changes in lighting and assists with the production of hormones and body temperature regulation.

Most cases of viral conjunctivitis are mild. The infection will usually clear up in 7 to 14 days without treatment and without any long-term consequences. However, in some cases, viral conjunctivitis can take 2 to 3 weeks or more to clear up.

Diagnosis Reptile mites are visible to the nakes eye, and are initially pale, and darker after a feeding. Mite faeces can be seen as white specks on the animal or within the enclosure. Mites do not like light, so will hide in corners within the enclosure, and also in crevices within the animal's scales and skin.

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is an eye condition that causes the eye to become pink and irritated. The symptoms often resolve without treatment, but home remedies — such as cool compresses — can help ease them.