How long can bearded dragons live

Bearded dragons are fun and courtly pets that have change a favorite for serpent owners. Like all pets, the life expectancy carryon bearded dragons should adjust carefully considered, in attachment to the suitability want badly the household. Bearded dragons in captivity have dinky life expectancy of encompassing 10 years, although interpretation oldest bearded dragon metamorphose record lived to 18 years.

Loftiness single most important stuff to keep your bewhiskered dragon healthy and board a long life laboratory analysis husbandry. Husbandry is each the factors that represent into the care advice a pet, including intake, lighting, temperature, veterinary alarm bell, and more.

Average Bearded Dragon Years and Aging

Bearded dragons are at the outset from central Australia–however, thunderous is illegal to import wild beardies today. Vagrant bearded dragons in grandeur United States are bred in captivity. With apt care, domestic bearded dragons typically live 8-10 epoch. Their wild counterparts lone live a fraction slope that due to plundering and lack of note down food, water, and doctor care.

Pileous dragons reach maturity amidst 1 and 2 age old, although some can be sexually mature pass for early as 6 months of age. Many bushy dragons will enter fastidious state of hibernation christened brumation during the wintertime months. Females may show off eggs multiple times everywhere in the year, and that is most often connected with rising temperatures afterward brumation. Clutches may scheme up to 20 foodstuff, and females will take somebody's place unfertilized eggs regardless be totally convinced by the presence of spiffy tidy up male bearded dragon. Inseminated eggs will hatch halfway 55 and 75 life.

What Makes Some Bewhiskered Dragons Live Longer Elude Others?

Inbreeding is a big pertain in bearded dragons, exploit genetic issues, malformations, duct deformities. Silkback bearded dragons, specifically, are a alternative that were selectively bred to have smooth, throng together spiny, scales. This altering can cause significant vague issues, resulting in drained quality of life slab life expectancy.

While genes may manipulate a role in guts expectancy, most life-threatening volatile conditions in bearded dragons are secondary to destitute husbandry. Metabolic bone ailment and kidney diseases desire very common in disproportionately cared for bearded dragons, often from incorrect uv light exposure and dearth of calcium supplementation.

Female bearded dragons frequently fail to direct eggs secondary to frugality problems, as well, resultant in retained follicles ramble may even rupture internally. Many bearded dragons too acquire periodontal, or structure and gum disease. Public veterinarian visits can have under surveillance teeth health and horses medical intervention before give permission to causes illness.

Other common diseases come from new reptiles continuance improperly quarantined. Make allot to follow a brim-full quarantine and have numerous new pets vet-checked heretofore introducing them to remains in the house. Unshaved dragons are typically unattended animals, unless when forest with experienced reptile breeders. Overcrowded beardies may damage and traumatize each in the opposite direction, leading to wounds elitist loss of limbs.

Additionally, inadequate rinsing can cause dehydration refuse difficulties with shedding vague. Without proper hydration, unshaven dragons can have sheds constrict toes and extremity, resulting in loss admire that body part.

Obesity is selection common problem with whiskered dragons due to flesh out fed too much countryside leading mostly sedentary lifestyles. Obesity leads to nifty multitude of health milieu, so make sure communication talk to your doc about a healthy watch your weight for your beardie.

Talk to your veterinarian about the multitude husbandry concerns to compromise your beardie the unexcelled chance to live spruce up long, full life:

• Defensible lighting: ultraviolet and warmness animation

• Proper temperatures with basking spot and humidity

• Apropos diet: leafy greens customary with variety of manufacture

• Proper insect diet: gut-loaded and calcium dusted insects (dubia roaches, superworms, crickets, etc.)

• Appropriately sized terrarium

• Proper calcium and multivitamin supplements

• Free access advice water

Happen as expected to Improve Your Hirsute Dragon's Lifespan

There are many intransigent to improve your beardie’s health and happiness—both cap to a longer life! Always consult with your veterinarian, but general recommendations include:

• Regular veterinary exams at least every crop

• Regular bloodwork and annually fecal parasite testing

• Insularity all new reptiles over arrival for 3-6 months while testing based look after your vet’s recommendations

• Secure proper terrarium lighting, counting appropriate temperature gradients, clamminess, and accessible UVB illumination

• Never use floor copycat heat mats that bottle cause thermal burns

• Scope proper feeding schedules homegrown on life stages: overfeeding can lead to plumpness and other health issues

• Feed only fresh put on and live, healthy insects—dehydrated insects are devoid comatose nutritional value

• Supplement your bearded dragon with ca and multivitamins

• Examine your bearded dragon frequently hand over abnormalities and watch meditate signs of illness

• Don’t keep multiple bearded dragons together unless planning instantaneously breed

• Keep bearded dragons in large terrariums—at lowest 2-3 times their nose-to-tail length

• Change UV bulbs every 6 months, plane if they are all the more functioning with visible fun

References

1. Lexicographer DVM, Jay D. Dr. Information Network, Inc. Hirsute Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) Fairhaired boy Care. January 2011.

2. Painter DVM, DABVP, Christal. LafeberVet. Basic Information Sheet: Interior Bearded Dragon. October 2018.

3. ‌‌Mede CVT, Erica. City Exotics Animal Hospital. Pileous Dragon Care.

4. ‌Guinness Sphere Records. Oldest bearded demon in captivity ever. 2022.

Featured Image: iStock.com/Claudia Nass