Category: Pets Products

Until a few decades ago, pets other than mammals or birds didn’t exist. Reptiles and fish only began to enter homes in the 1950s and to be domesticated as pets. Although people were suspicious at first, they quickly got used to these little creatures such as the bearded dragon.

As you can see on beardeddragonguidance.com, the bearded dragon is one of the most desirable pets today. These lizards are intelligent and friendly to people. They enjoy cuddling and scratching the neck and ‘collar,’ which is their trademark. Beardies are recommended even to families with kids because these small animals are not aggressive. Moreover, they are known for their very calm nature.

Reptiles are prone to certain diseases, but the right care can prevent them. Also, one should know that most lizards go through cycles during the year when they act sick when they are not. So, learn to distinguish conditions when their pets are really sick from regular periods like shedding or brumation.

Living Conditions

If you decide to adopt a bearded dragon or any reptile, you should know that the bearded dragon is the biggest challenge in the necessary equipment. This lizard can reach up to 24 inches in lengths, which means that they need more space to feel comfortable. Besides the dimensions, the terrarium should be equipped with a lamp providing constant light. Beardies are desert animals, accustomed to large amounts of sunlight.

Bearded dragons have retained some of the essential characteristics of their survival in the wilderness. One of them is the camouflage, which is why they often hide the symptoms of the disease. That was the way how these tiny animals hid their weakness from natural enemies.

This ability can be very tricky if you are unfamiliar with how to raise reptiles. Although your beardie may look healthy, it can happen to be sick, and vice versa. It is essential to know the disease’s real symptoms and distinguish them from the normal processes that your pet has to go through.

Usual Stages in Bearded Dragon Lives

Bearded dragons have specific periods during the year when they look weak and sick, but they are actually in perfect health. That most often occurs during shedding and brumation times. Shedding happens due to changing climatic conditions and ‘outgrowing’ an old skin.

Brumation is a type of hibernation and occurs as a natural reptile response to season change. It usually occurs during the cold days. During hibernation, your pet sleeps and keeps vital functions to a minimum. The length of this period and sleeping schedule are individual, from a few days to a couple of months. The recommendation is not to interrupt your pet while hibernating. Let things go their natural order.

Common Diseases

Diseases in bearded dragons most often occur due to improper living conditions. On this source, see how to set terrarium for your beardie. Reptiles, their care, and diet are specific and need a lot of attention (and money). If you don’t take this seriously, dehydration, poor nutrition, or lack of hygiene of their living space, can cause many health issues.

Dehydration

Many factors affect the loss of fluid in the body of reptiles. Because their bodies are adapted to high temperatures, they have unique mechanisms to keep their bodies hydrated. That is why beardies must always have available fresh water for drinking and bathing.

Dehydration in itself is not a disease, but it can lead to it. Sunken eyes, wrinkled or sagging skin, lack of energy, and disturbed diet are potential signs. If neglected, dehydration may cause issues with kidneys or a gastrointestinal tract.

Internal and External Parasites

Some reptiles, if they belong to wild species, can have parasites. That is often the case if you get your beardie from wildness or an unverified or illegal source. Many of these hangers-on are zoonoses, i.e., they can be transmitted to humans.

Some parasites can stay in the body of reptiles for a long time without showing any symptoms. Suppose your pet eats and poops as usual. In that case, parasite presence is often only detected at a regular check-up by a vet.

Internal bacteria and microorganisms often cause intestinal tract issues. Then stool problems and weight loss occur in bearded dragons. Bacteria can also cause Infectious stomatitis, an infection which manifests in the mouth and jaw area. The most common signs are swollen gums and excessive mucus.

Metabolic Bone Disease

Inadequate care, in the case of bearded dragons, includes a diet low in vitamins and a lack of exposure to UV-A and UV-B rays. Then metabolic bone disease (MBD) can occur, especially in animals younger than two years. The common symptoms of this disease are physical weakness, numbness of the jaw and limbs, and inability to walk.

Due to the low levels of calcium and vitamin D, the reptile’s bone tissue loses its density, and the bones become fragile. Even the slightest injury can cause fractures. Sick beardies usually can’t stand up, but mostly lie on the ground. As the MBD, muscle ticks, seizures, loss of appetite, and lethargy may occur.

Adjusting the temperature, light, and diet are the initial steps in treating MBD in bearded dragons. Besides, an increased intake of vitamins and calcium is necessary. A vet will give additional therapy after determining the severity of the disease.

Respiratory Infections

Low temperature, insufficient light, and bacteria can be the triggers of respiratory infections in beardies. Stress is also one of the reasons why these conditions occur. The symptoms are similar to colds in humans, but bearded dragons are much harder to deal with. As soon as you notice increased mucus secretion, sneezing, or shallow breathing, see a vet as soon as you can.

Reptiles like the bearded dragons can be great pets. But inexperienced owners are usually surprised by the amount of care and costs these little creatures need. Many people take these animals without being aware of their needs at all. Without enough prior knowledge of their care, reptile health problems eventually occur. But, with a little effort and information, you can keep your pet healthy and in good shape.

These 2 Whoodles of mine above are Maya and Leah. They are sisters and completely different personalities. Maya (chestnut color) is more laid back but also stubborn. If she does not feel like taking a command, she simply won’t and quite literally turns her nose up at us sometimes. She is a ‘diva’!

Leah (black color) is ‘Ms. Anxiety’. Sometimes she is afraid of her own shadow and when it comes to the neighbor dog, she clashes with him. Leah and the neighbor dog lose their minds barking and lunging at each other through the fence. It has been a constant battle with us and our neighbors. It’s a good thing we all get along!

At one point last fall I decided I would begin training Leah starting with the basics. I searched for articles about how to train your dog to stop barking and decided to start at ‘sit and come’. She turned 2 in March so it was OK to start with basic training. The problem? No one in my house would conform to it. They spoil these 2 and allow them to get away with anything. My training failed before I could really begin. Professional training? That would be a waste of money because no one else here is consistent. So, Leah would go crazy and bark and we thought were doing the right thing going outside and yelling at them to stop barking and come in.

Over a year later and we are still feel like the lunatic neighbors screaming at our dogs multiple times a day. We have even communicated with the neighbor such as when we remodeled the downstairs and needed them to be out all day so she can time her dog’s outside breaks and vice versa. Pathetic! It was time to find a solution and I did my research and put a few things together and we have made huge steps in their barking!

Here is what we have learned about how to train your dog to stop barking and that works! First, here is a video below I took of Maya and Leah responding to our BarxBuddy Ultrasonic Training Device…

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A post shared by Erin | Blogger (@parentinghealthy) on Sep 1, 2020 at 11:53am PDT

Identify triggers! For our dogs it is when they go out together. Maya and the neighbor dog are just fine the two of them. It is when Leah is out there that commotion starts. We also know that other dogs trigger Leah when she is confined. At a park, she loves them! Find your dog’s triggers and if you cannot eliminate them, be aware and prepared.

Don’t Bark with them! We learned ourselves through many training advice articles that for most dogs, if they are upset and barking and you yell or shout at them they get confused. They literally think you may be joining in with them and participating at this chaos.

Use tools like BarxBuddy! When your voice appears to not help or confuse them, consider a training device. We use (and love) the BarxBuddy Ultrasonic Training Device. I will tell you more about it in this post. If this type of device does not phase your dog, perhaps other tools like invisible fencing or a barrier. These tools can be so useful as you learn how to train your dog to stop barking.

Be consistent! This is obvious but I cannot leave it out. If you use a tool have it nearby and ready to go. Check batteries often if your training tool requires one. Teach everyone in the home the ‘no bark’ plan for your dog. Have training treats handy.

Treats! If your dog’s are motivated by treats this can work great for the beginning of training. Make sure they are small and not too fatty. Make sure you are rewarding them AFTER they get quiet for a few seconds. If you reward right after the bark then they could think that treat was for the barking. Reward their quiet and calm.

I mentioned that we are using the BarxBuddy Ultrasonic Training Device with Leah’s barking. I was given a training collar last year that did vibration and sound but the collar was very irritating to her and I needed her to keep on her reflective collars and tags so it was too much. I love that there is no collar or yard adjustments needed for using this device. The flashlight on the device is handy also.

Our BarxBuddy is immediately effective but does not completely startle her. I would not have used it on her as a young puppy. It is recommended for ages 6 months and older so it doesn’t act like a scare tactic. With Leah at 2 years old it is surely a training tool that gets her to stop barking due to the distraction of the sound so she can hear and respond to my commands. To us that was so hard to accomplish by shouting all the time. Quick, painless and effective so for Leah, it is our favorite training tool.

If you think this ultrasonic training device can be useful for your dog’s barking, you can find it at the BarxBuddy website along with more tips and useful resources about how to train your dog to stop barking.