Bearded dragons might be the most docile, friendly, and peaceful reptile pets, but like other animals, they also experience various health problems. A swollen hand is one of the issues that most pet owners have reported seeing in their bearded dragons.
Several factors including abnormal shedding, infection, abscesses, MDB, etc., can cause bearded dragons to have swollen hands. The inflammation may appear anywhere from fingers to joints. Keep reading to know some things that can lead to swollen arms in bearded dragons.
Can Incomplete or Abnormal Shedding (Dysecdysis) Cause Hand Inflammation in Bearded Dragons?
Like the rest of the reptiles, bearded dragons need to shed their skin after a given period. While the shedding process is supposed to be seamless and painless, it’s sometimes problematic and can lead to various complications.
For instance, a bearded dragon may experience incomplete shedding where the shed skin is retained around its hand. As the lizard grows, the stuck skin constricts blood flow, resulting in swelling.
Dehydration is often the leading cause of incomplete shedding. Therefore, if you want to ensure that your bearded dragon’s shedding is not disastrous, please ensure that the dragon stays hydrated. More importantly, ensure that the humidity inside its enclosure stays within the recommended level.
Will Infections Cause Swollen Arms in Bearded Dragons?
Bearded dragons are prone to various ailments that can make their hands swollen. These include bacterial infection, fungal diseases, and infections from other pathogens. These ailments usually affect beardies with compromised immune systems or those living in deplorable conditions. Swellings caused by fungal infections are typically necrotic and are often removed surgically.
Keeping the bearded dragon enclosure clean helps reduce the number of disease-causing organisms in a cage. Some of the infections may be brought by environmental changes such as low temperature, high humidity, and other stressors.
Causes of Hand Swollen in Bearded Dragons?
1. Scale Rot
Scale rot is one of the leading causes of inflammation in bearded dragons. This condition is primarily caused by too much humidity and unclean bearded dragon habitat.
When pet owners don’t keep the bearded dragon cages clean, they become contaminated and harbor multiple bacteria and fungi.
When the organisms get into the bearded dragon’s body, they lead to the formation of painful and swollen skin sores.
Although sores are often associated with injuries, they sometimes develop from within and manifest through skin reddening, sores, and discharge.
During the early stage of scale rot, your lizards may develop inflamed blisters or pustules. However, if you take action and start treatment early, you can heal the blisters and bumps before they become painful ulcers.
Although scale rot occurs in the various parts of the bearded dragon body, it’s commonly observed in the appendages since they are the ones that come into contact with the dirty environment.
2. Abscesses
Hand swelling in bearded dragons can also be caused by pus-filled sores known as abscesses. These painful sores are often accompanied by inflammation. Abscesses can result from poor environmental conditions, bite wounds, and other injuries.
Other ailments, such as tumors, parasitic infections, and hematomas, exude similar signs and may be confused with abscesses.
Once you notice that your beardie has small localized swellings, you should visit a reptile vet and get them surgically removed to reduce the inflammation and prevent a recurrence. Larger abscesses should be drained by a professional vet and treated with various medications.
3. Skin Parasites
External parasites are also notorious for causing swellings on bearded dragon hands and legs. Skin parasites not only survive by feeding on the bearded dragon’s blood but can also lead to various ailments and skin inflammation.
Usually, these parasites are common in newly-acquired or wild-caught beardies. These parasites can cause lots of distress to your scaly friend and lead to some inflammation. The most common pets you’ll likely find on lizards are mites and ticks.
Common Parasites that Might Cause Inflammation
Mites
Pet owners dread mites since their infestation is difficult to control and can even lead to death by anemia. These creatures attach themselves to the soft spots on the bearded dragon’s body, such as near the eyes, between the fingers and toes, around the neck, and under the hands and joints.
These parasites make the lizard’s skin coarse and inflamed and can cause various diseases to lizards. Mites are visible when they are in large numbers. Beardies with mites on their bodies are often seen trying to drown them by spending time submerged in water. Sometimes, the remains of drowned mites may be seen in the water dish.
To eliminate termites, affected lizards should be quarantined and their cages cleaned thoroughly. Substrate materials and other components in the enclosure should be disposed of. The cage should be sprayed with an insecticide prescribed by your local reptile vet.
Ticks
Ticks are other parasites that can cause inflammation in bearded dragons. These creatures are associated with various diseases, including anemia. Although the ticks can be removed manually with forceps, pet owners should ensure that they have gloves on so that they don’t contract the disease carried by the tick.
Ticks are hazardous pests since they suck a lot of blood in one feeding. They might even cause limping if they attack sensitive regions of beardie’s appendages, such as between fingers and toes, or the point limbs join the body.
While inflammation is not the worst thing that can happen to bearded dragons with parasite infestation, it’s one of the reasons why your scaly friends may have swollen hands. So, be on the lookout for any external parasites on your beardie’s skin.
Which are the Common Signs of Parasites in Bearded Dragons?
Besides the usual swelling and physical visibility, there are other signs that bearded dragons can display when infested by parasites.
- Rough skin with rashes
- Weight loss
- Poor appetite
- Vomiting and regurgitation
- Lethargy
4. Metabolic Bone Disease
Commonly known as MDB, metabolic bone disease is an ailment synonymous with domestic beaded dragons. The name stands for several disorders compromising the bearded dragon’s skeletal structure.
One of the symptoms of MDB is swollen limbs and jaws. This is why it’s one thing that leads to swollen hands in bearded dragons.
Metabolic bone disease is often attributed to one of the following reasons:
- Calcium Deficiency. Calcium is an integral component in developing the bearded dragon’s skeletal muscles. Its deficiency leads to soft and fragile bones.
- Improper UVB Lighting (Vitamin D3 Deficiency. UVB light supplies the bearded dragon with Vitamin D3, essential for calcium absorption into the blood system.
- Overconsumption of Food with High Oxalates and Phosphorus. Oxalates and phosphorus inhibit the absorption of calcium.
However, whether it’s caused by poor diet or lack of UVB, metabolic bone disease manifests when there isn’t enough calcium in the body. Since the body needs calcium for growth at all times, it starts to draw it from the bones when there’s a deficiency.
If the metabolic bone disease is not addressed correctly, it can progress to varying levels and even lead to fatality.
Lack of adequate calcium makes the bones too soft and easily breakable. Additionally, weak bones lead to reduced muscle tension as the body tries to pull the muscle tissues to fortify these bones.
Early Signs of MBD in Bearded Dragons
During the preliminary stages of metabolic bone disease, the bearded will start to display these signs and symptoms:
- Constipation. Your beardie will have difficulties passing stool.
- Lack of appetite. A bearded dragon with MBD starts losing interest in food.
- Anxiety and stress. Your beardie will look stressed even when the other conditions are right.
- Lethargy. Your beardie will look weak and spend most of the time sleeping or hiding.
Symptoms and Signs of Metabolic Bone Disease in Moderate to Severe Cases
- Swollen hands and legs
- Bowed appendages and arched spine
- Receded lower jaw
- Trembling and twitching hands and legs
- Seizures and tremors
- Bumps and grooves along the spine
- Greenstick fractures
- Soft facial bones and jaws
- Easily fractured bones
- Difficulty in moving or complete paralysis.
If you fail to notice the early signs of MBD, it will be impossible for your dragon to recover when the disease is in a more advanced stage.
Your scaly friend might become permanently deformed and live a life of pain and misery. You must pay attention to subtle signs that deviate from the norm.
What to Do If MBD Is the Cause of Swollen Hand in Bearded Dragon?
If you suspect that your bearded dragon has MBD and that the condition is the cause of the inflamed hands, there are a few things that you should do to help it recover.
First, you need to visit a reptile vet and have your bearded dragon checked. No matter how mild the symptoms seem, ensure that a vet is your first contact as your scaly friend’s life could depend on it. Despite the helpful resources online, we can’t emphasize enough how crucial contacting a professional vet is.
How IS MDB in Bearded Dragon Treated?
Although vets take different approaches to treat metabolic bone diseases in bearded dragons, they follow a series of common steps they might take to treat your lizard when you visit their clinics.
When you take your beardie for the first appointment, the vet will inspect the lizard, perform blood work, or even take x-rays. They’ll also enquire about the diet, symptoms, and the animal’s routine behavior to determine the severity of the condition.
Different treatments will be recommended depending on the severity of the ailment. When the disease is detected early, treatment could be as simple as adjusting the beardie’s diet and incorporating more calcium-rich foods.
However, for moderate to severe cases, the typical treatment process may involve one or more of these recommendations:
- An injection of Vitamin D3
- Orally administered calcium supplements
- Feeding your bearded calcium-rich foods in the diet and dusting food with calcium powder
- Calcitonin injection
- Change of the UVB lighting
How You Can Help During the MBD Treatment Process?
Offer your bearded dragon food items that are rich in calcium.
These include fruits and veggies. However, ensure that the foods have low phosphorus and oxalates. Examples include
- Dandelion leaves
- Cactus leaves and prickly pear
- Papaya
- Mustard green
- Chicory
- Escarole
Get rid of all hazardous items from the cage
A bearded dragon suffering from MDB usually has soft and easily breakable bones. This means that a simple mistake may lead to a bone fracture that can be very painful. For a better and accident-free life for your bearded dragon:
- Get rid of all rocks, sticks, and other sharp and blunt accessories from the bearded dragon’s terrarium.
- Provide accessories that are easy to climb and hiding spots that are not that complicated
Handle Bearded Dragons with Utmost Care
As mentioned, the metabolic bone disease makes bearded dragon’s bones and skeletal structure fragile. A slight pressure on the bearded dragon bones can lead to breakage.
Prevention of Swollen Hand in Bearded Dragons
You need to check a few husbandry and care points to ensure that your scaly friend doesn’t suffer from various ailments that may cause swollen hands.
Keep the Bearded Dragon Cage Clean and Disinfected
A dirty enclosure is a breeding spot for fungi, bacteria, and other pathogens that cause diseases that lead to swollen hands in bearded dragons.
Daily cleaning rituals, such as disposing leftovers, collecting feces, and adding clean water to the cage, should not be disregarded. More importantly, clean the enclosure after every two weeks and all the accessories.
Maintain the Temperature at Optimal Levels
Besides making pathogens breed faster, incorrect temperatures in a terrarium can inhibit digestion and compromise the bearded dragon’s immune system.
Typically, an enclosure should have a cool side with temperatures ranging from 75-85ºF and a basking spot with temperatures around 90-105ºF.
Provide Proper UVB Lighting
Lack of adequate UVB means a beardie doesn’t get enough vitamin D3, crucial for calcium absorption. You’ll need full-spectrum UV lights in your bearded dragon’s cage. The light should not be blocked by glass or plastic as it can filter out beneficial rays.
Supplement Your Bearded Dragon Diet
Since the metabolic bone disease is the leading cause of swollen hands, you must ensure that your bearded dragon consumes adequate calcium.
Ensure that you include foods rich in calcium in a beardie’s diet. Conversely, dust their food with calcium powder and provide vitamin D3 supplement twice a week.
Final Verdict
There are several reasons why a bearded dragon may experience a swollen hand. It might be due to fungal or bacterial infections such as scale rot or abscesses, abnormal shedding, parasites, or metabolic bone disease.
No matter the cause, if you notice that your bearded dragon’s hand is swollen, you should make an appointment with a reptile veterinarian.
To identify the actual cause of inflammation cause, the vet may need to do blood work or even radiographs. If you have questions about swollen bearded dragon hands, we hope this guide covers everything you want to know.