On average bearded dragons have a life expectancy ranging between 10 to 15 years in captivity. In the wild, they live a shorter amount of time, ranging from 5 to10 years, due to predation.
This guide will take you everything you need to know about a bearded dragon’s lifespan.
Bearded dragon lifespan explained
Bearded dragons live surprisingly long compared to their reptile counterparts. The longest recorded lifespan was recorded in the UK when a male bearded dragon named Sebastian lived for about 19 years.
Some claim there are unrecorded cases where beardies lived longer than that, while other owners say their beardies might break that record soon.
Most beardies are known to reach 15 years, but they need to have very good genes and a healthy dose of luck at that age. It certainly needs to belong to the Pogona Vitticeps subspecies too.
That said, there are eight subspecies of bearded dragons in the deserts of Australia. Pogona Vitticeps is undoubtedly the longest living and the most common pet subspecies among owners.
There are other subspecies, but they have shorter lifespans mainly because of their wild status, where they face many challenges.
Check out this table of all the subspecies and their expected lifespan.
| Subspecies | Lifespan |
| Pogona Vitticeps (Central) | 8 – 15 years |
| Pogona henrylawsoni (Rankin’s) | 6 – 8 years |
| Pogona Barbata (Eastern) | 6 – 8 years |
| Pogona Minor Minor (Western) | 5 – 8 years |
| Pogona Minor minima (Dwarf) | Unknown |
| Pogona Microlepidota (Drysdale River) | Unknown |
| Pogona Nullarbor (Nullarbor) | Unknown |
| Pogona Minor Mitchelli (Mitchell’s) | Unknown |
7 Factors That Impact a Bearded Dragon Lifespan.
By understanding the factors that impact a bearded dragon’s lifespan, caregivers can make decisions geared towards keeping these reptiles healthy and happy. Here are factors that determine the lifespan of a bearded dragon.
1. Diet
The health and lifespan of a bearded dragon, will be significantly influenced by the diet it is fed. A lack of variety in the diet can lead to malnutrition and disease, while too much protein can also have negative impacts on the beardie’s health and lifespan.
Bearded dragons typically eat insects, worms, and other small animals. These creatures are high in protein, so a bearded dragon that is fed a diet consisting primarily of this type of food will likely suffer from malnutrition.
In addition, a high-protein diet can also lead to health problems such as kidney failure or leg deformities in beardies.
A better diet for bearded dragons consists of a healthy mix of both plant and animal elements. A balanced diet gives bearded dragons the essential nutrients they need to stay healthy and reproduce.
This type of diet also helps keep their skin healthy and prevents them from developing problems such as obesity or dental issues.
2. Disease
Bearded dragons are susceptible to a number of diseases that can also take a toll on their health. Some of the most common health issues that bearded dragons suffer from include metabolic bone disease, respiratory infections, adenovirus infection, mouth rot, and obesity/weight gain.
Metabolic bone disease is a condition in which the bones become brittle and weak from a lack of minerals. Respiratory infections can cause a bearded dragon to have coughing fits and difficulty breathing.
Adenovirus infection can cause a bearded dragon to develop a swollen tongue and body or respiratory problems. Mouth rot is caused by bacteria which can cause the dragon to lose weight and suffer from diarrhea.
While the disease is one of the leading causes of death in beardies, there are also things that owners can do to help their pets live longer lives. Regular veterinary care is essential for keeping pets healthy and catching a disease before it worsens.
3. Genetics
Genetics is a big factor in a bearded dragon’s lifespan. Some bearded dragons have lived as long as 20 years, while other beardies have only lived for around five years. It all depends on the individual’s gene expression and how quickly they develop into adulthood.
In some cases, a genetic mutation may cause a baby bearded dragon to grow at an accelerated rate and become a mature lizard much sooner than expected.
However, if the dragon’s environment or health is not stable, this accelerated growth can lead to health problems and even early death.
Also, by mating two healthy bearded dragons, you can create a population of babies that are genetically diverse and have a better chance of surviving to adulthood.
4. Breeding
Breeding bearded dragons is a common practice, as it increases population size. However, breeding decreases female lifespan in the long run. In fact, some studies have shown that breeding dragons can reduce their life spans by as much as 70%.
One of the primary reasons for this decrease in lifespan is that females become pregnant and experience increased levels of stress and injuries during egg reproduction.
Some females lay up to 25 eggs per clutch which has a more significant toll on their bodies. As a result, they are more likely to die sooner than males.
Additionally, raising young dragons can be pretty challenging and taxing for both the mothers leading to early death. The good thing is you can ensure quicker recovery by feeding her the proper diet after egg laying.
5. Cage Size and Set Up
To keep a bearded dragon healthy and active, their cage should be at least twice their body length (plus 10-15%). Some pet stores sell cages that are three times the dragon’s length.
You should at least have a 120-gallon tank for an adult bearded dragon. This can allow the beardie plenty of room to move and socialize, as well as prevent them from bumping their head on the top of the enclosure.
A cage that is too small can cause anxiety and stress for the bearded dragon leading to shorter lifespans.
The temperature of the enclosure should be warm enough at about 80 – 90 degrees on the hot and cool sides. The basking spot should be around 100 degrees. Keeping your beardie in a cold environment could cause respiratory illnesses and stunted growth.
Finally, loose substrate is not to be used for bearded dragons as it can accidentally swallow a big piece and cause impaction. Stick to a solid substrate like ceramic tiles, reptile carpets, and newspapers.
6. Species
There are different subspecies of bearded dragons. Larger species generally have longer lifespans than smaller ones. This is partly due to the fact that larger beardies typically find it easier to adapt to new environments and can fend off predators.
Pogona Vitticeps subspecies are the most common pet species, with a lifespan of about ten years. A smaller pet subspecies is the Pogona Henrylawsoni, which lives for about eight years. The Rankins dragons live for about six years. However, even smaller beardies can live long lives provided they have the proper care.
7. Healthcare
Although bearded dragons do not require any vaccines, it does not mean they should not get any vet care. Like all other pets, beardies can benefit from physical examination and checkups.
Sometimes take the poop to the vet for a parasite check as well as further checks to ensure there are no other underlying health conditions.
The Life Stages of a Bearded Dragon
As your bearded dragon ages, it passes through six life stages, from an embryo to a senior. You can distinguish each step through physical and behavioral changes. Here are the typical life stages every beardie goes through
Embryonic stage
The embryonic stage is when a bearded dragon is just starting to form in the egg. The embryonic stage in the egg can last anywhere from 55 to 75 days, and during this time, it’s the quality of nutrition and level of stress on the mother that affects its quality of living. The incubation temperature is known to influence the behavior of beardies.
Hatchlings
The eggs take about 55 – 75 days to hatch and will be at about 3 inches in size when the beardie hatches. The growth rate happens quickly at a rate of about 1 – 3 inches and about 10-50 grams in weight per month because the hatchlings are voracious eaters.
They are still considered hatchlings until they reach about 8 inches at about six months old. During this time, you should feed more protein to steer muscle growth. During this stage, they shed the most, usually once every week!
Juveniles
This stage starts when the beardies reach about 8 inches in length and can be referred to as sub-adults. Juveniles also begin to eat a lot, which helps them to grow larger and more robust.
These grow at a rate of 1 inch per month until at least one year of age. Their diet mainly consists of insects and fewer plants and fruits. They also need larger enclosures of at least 75 gallons to socialize and exercise.
Young adults
After a year of growth to 3 years of age, it’s safe to say the beardie is a young adult. Growth slows down as they are nearing sexual maturity, which can be seen in their social behavior.
Most dragons will be near their final length at this stage. At this age, they also develop the coloration they’ll keep throughout adulthood.
At this stage, the food mainly consists of 50% insects and 50% plants and fruit. It’s arguably the most exciting time in a bearded dragon’s life because they also become sexually active, and males start to display signals of dominance as females submit.
Mature adults
This is when they reach 3 to 7 years, and they are fully grown at this point. Their diet is mainly plants, but they should be eating about 25% insects. They are the healthiest during this stage, and their immune system is fully developed.
They grow at a lower rate and do not require changes in care, diet, and housing. With good quality care during adulthood, they can reach senior age and live much longer.
Seniors
This is the final stage or simply old age at about seven years, and the beardie starts showing signs of advancing age such as moving less and the feedings reduce dramatically.
Depending on their husbandry, the effects of old age start setting in. If the beardie was well-cared for during the senior age, they might remain in this stage until they reach 15 years, sometimes older.
Seniors should be monitored closely and given additional supplements to energize them. For beardies that receive second-rate care, they may not live past 8 – 10 years.
| Life Stages | Duration |
| Embryonic | 55-75 days |
| Hatchling | birth to 6 months |
| Juvenile | 1 year |
| Young Adult | 1 – 3 years |
| Mature Adult | 4 – 7 years |
| Old Age | Over 7 years |
How to Tell a Bearded Dragon’s Age?
Let’s say you just rescued a beardie or are unsure of his age; you can get an idea by using their body length. Newborn hatchlings, for example, are 4 inches long, which means it’s about a month old. If you measure the dragon and find that it’s between 4 and 10 inches, it should generally be between 1-4 years. If the dragon is less than 12 inches long, it’s probably about a year old or less.
However, beardies over a year old are hard to predict their age using body length alone. Some juveniles can be 16 inches long, the same as some adults, although larger adults could be up to 24 inches long.
| Size (Length) | Age | Stage |
| 1 to 7 inches | 1 – 3 months old | Hatchling |
| 7 to 12 inches | 3 – 12 months old | Subadult |
| Over 12 inches | 1 – 15 years old | Adult/Senior |
Weight can be an alternative predictor with most juveniles weighing less than 300 grams while adults weigh at least 500 grams. You can use sexual maturity to tell the age by looking at the social behavior.
If they just became sexually mature, you know it’s at least eight months old. Alternatively, use the bulges on the tail.
Females have a single side-by-side bulge while males have two. But these are not concrete measures of age, and they are just estimations.
If you can access the breeder, you can know the accurate date by asking them. Most breeders will keep records of the day, month, and year of the beardie.
How Long Do Bearded Dragons Live in Captivity?
Bearded dragons are some of the longest-living reptiles, with about 10 to 15 years to live in captivity. Some can live in excess of 20 years with proper care.
One of the factors that contribute to bearded dragon longevity is their diet. These lizards consume a high percentage of insects, which provides them with all the nutrients they need.
You should ensure to provide greens and fruits as well as providing large enclosures for exercises. Another way to keep your bearded dragon healthy is to provide the right temperature, humidity as well as UV light.
When you can, allow them to enjoy real sunlight and offer them warm baths for hydration. From time to time, you should take them to the vet for checkups.
How Long Do Bearded Dragons Live In The Wild?
About 5 to 10 years. Natural predators are the main reason why beardies don’t live as long as they do in captivity. Common predators include big cats, wolves, and birds of prey.
They are prone to death and injury, which leaves them with a shorter lifespan. Also, food can be a problem when drought strikes, putting their survival in doubt. Also, water may not be adequate in the dry deserts.
Lifespan Facts
- Their life expectancy improves once they achieve maturity: Beardies face a high risk of mortality during their hatchling and juvenile stages as they are not strong enough to run away from predators, and they are highly susceptible to diseases and or kinds of accidents. Once they reach maturity, their odds of surviving for more years increase significantly due to their larger size.
- The best way to increase their lifespan is by preventing injuries and illnesses: Bearded dragons are considerably resilient as long as they dont contract illnesses or suffer from injuries. An excellent way to ensure that they remain alive for more years is by taking them to the vet regularly, ensuring they stay in good health and all potential health issues get treated on time. Make sure that your beardie lives in a secure habitat free of any sharp objects that might injure its sensitive skin.
- The aging process in most reptiles is slower than that of mammals: Unlike pet mammals which begin to exhibit aging signs after achieving maturity, reptiles age significantly slower, although this doesn’t mean they will outlive mammals. Instead, once bearded dragons achieve maturity, they will remain healthy for the majority of their life all the way until the final year of their life, when they may start developing age-related health problems.
- Reptiles have a huge variation in average lifespans: bearded dragons live to an average of 12 years in captivity. However, their close cousins, the uromastyx belonging to the same family Agamidae live to be 30 years in captivity and under good care. The oldest recorded one lived to be 46 years old. These variations are mainly attributed to the deferring lifestyle preferences between the two species.
- Beardies only start to exhibit territorial aggression when they reach maturity: It’s not uncommon to see numerous beardies in a single cage in pet stores, yet it’s not advisable keeping mature ones in a single cage. Bearded dragons start to exhibit aggression when they reach sexual maturity and are ready to mate hence the need to establish a dominance hierarchy. This can be seen in aggressive behaviors such as hissing, color changing, arms waving, and head bobbing.
How to increase a bearded dragon’s lifespan?
Clean your bearded dragon’s tank regularly
When left uncleaned, a bearded dragon’s tank will accumulate uneaten food and poop, which can start rotting, encouraging bacterial and fungal infestation. Keeping a beardie in such conditions greatly increases the probability that it will contract an infection that could be fatal.
You must regularly clean a beardie’s tank to keep your pet comfortable and healthy. It’s recommended to take out uneaten food after every meal and clean out any poop particles as part of spot cleaning the tank on a daily basis.
The tank will need a deep cleaning every two weeks whereby you take everything out of the enclosure and clean it, change out the substrate and wipe down all surfaces with a vinegar and warm water solution. This eliminates any bacteria and fungi that might cause infections.
Give your bearded dragon regular baths
Your beardie requires regular baths to keep it clean from parasites, fungus, and bacteria. Regular baths also prevent the beardie’s skin from becoming too dry, which may prevent normal shedding.
Bearded dragons are able to absorb some moisture through their skin just like other reptiles, so a regular bath routine will greatly alleviate constipation.
The extra playtime and bonding with your beardie during bath time is a great way to insect their skin for any abnormalities that might require medical attention.
Careful handling
Bearded dragons are quite fragile, and they should be handled carefully to avoid any accidents. For one, their skin is quite susceptible to bruising, which may lead to a fatal infection, and their bones can easily, if excessive pressure is applied, such as lifting the beardie carelessly.
Before handling your bearded dragon, you should wash your hands with soap especially if you have been in contact with another pet.
Avoid reaching for them from above as this will scare them instead gently pet them until they are comfortable enough which you can notice by eyes closing.
Avoid handling them when their beard is dark which indicates that they are stressed and much more likely to react aggressively which might not end up well for either you nor the dragon.
Give them supplements
A bearded dragon’s regular meals may not contain all the micronutrients they need to remain healthy for long. Giving them supplements such as multivitamins is a sure way to boost their immunity.
Talk to your vet about the possibility of putting your pet bearded dragon on calcium and vitamin D.
Avoid poisonous foods
Bearded Dragons have sensitive digestive systems. A common mistake that beardie owners make is to feed them treats made of human foods, which can either be hard for the beardie to digest or downright poisonous to them.
Foods high in oxalates should be avoided completely as they interfere with the beardie’s ability to absorb calcium.
Do not feed your bearded dragon onions, mushroom, leeks, garlic, rhubarb, avocados, eggplants, iceberg lettuce, buttercup, fireflies, box elder bugs, ladybugs, butterflies, acidic fruits, and dairy products.
Feed them a variety of healthy foods
Bearded dragons are omnivores requiring a mix of healthy insects and plants to maintain optimal health. Mature bearded dragons prefer a diet consisting of 25-30% insects or worms and 70-75% greens.
You can get feeder insects and worms such as crickets, butter worms, super worms, and hornworms to serve as the primary protein source. Beardies love collard greens, okra, mango, spinach, citrus fruits, squash, mustard greens, papaya, and lettuce. These healthy sources of vitamins boost your beardie’s immunity and lifespan.
Keep the temperatures within the tank at optimal levels.
Bearded dragons are cold-blooded, and they require an external source of heat to regulate their internal temperatures. In order to digest their food, they need to bask under a heat source with temperatures measuring 90 to 93 degrees F.
The average temperature of the enclosure should be between 80 to 90 degrees F during the day and at night, cool it down to between 70 and 75 degrees F. These temperature ranges ensure that the bearded dragon remains healthy hence boosting its lifespan.
Provide the right levels of UVB light.
In order to absorb calcium optimally, bearded dragons require vitamin D, which is produced in their skin cells when in contact with UVB rays.
Providing the right levels of UVB light is thus critical, and in the absence of these healthy rays, the beardie will develop health complications such as metabolic bone disease.
Use safe products
Bearded dragons love exploring their enclosure, and they often try to chew on items that are within the tank. For this reason you should only use safe products.
Avoid substrate with sand particles in it as the beardie will swallow some of the particles causing impaction, which can be lethal if left untreated. Opt for a reptile carpet or use shredded newspaper or paper towels instead.
When cleaning, you should also avoid toxic cleaning products such as bleach and instead go with safe products such as diluted vinegar, which will still kill the bacteria and fungus without releasing poisonous fumes within the enclosure.