Bearded Dragons & Impactation

March 5, 2013 by  
Filed under Bearded Dragon Info

centralbeardeddragonPrimarily, a number of deaths of bearded dragons are associated with impaction. What impaction? When bearded dragons suffer from impaction, the pet becomes immobile meaning parts of its body or even the whole is suffering from paralysis. Provided that the pet is suffering from a high impaction particularly in the area of the digestive track, all of its legs could suffer from paralysis. On the contrary if the impaction is not as intense, only the back legs of the pet could suffer from paralysis. Provided that bearded dragons are suffering from impaction this means that a particular mass whether it’d be fully solid or not is blocking the digestive tract. In this case, since impaction proves to be a very unpleasant condition for bearded dragons, it would only be logical to examine and enumerate its causes in order to prevent its occurrence.
Causes of impaction

One of the causes of impaction could be food. Normally the problem occurs when bearded dragons consume food items which prove to be larger than what their digestive system could handle. If the food item is large enough, it would have a hard time moving along the digestive system thus it results to problems such as impaction. In order to prevent such things from happening, you should be well aware of the fact that the size of the food items to be consumed by your pet should be not larger than the space between its eyes. This is the most common way of measuring whether the food is digestible for the pet or not. There are food items which bearded dragons could eat, however because of their size they could only increase the chances for impaction to occur, thus you should be cautious in the size of the food item that you would be feeding your pet.

Aside from food, temperature could also contribute to the occurrence of impaction. Basically there are certain temperature levels wherein bearded dragons are able to digest food properly. Bearded dragons have a hard time digesting food if the temperature is not right. It should be noted that the cage of the pet or the place where the pet is placed should be sustained with a temperature between 100 to 115 degrees. This is the most appropriate temperature that encourages proper digestion in bearded dragons. Provided that bearded dragons eat a certain food item which is not easily digested and given that the temperature is not right, impaction is likely to happen.

Aside from the food items that bearded dragons are constantly fed with, there are other materials that may be located near them which they could accidentally consume. Particularly to items placed inside the cage, these items which are not exactly edible could pose a threat to bearded dragons. There are reported cases wherein these materials could also lead to impaction. For example substances such as pellets of any kind and a number of dried plant-based materials have been noted to cause impaction for some case. Available supplements in the market also pose risks for impaction. The more important thing in keeping away from and avoiding the occurrence of impaction in bearded dragons is always a cautious and observant mind. As a pet owner you should be able to guarantee the surroundings of your pet as well as what it consumes.

Comments

8 Comments on "Bearded Dragons & Impactation"

  1. morgan on Wed, 30th Dec 2009 5:02 pm 

    if your a first time owner what are some of the first sings of impactation

  2. company offshore on Mon, 4th Apr 2011 8:06 pm 

    You will notice the inability to..In the case of a major impaction the animal will not beexcrete regularly or straining when they do. If the impaction is higher in the digestivethe back legs not walking properly and you may also..track the front legs may also be paralyzed. A lowersee a slight bump along the spinal area…impaction that is only affecting the back legs canThese signs are not necessary a problem because..continue to grow until the front legs are also affected.every animal is different but if you see them and the..1.

  3. megan on Tue, 26th Apr 2011 12:45 pm 

    hey i got the same one expet mine is smaller than that .

  4. lillie fool.! on Sat, 7th May 2011 5:24 pm 

    i want a bearded dragon ..where do i get one and how do i convince my parents to get me one.?

  5. Beardie on Tue, 24th May 2011 3:53 pm 

    What type of Bearded Dragon is in the picture?

  6. patty on Sun, 29th Dec 2013 10:53 am 

    i have a bearded dragon that has not pooped since 12/24/13 he is eating 5 crickets a day. is this normal?

  7. Zeynep on Wed, 8th Apr 2015 5:38 am 

    Your bearded dogran has a unique name`Heddi` It is very cute and we would like to hold it.You are so lucky to have a class pet as interesting as Heddi.What did it feel like to hold a reptile? Was it scary?Don’t forget to look after it! From Emilia and Megan at High Lawn School. P.S. What does Heddi eat?

  8. Emily on Tue, 17th Nov 2015 5:52 pm 

    Patty, that’s not normal. How old is your bearded dragon? And Morgan first timers should look out for a good substrate, as most impactation is caused from them eating there own substrate. I recommend using non-adhesive linoleum sprinkled with some sand, and rocks.

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