Common Bearded Dragon Diseases & Health Problems
| Most common condition | Metabolic Bone Disease |
| Respiratory infection cause | Excess humidity or cold, usually |
Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)
The most common serious condition in captive dragons, caused by calcium deficiency, D3 deficiency, or a poor calcium-to-phosphorus dietary ratio. Signs include soft or swollen limbs and jaw, tremors, and difficulty walking. Almost entirely preventable with correct UVB and consistent calcium dusting.
Impaction
A digestive blockage most often caused by oversized feeder insects, low temperatures slowing digestion, or dehydration, and sometimes by ingesting a large amount of loose substrate. Signs include straining, lethargy, and a visible lump along the belly.
Respiratory infection
Usually traces back to excess humidity or temperatures that are too cool for too long. Signs include wheezing, bubbling at the mouth or nose, and open-mouth breathing — this needs a vet, not home treatment.
Parasites (including Coccidia)
Common in dragons from poorly managed breeding facilities or pet stores. A fresh fecal exam by a reptile vet shortly after acquiring a new dragon is the standard way to catch this early.
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A single adult bearded dragon needs a minimum 4ft x 2ft x 2ft enclosure, with 6ft x 2ft x 2ft increasingly recommended as best practice — plus a linear T5 HO UVB tube, an overhead basking bulb on a thermostat, a real thermal gradient, a sturdy basking platform, and a shallow water dish.
A complete bearded dragon setup needs a 4ft+ enclosure, a linear T5 HO UVB tube, an overhead basking bulb on a thermostat, two thermometers, a basking platform, a hide, a shallow water dish, and age-appropriate substrate — all running and stable for at least 48 hours before the dragon arrives.
Hatchlings can start in a 20-gallon long tub, juveniles need to move to roughly a 40-gallon breeder footprint by a few months old, and adults need a minimum 4ft x 2ft x 2ft enclosure, with 6ft x 2ft x 2ft recommended.
Basking surface temperature should run 95–110°F depending on age (hotter for hatchlings, cooler for adults), with a cool side around 75–85°F, all provided by an overhead basking bulb on a thermostat — not a heat mat or heat rock.
Bearded dragons need a linear T5 HO UVB tube at 10.0 or 12% output, running the length of the basking third of the enclosure with nothing between bulb and dragon, replaced every 6–12 months regardless of whether it still produces visible light.
Bearded dragons should be kept at roughly 30–40% ambient humidity. Sustained humidity above 50% significantly raises the risk of respiratory infection in this dry-climate species — brief daily misting or a shallow soak handles hydration and shedding needs without pushing ambient humidity up long-term.