Disclaimer: We are not veterinarians, and this article does not replace the advice given by a qualified vet. The aim of this article is to bring more awareness to a common health issue experienced by bearded dragon owners.
This information should be used only as a reference tool and should not be used in place of vet assistance. Our views and opinions are the results of hours of dedicated research. But remember, we are not professionals. If you have a sick beardie and don’t know what to do, don’t rely on the internet. Take them to the vet immediately.
Our biggest fear, when it comes to being a bearded dragon owner, is that we’ll do something wrong that causes our beardie to get sick or die. Luckily, on the spectrum of pets, bearded dragons are pretty easy to take care of. That said, improper care can still cause a host of problems.
In fact, one of the most common health issues among captive bearded dragons is caused almost exclusively by improper care. Metabolic bone disease can be painful and debilitating for a beardie. It can even be fatal. Fortunately, it is also easily preventable with proper diet, supplements, and lighting.
Most commonly seen in bearded dragons 2 years of age or younger, metabolic bone disease (or MBD for short) is actually an umbrella term that describes one of several commonly found conditions.
MBD is caused by a range of nutrient issues. The nutrient in question is almost always calcium, but vitamin D and phosphorous can also be culprits. Too little (hypocalcemia) or too much (hypercalcemia) calcium can cause problems with both the growth and the strength of a bearded dragon’s bones.
Metabolic bone disease (MBD) in bearded dragons is a condition that causes their bones to form improperly. It is usually caused by a diet low in calcium and/or vitamin D or a lack of UVB light that allows them to make vitamin D naturally. It is a serious condition that can be avoided with proper care.
A bearded dragon needs a steady supply (not too much and not too little) of calcium to facilitate bone growth and density. They also need a consistent source of vitamin D. This allows their bodies to convert dietary calcium into a bioavailable form that is shuttled into the bones.
Causes of metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons
Also known as fibrous osteodystrophy or nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, MBD has a handful of well-known causes.
The first thing to note about these causes is that they can all be traced to improper care. A bearded dragon in captivity does not get to pick its own food, supplements, or lighting. It is up to us as responsible beardie parents to provide these things for them.
Too little calcium
In the wild, bearded dragons get calcium from a variety of plant and animal sources. Their varied diet typically provides them with just the right amount of calcium to keep the bones of young beardies growing properly. It’s also the right amount to keep the bones of adult beardies strong and healthy.
Simulating this proper balance of dietary calcium in captivity is usually a matter of combining proper diet with proper supplementation. If either is off, and your bearded dragon does not get enough calcium, it can lead to metabolic bone disease.
Too much calcium
In an effort to provide enough calcium for optimal health, some bearded dragon owners go overboard. They give their beardies far too much calcium in the form of high-calcium foods, along with overdoses of calcium supplements.
Most of the calcium we give our beardies as supplements is not very bioavailable. So giving them too much is not a common occurrence. It takes a ton of calcium to begin to be too much. But it is still something vets see occasionally, so it’s something we must be aware of.
Check out our complete guide on bearded dragon supplementation to make sure you are giving your bearded dragon the appropriate amount of calcium and other important supplements they need!
The wrong type of calcium supplement
While powdered supplements are easy to administer and very popular with reptile owners, they are not always the best choice. Powdered dietary calcium is very hard for reptiles to absorb. This leaves us with two choices.
We can either supplement (meaning dust your feeder insects and maybe even your salads) powdered calcium every time we feed our beardies, or we can use a much more easily digestible form of calcium.
Our vet recommended supplementing with calcium gluconate. This is administered orally via a syringe. If you choose to go this route, consult your vet for proper dosage and frequency.
The Basking spot is not hot enough
In order for dietary calcium to be absorbed into the bones, it must first be digested. Bearded dragons rely on their basking area for digestion. Without an adequate supply of external heat, beardies are unable to digest their food.
A basking spot that is too cool means that a bearded dragon will not be able to digest its food. It will, therefore, not absorb many of that food’s nutrients. This includes both the calcium in the food itself as well as any supplemental calcium placed on the food.
High oxalate foods
Sometimes it’s not that we aren’t giving our beardies enough calcium, but instead, we are also feeding them foods that make that calcium undigestable.
Oxalate prevents the absorption of calcium by binding to it before it is absorbed by your bearded dragon. Foods that are high in oxalate can cause problems for bearded dragons because of this. Examples of high-oxalate foods are kale, spinach, carrots, collards, and chards.
While it’s okay to give these foods occasionally, they aren’t something that should be a daily staple in your dragon’s diet. Instead, stick to other types of low oxalate, high calcium foods instead.
For an exhaustive guide to what to feed your bearded dragon, including information on the frequency with which you can feed your beardie high oxalate foods, check out our complete bearded dragon nutrition guide here. There’s even a downloadable .pdf you can print out and keep handy for reference!
Foods high in phosphorus
Phosphorus is another chemical that prevents the absorption of calcium. For that reason, we should avoid feeding high-phosphorus foods to our bearded dragons.
The most common culprit here is bananas. But some beans can also be very high in phosphorus. Unlike high oxalate foods, which can be given occasionally, high phosphorous foods should be avoided altogether.
Lack of UVB lighting
Bearded dragons live their best life under the light of the sun. In captivity, this usually isn’t possible
Warning! NEVER place your vivarium in direct sunlight! It turns into an oven that will quickly cook and kill your beardie.
Because of that, we need to make sure our beardies get ample UVB rays from the artificial lighting we provide for them.
UVB rays are what allow your bearded dragon to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D is critical in converting dietary calcium to calcium that is shuttled to their bones. Lack of UVB is a very common cause of MBD.
In short, a lack of UVB comes in one of two ways. Either our lights are not putting out enough, or they aren’t on long enough. Luckily, the solutions are easy!
First, buy quality lights (never go cheap on these!) and replace them every 6 months (just because it’s on doesn’t mean it’s emitting enough UVB). Then set them on timers, so they are on for 12 hours every day.
Lighting can be tricky. That’s why we went in-depth on the subject in this article. Complete with photographs and visual guides, it has everything you need to know about setting up proper lighting for your bearded dragon.
It’s up to us!
It’s critical that all bearded dragon owners know how to properly provide for their beardies. Not doing so can have dire and unpleasant consequences. These consequences are evident when we look at the symptoms of MBD and how it presents itself in a sick beardie.
Symptoms of metabolic bone disease in bearded dragons
Keep in mind that the below symptoms can also be signs of other problems and are not necessarily specific to MBD. What all of these symptoms do have in common is that they warrant a visit to a qualified veterinarian asap.
By the time symptoms become apparent, the underlying cause has been around for a while. Your beardie can’t speak up and tell you that they don’t feel well. They rely on your keen eye and regular observation to notice problems early and head them off as soon as possible.
- Tremors or an involuntary shaking of the limbs, front or rear.
- Softening of the jaw. This can often be seen in conjunction with a swollen lower jaw.
- Softening of the facial bones. While this symptom usually presents in the lower jaw first, the facial bones are some of the first to show outward signs of MBD.
- Weakness, lack of appetite, and lethargy. These nonspecific symptoms don’t necessarily mean your beardie has MBD, but they are something to be concerned about, no matter the cause.
- Stunted growth. See our article on how big beardies get as a guideline, but if your beardie isn’t growing, MBD could be the cause.
- Swollen rear legs and/or limb paralysis. This can be caused by impaction as well as MBD, but in both cases, these are serious signs of a problem. Call your vet immediately.
- Bone fractures, severely curled limbs, and inability to move. Please don’t let things get to this point before seeking help. These symptoms present in very late-stage MBD and are signs that recovery will be a tough road, if recovery is possible at all.
As you can see, metabolic bone disease is not a fun experience for your beardie. It is hard for them to move, and they are in pain. It’s imperative that you seek treatment for them immediately if they show even a hint of any of these symptoms.
Treatment for metabolic bone disease
Luckily most cases of MBD are treatable. While severe cases can cause deformities that don’t go away, it’s not always a life-threatening disease. The quicker the treatment starts, the better off the patient will be!
Call your vet!
Here is where we start to have a major problem with some of the bearded dragon forums out there on the internet. More than once, we see the advice given that vets are not necessary.
