Geriatric Beardie Care

Status
Not open for further replies.

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
I've been thinking about creating a thread where people can give tips and share their experiences with caring for very old bearded dragons , I think most would be very pleased if their pet dragon lived past 8 - 10 years old , and there are instances of bearded dragons living to be over 21 years old and having mostly healthy , active ( as active as a adult bearded dragon can be - most are more laid back and lazy than livewires as adults ) and happy lives.
Only showing obvious signs of aging and decline in their last year or so.

My experience was it's very hard to find caresheets that specifically deal with the special needs of a aging geriatric bearded dragon.

I started thinking about this when my little lady Wriggles the Water Skink started showing that she was in very slow age related decline (she was about 8 years old (very ancient for a water skink (who rarely live longer than 5-6 years) when she passed away very peacefully in her sleep of old age) , but she had some health issues in her last year that were likely aging related.
My two bluetongues are now the same age , but I know BTS are more long lived than water skinks.

I found this when Wriggles was showing geriatric lizard issues and resent threads have twigged my memory , I think people will find it generally useful : http://www.petplace.com/article/reptiles/general/general-reptile-care/care-of-the-elderly-reptile

Feel free to add to this and share your experiences with your beloved geriatric bearded dragon if you have one.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
Based on the advise in the link above and a little common sense.

What You Can Do for a Senior/Elderly/Geriactric Pet Bearded Dragon:

What you can do depends upon how gracefully your pet ages. It is, however, imperative that you know your reptile and understand its body language.

To accommodate an aging arboreal lizard (bearded dragon), provide it with an elevated basking area of easier access. Replace the sturdy limbs you have routinely provided for climbing and basking with flat, cleated, boards several inches wider than the lizard's body. The lizard will be less likely to accidentally topple from these.
Or make the viv “flatter” removing opportunities to climb very far above the viv floor (maybe convert the top of their hide to the basking spot or provide a second hide that is both basking perch and warm hide & move the basking and UV sources lower to accommodate the new viv arrangement and ensure adequate UVA & UVB is still received. Make the changes gradually to avoid unnecessary stress to the elderly dragon.

While I wouldn't ordinarily recommend sand , the elderly beardie might enjoy and find the tactile feel of sand (NOT CALCI-SAND or VITA-SAND) interesting , so long as it is fed in a sand free area. In this case Play Sand is softer for them to land on should they have a tumble.

It should go without saying that you should never allow any herp to drop, or even to jump, from your grasp when it is being carried. This is especially so of aged pets. The argument that "he's always done it" will become moot when your pet is severely injured.

Provide your aging dragon with a drinking dish that’s too shallow to drown in and accessed by flat cleated boards on which they can easily leave the water ..

Make your aging herp's life as stress-free as possible. Do not keep elderly males where they can see younger breeding males of the same species. Territoriality (breeding) displays by male lizards are intended to intimidate males within his species.
Even when kept in separate vivs across a room, your aging, non-breeding, male or female will be unnecessarily stressed if they can view ongoing territorial & courting displays by younger males.

Altering dietary needs for aging beardies may become a necessity. Digesting large prey items or chunks of veg & fruit may become difficult for some elderly dragons, especially if cage temperatures are not ideal and stable. Regurgitation then becomes a very real possibility.
Should this happen, be certain that cage temperatures are stabilized and give your dragon easier to eat veg (grated) and greens and softer slower moving prey insects (silkworms are perfect) .
Although even at a venerable age most dragons are fully capable of tearing their vegetation into bite-sized pieces, they tend to eat more, and often more readily, when their food is chopped into smaller than bite-sized pieces .

The vitamin and mineral requirements of beardies also alter with advancing age (consult your reptile vet for guidance here).
ie Rapidly growing young hatchlings need a relatively large amount of calcium and vitamin D3 to sustain normal bone growth.
and ie Ovulating female beardies require an even greater amount of calcium-D3 to provide the materials for the formation of eggshells their developing embryos.
For both categories some suggest giving vitD3 fortified calcium & additives 2 or 3 times weekly.This need will drop off radically out of the breeding season or when ovulation no longer occurs.
Sufficient calcium-D3 will need to be provided to sustain adequate bone mass (provided as an additive perhaps once or twice a week (?) on vet's instructions perhaps as a oral liquid supplement dosed according to the dragon's body mass) but overdoing will accomplish nothing and can be counter productive (see viewtopic.php?f=6&t=233592)

The immune systems of aging beardies may become somewhat compromised. As if they are aware of this, it's been observed (in the literature) that many aging heliothermic (sun-basking) species often bask for longer periods and may preferentially choose temperatures a little warmer than normal. It is always best to provide a heliothermic reptile with a rather wide temperature gradient, but this is especially beneficial to elderly reptiles. Of course, all heliotherms should be provided with full-spectrum lighting, be it natural or artificial, in which to bask.

How you provide for your aging dragon will depend largely on the amount of debilitation or preexisting conditions or illnesses (if any) shown by your pet.
Some continue going full-steam-ahead until the day they die. Others may slow down somewhat and require just a bit of extra attention or slightly altered caging conditions. By learning to "read and interpret" your pets' moods and body language you will be able to provide your reptile or amphibian with the best conditions possible throughout what could and should be a very long happy and healthy life.

I suggest spoiling the elderly beardie with lots of snuggles and treats to make their sunset years as pleasant for them as possible and to leave you with many fond memories when they eventually pass away.
 

szubelak

Juvie Member
This is exactly why I signed on today. My question is related to this topic. What I want to know is what are the physical signs of aging. My beardie is a rescue so we don't know his exact age but we guess he's at least 10 now. I don't want to tamper the answer pool by saying what he's experiencing just yet. We are due to go back to the vet this week anyway but I wanted the wisdom and experience of the people here too.

Thanks in advance!
Lesley
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
None of my beardies or BTs have quite reached that stage yet, Wriggles the Water Skink was very ancient for a water skink @ about 8 years old (oldest I've heard of her species was 6-7 years though we had a long time resident wild water skink who became quite tame and lived in my garage for many years (I think Bea mght have been 8 - 10 years old).

Wriggles started having some issues of wastage despite being very well fed (hand fed and spoilt rotten) , lost some of her fatty reserves in the tail and hips and legs , and had developed a problem where she was passing that pasty light orange "stones" were passed , at the time it was thought these were calcified undeveloped embryos , this went on for few months intermittently, not impacted as she was pooing regularly. ( I now suspect advanced stage cancer or advanced hyercalciumia and the "stones" were urates rich in calcium oxalates ).

In her last week she started refusing food , even her favs of mealworms lavae and pupae for the last 3- 4 days (she was handfeed her insects to her once per day) .
Sometimes in her last few days she had worried me because she has been breathing hard with an open mouth , but again this was intermittent and she'd settle down.

She was pretty active with her bathing (adored splashing about in her little round bath , thought she was a microcrocodile) , loved drinking, wanting snuggles right up to her last day. And simply passed away peacefully in her sleep while having a siesta in the afternoon of her last day. I saw her watching from her tub (which was on the coffee table) while I fed the hatchlings (she knew the routine) , then she crawled into her hide and when I lifted it off her she was dead.
 

storksle

New member
It must be serendipity that I was researching this topic just today.

I have a dragon that is about 12 years old. I noticed today during his soak that his tail and hips are starting to lose fat and look a bit more bony. Have you guys experienced this in older dragons? He eats just as well as he always has. This seems to have come on quickly. I will be feeding him some more bugs to help him gain it back, and a vet visit may be in order. Anybody have any other tips? I love my baby boy and I want him to be as comfortable as possible.

Levi
 

szubelak

Juvie Member
We've been battling a respiratory infection for probably 6 months now. i think he's still sick but I may be overreacting. Today the vet said he looks and sounds better. I think his beard is still just the slightest bit gray from being sick which is the symptom that I was wondering about being old age. We're doing a blood culture to see if anything grows so I'll be happy having those results.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Thanks for this -- our beardie is only 5 years old so far but it's nice to know we're already pretty well set up already for the accommodations mentioned, just in case he manages to live a long life in spite of the adenovirus. I especially like the part about "spoiling" them with lots of snuggles and treats :love5: but I wouldn't necessarily want to wait until they're elderly for that. :wink:

21 years? :shock: Seriously? From a reliable source? I've heard rumors to that effect, but they didn't sound believable. Our beardie could outlive me if he lasts that long. At least my husband is 10 years younger than me and would probably be able to take good care of him for as long as necessary. :)
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
SHBailey":u3jw5jg6 said:
Thanks for this -- our beardie is only 5 years old so far but it's nice to know we're already pretty well set up already for the accommodations mentioned, just in case he manages to live a long life in spite of the adenovirus. I especially like the part about "spoiling" them with lots of snuggles and treats :love5: but I wouldn't necessarily want to wait until they're elderly for that. :wink:

21 years? :shock: Seriously? From a reliable source? I've heard rumors to that effect, but they didn't sound believable. Our beardie could outlive me if he lasts that long. At least my husband is 10 years younger than me and would probably be able to take good care of him for as long as necessary. :)

Someone was talking about one here not so long ago which was 20 years old at the time :
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=209588

According to Guiness it's about 15 yrs VERIFIED : http://www.harboroughmail.co.uk/news/guinness-a-day-helps-lizard-to-old-age-record-1-3700353
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
Thanks for the info. 15 sounds believable, but 20 is getting out there. I personally know of two beardies who lived to be 13. They were both well taken care of -- one belonged a lady who ran a reptile rescue here in Anchorage for a few years, and the other belonged to a vet tech. Both of them got very frail and were definitely feeling the effects of their age by the time they died, but in both cases their caretakers enabled them to enjoy their lives for as long as possible. :)
 

Khaleesii

Member
My beardie is about 7-8 years old. He began to get some darker coloration on his stomach and doesnt eat as much as he use to. I just brought him to the vet and he said that was likely due to old age. He also has enlarged breasts (the fat pads). Especially on one side. It feels like its full of fluid. The vet was going to get a sample from it but after massaging it to feel for a lump the fluid drained so he couldnt get a sample. He said it was likely fine as it couldnt be a tumor. That was yesterday and the fluid seems to be back but hes not in any pain. Maybe just an old man thing. Of course I obsess about every little thing with him as hes my best buddy. I hope he lives into his twenties! And yes he doesnt climb his big stick anymore and prefers easier basking spots and slightly higher temps. He still enjoys romping around the house and outside though :)
 

PodunkKhaleesi

Hatchling Member
My last two beardies, both from different clutches, lived to be 16 and 17. Losing them after that many years was particularly hardhitting. I believe there were several important factors that went beyond standard recommended husbandry that contributed to their longevity. One: they didn’t gorge on protein as adults. Too much protein can contribute to gout and a shorter lifespan, so I was very selective with their insect meals. Waxworms, Mealworms, and superworms were rarely (if ever) on the menu, and while I can’t definitively say this was a big contributor to their longevity, it does seem noteworthy in hindsight. My current generation of beardies now get superworms as a rare treat, but for the most part when they do get insects these tend to be dubias, BSFL, hornworms, and silkworms. I was also vigilent about not feeding these insects high protein diets or foods that I wouldn’t want my beardie to eat. I’m always surprised when someone recommends feeding dubia roaches dog food or even hamburger, the kind of diet that can create high levels of uric acid over time (and cause the reptiles that eat these insects to develop gout). So I’m adamant about being just as vigilent with my feeder insects’ diet as I am with my beardies.
The other factor of note was that my lizards got a lot of exercise, and were still active and adventurous until the day they died (the day before my 17-year-old died I took a video of her charging around my house like a 6-month old. I had no idea that would be our last interaction, and from that video no one would have ever been able to guess that this beardie was seventeen years old, let alone about to pass on the next day). I’d often set up a basking station on my floor in my bedroom so beardies could run around and then get warm/recharge at their leisure. But when allowed to roam they took full advantage and got a lot of consistent exercise. Many people assume beardies are lazy because they spend so much time basking, but when given the opportunity, my experience has been that they love to run around like kids on a playground when the environment is ideal. One other element I also strongly believe contributes to my beardies’ longevity: each of them get an annual vet exam with a fecal test. So many health issues that affect these lizards can be treated if found in the early stages, so I’m a big believer in a yearly physical with a specialized herp vet. It’s great to have someone that knows your animal’s history, that you can review your husbandry with, and that can check for early signs of gout, MBD, etc.
Some of the tips in the first post will be really helpful to people struggling to find info on how to adjust their husbandry as their beardies age (adjusting cage furniture so that an elderly beardie won’t risk injury struggling to climb a high perch is a good one). With my current baby and subadult, I’m very eager to replicate the scenarios that allowed my other two beardies to spend half my life with me. I’m by no means an authority on beardie health and aging, but hopefully some of my personal experiences with raising very old lizards prove helpful and contribute to a thread on a topic that’s underrepresented online. Beardies that live almost two decades do exist—and I’ve owned several. ☺️
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Original Poster
If my Peppa lives as long as George and Mildred (my two bluetongues , about 8 years old) and Wriggles (my water skink , about the same age when she died in her sleep of old age) , I'd be very pleased , so far best I've managed was Rex who lived to about 5 yrs old and die of organ failure ( a birth defect ??) ....

If she lives to the age some here have managed .... wow !
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,903
Messages
1,255,709
Members
75,967
Latest member
Newbeardiemom09
Top Bottom