Are bearded dragon less hardy than other reptiles?

So my first bearded dragon only lived about five years However my friends snake that he got about the same time I got Basil is still alive and doing great!

When I went to several pet stores to pick out a new bearded dragon, almost all of them in every store looked very unhealthy, BUT there was nothing visibly wrong with ANY other kind of reptile!

All the snakes, geckos and iguanas looked great, and almost all the beardies had cuts and missing toes and discharge from their eyes! So as much as I loved Basil, and how nice Ganta is despite his sickness, I don't think I'll get another one, they just seem much more fragile than other reptiles

And I want a pet that will actually live more than just a couple of years!

that ur mistake take him back now get a refund beardies from pet stores are all from macs reptiles or something i cant forsure say thats the companys name but they are terrible PETA made a video about how they treat their dragons and stiff and its bad their stored in timy bins with like 10 pther dragons weong lighting nevwe cleaned tanks so they get diseases as babys and then shipped half way across the world to petsmart and other pet stores their basically diseased and dead the second u buy them its just a time bomb . try an online sale site here in toronto canada theirs a site called kijiji look fot a home breader yhe dragons are MUCH happy and healthier and they live 15-20+ yrs

IMO bearded dragons are not as healthy as they were 20 years ago...too much breeding for colors and not longevity, most breeding colonies in the US carry atadenovirus. A healthier reptile would be a blue tongue skink. They reach a good size, are reportedly friendly, and have an easier diet, but require a larger cage. They also have a longer lifespan than dragons. Right now BTS are not being over-bred so you should be able to get a healthy one who should live within its lifespan, 10+ years. I asked my vet about them and she said the ones she saw were friendly and healthier than the dragons she treats.

DaisyDragon123":2c0scboe said:

IMO bearded dragons are not as healthy as they were 20 years ago...too much breeding for colors and not longevity, most breeding colonies in the US carry atadenovirus. A healthier reptile would be a blue tongue skink. They reach a good size, are reportedly friendly, and have an easier diet, but require a larger cage. They also have a longer lifespan than dragons. Right now BTS are not being over-bred so you should be able to get a healthy one who should live within its lifespan, 10+ years. I asked my vet about them and she said the ones she saw were friendly and healthier than the dragons she treats.

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That makes sense unfortunately

I like just about all reptiles!

I'd like to get a ball python, as all the ones I've seen and held appear to be very tame! And I love they way their bodies feel!

But my family hates snakes, and even have dislike for geckos

I was considering an iguana, as they showed no aggression towards me ether!

An iguana, although inexpensive, is a huge commitment. They require extremely large cages and can deliver bites that are disfiguring and require plastic surgery. Males can be extremely teritorial. Iguanas are not naturally people friendly and must be tamed. IMO iguanas are best suited for the advanced keeper who will be the sole caretaker. Can you imagine an adult iguana charging at one of your family members and attacking, especially a younger sibling.

A ball python is a good snake. I used to have one years ago.

If your family dislikes snakes and will only allow you lizards, I think some type of skink would be your best bet for a longer-lived reptile. The blue tongue skink is a large lizard with short stubby legs and has scales more like a snake, smooth. I have seen fire skinks and they are very pretty. I don't know their lifespan or if they have the reputation of being friendly (once adjusted to the home environment) like a BTS.

There are a lot of factors that contribute to beardie's ill health. Breeders sell them a week or two after hatching in some cases, and they are very fragile, needing specific sized prey items several times a day, proper heat, uvb, and hydration, etc. The ADV virus has ravaged them and those who survive past baby/juvenile stage [ and may show no symptoms ] may later have liver problems leading to death. But there are still dragons that live 8,10 or more years.

Blue tongue skinks are very appealing as pets and have all the favorable attributes listed by Daisydragon. Fireskinks, even though many are wild caught, are also very hardy and very easy to care for and can be kept in a 30-40 gal. tank with no high uvb requirements and live well over 10 years. I would avoid iguanas, they get huge and require VERY large cages and some that start out docile can turn mean and they can do a great deal of damage with their tails, claws and powerful bite.

No .... if they are cared for properly they are pretty much bullet proof.

Not as bullet proof as bluetongue skinks but still pretty robust unless they've been too heavily inbred.

I think some of the posters have a point to with the quality of dragons considering they are basically mass produced. How much of this is to a genetic level yet rather than just poor care/health... is not really clear.

However. I do think on the whole dragons are little tanks of creatures. More than other reptiles they endure a stunning amount of abuse and neglect. Not that that's a good thing of course. Other common pet reptiles are similarly robust (leopard geckos, corn snakes and ball pythons, iguanas) or they simply would never have been able to achieve the popularity they have.

Keep in mind, dragons are shorter lived in terms of many other reptiles. Snakes can live 20-30+ years.

I agree with AhBD, Taterbug, and Kingofnobbys. As a breed, Beardies are not naturally less hardy, but they are not a beginers'exotic, either! I always cringe to see the pet shops signs under the Beardies calling them "easy to keep"! These creatures, like all exotics, require a great deal of education, money, time and commitment to maintain properly. They must have the right environment which includes expensive lamps, uvb tubes, humidity, heat, diet, etc, etc...this is true of any animal in captivity, but those called exotics (unlike cats, dogs, gerbils, at al.,) have more demands and less room for mistakes. Also, most exotics do come from a relatively small breeding pool, which makes them more prone to certain illnesses and genetic issues. Each kind of exotic will have their own unique set of requirements, some more costly and time consuming than others. It is a matter of what requirements you can meet, or care to meet, that makes a particular exotic best for you! As the retired director of a wildlife rehab and sanctuary, I have felt that exotics do not make the best pets, due to their needs, but then, I ended up an (accidental)adoring mom to a Beardie, and he has proven me wrong in so many things! I hope you can find a reptile that suits your needs and gives you as much joy and companionship as my Dezi gives to me!!

Well, thanks for the advice people!

I guess maybe I got lucky with my first beardie, and not with the second!

I don't know what to do with the little guy, as he is still holding his head up and eating, but he doesn't like to walk because his little wrists and ankles are swollen

As much as I love reptiles, I'm now thinking I just can't take good care of them, so I think this will be the last.

I believe that the OP is looking for a longer-lived reptile and perhaps one that is more forgiving of habitat mistakes. I am assuming he is in the US but I know from reading some of his past posts that he may not have easy access to a qualified reptile vet.

I've read up on BTS and from reading other people's posts on different sites they do seen genetically stronger and they do live longer. I had a BTS breeder tell me that and have asked an exotic vet for her opinion. The vet told me that the BTS she treats are generally healthier than the dragons she treats. She sees a good many dragons with variois issues including YF. Since the OP can't own a snake maybe a skink would suit him or a tortoise(?).

On another note, I think that unless something radical happens we will be looking at dragons who live only 3 to 5 years on average in the very near future--at least in the US. Breeders were warned years ago not to breed their adenovirus positive dragons but they willfully ignored professional medical advice in their zeal for new morphs. Professional breeders had the opportunity to actually breed dragons for health and longevity but chose not to. Just try to find a breeder with confirmation of an adeno negative colony. Good luck. They are like Big Foot sightings--somebody somewhere has seen them but they go poof when you ask for proof.

I wish the OP the best of luck with his new dragon and I certainly understand his concerns.

Daisydragon makes some good points. It is so sad when breeders focus more on profits than on the overall health of the breed. I suspect I was just plain lucky to have bought Dez at a pet store, and he is (so far) such a healthy boy. I sure did not know as much then as I do now!! My heart breaks for the owners whose stories I read on this site about the trials of an unhealthy Beardie! That said, I also believe that some of the difficulties could be avoided with proper husbandry. Not because the owners want to give poor care (who would?) but because they are unprepared for the time, money and effort needed, and also there is some bad information out there. I have heard things ("advise") from sales people, who acted like they were experts, that was so incredibly wrong, I was astonished. The poor customers who believe them do their best, but end up with sick lizards. such a shame.

^^^
Well, I don't really know what to say about this!

I'm going to try to help my little guy, I finally found a vet that takes reptiles in my area! he's got a vet appointment tomorrow!


If he can get better, he will be a great pet as he has a neat personality!

But next time I'll look for a different reptile as a pet!

Good Luck to you both on the vet visit today! Let us know how it goes!

dezismom":1km8hq43 said:

Good Luck to you both on the vet visit today! Let us know how it goes!

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The vet found evidence of a viral infection! And his joints appeared to be permanently damaged!

We went through his tank set up, and what he was being feed, and the vet said I did nothing wrong, that he may have already been sick when I got him!

There was a treatment available, but it cost $622 dollars, and would take at least several months before results showed!

She also said he was in pain, and that he would not live very long regardless if the treatment worked!

So I decided to put him down today.