Does anyone have a healthy beardie? :P

[grantw429]

all i hear about is beardie problems... are there any cases of people having bearded dragons that just never have problems lol. im gettin my beardie in 2 weeks and im just gettin worried that they will have problems! someone reassure me please!

 

[reddragon087]

with any beardie you get it's going to go through relocation stress and thats when all of us (yes all of us)
freak out because they tend to not eat or use the bathroom and not want to be around people. they just
need time to adjust to the new surroundings. as long as you provide them the necessary things like uvb,
calcium, food, substrate they should be alright.

 

[Mach10X]

The reason you hear about all these problems is because the owners are worried and come to these types of forums for advice. I'm sure there's a good percentage of members that would have never been on this site had nothing ever gone wrong.

It's the same thing with cancer and hurricanes. The percentage of the population with cancer is less now that in was 40 years ago, but you just hear about it more due to vast amount of information available these days. The same is true with hurricane fatalities. Yes we are currently in a period of a higher number of hurricanes, however, the number of fatalities due to them is extremely small compared to the past (in fact back when the Spanish first settled Florida entire towns were obliterated due to poorer construction methods and no warnings).

 

[Sherri]

Awww, I think you will feel better if you head over to the *Beardie Tales* forum and the *Photo Expressions* and the *Introductions*......as well as...be sure to go through the *Pointless and Sad Posts*...it is not what it appears to be by the name! LOL You gotta go see for yourself....

I promise, if you go through those boards, starting with the *Pointless and Sad Posts* board your mind will be put at ease :mrgreen:

~Sherri

 

[ziggy23]

yeah, people most often post when they have problems. And very few stick around after their problem is solved. I think it would be safe to assume most long-term posters here have healthy beardies. I have two currently, and after a few rounds of antibiotics for parasites (not uncommon) then they've been as healthy as can be since. I had another dragon before them, he was never sick a day in his life, and more than likely died of old age.

 

[jjh1]

exactly what everyone has said
I have 3 healthy beardies location stress at first but everything is great.

2 adults and a baby I have right now they are all doing great! I give some advice or stuff that I learnt and I still ask questions when I need to even though I have had my beardies for almost 2 years now.

Welcome to the group and congrats on getting your new beardie when you get it post some pics
Joanne

 

[Bwalter]

I got my baby in Jan and have questions but Booger has been healthy and no problmes at all since I got him/her

 

[lauraj1055]

They just take getting used to, they are not like dogs and cats. They have their little 'quirk's that are normal, but freaks us out at times.. Dogs and cats and any other warm blooded animal don't stop eating for any other reason but being sick.. however beardies just will go off food for no reason, which automatically makes us think something is wrong.. however, it's just perfectly normal, and most bearides will do this at one time or another.. it's just US getting used to THEM.. That's why we are called beardie slaves I have 6 babies I am raising now that will be for sale.. and they are all happy and healthy and eating like crazy. However, I know when they go to their new homes, they will have relocation stress where they won't eat.. but then watch out, when the do start!

 

[Beardednoob]

So far Thor has been healthy as an ox, lol or so the sang goes. He didn't even have relocation stress, yes it happen now and again but, not typical. :wink:
Granted though he is only 3.5months old give or take.

 

[CiaraAlexisOnFire]

No, not all beardies have problems. As long as you provide it with the right care, you should be perfectly fine. Make sure you feed it the proper diet, provide the lighting it needs, give it attention, ect.
Some behaviors of beardies can make it seem like there's something wrong (like eye-bulging!) but it's normal. Here's some friendly advice: don't get freaked out if anything unusual occurs. Just post it on the forums
I used to freak out any time my dragon stopped eating, or the first time I saw him eye-bulging, but then I discovered they're just wierd animals <3
Have fun with your beardie

 

[ChiefsDaddy]

I'll just repeat what everyone else is saying.

Most of the posts on here are people concerned about their beardies. Most of the time, it's normal behavior, or something the owner has been doing incorrectly, such as not having the correct lighting or substrate. If you read these forums for information and give your beardie the proper care; feeding, lighting, substrate, and most importantly, attention, you should have a healthy beardie. Also, very important that you buy your beardie from a breeder, or a good, responsible, reptile shop. Beardies from Petsmart (and other major pet stores) are knows to come with problems because of improper housing and care.

Of course, sometimes, even with the best possible care, your beardie may get sick. But that's what we're here for.

I will tell you that I have a very healthy active beardie. He never had relocation stress, never been sick, eats like it's going out of style, and loves cuddles and attention.

 

[herpgirl2510]

Most of the time the prolems are related to relocation stress not eating etc.. That makes new beardie parents like myself worry. With proper care they are very hardy but you grow to love them so much because of their personalities that you tend to worry about every little thing at first. When you post concerns here there are so many great people to give you advice and reassurance that everything is fine. Get that beardie you will love it but you will worry to in the beginning. I keep alot of different lizards (don't tell them) they pale in comparison to the endearing beardie.

 

[EmilyRussom]

Had I not gone to the vet, I never would've known the Tikster had pinworms! She is the happiest, most active, playful beardie! Eats like a horse too! Granted, I think she's insane (well, silly as can be) but we all are to a degree. I mean, when we snuggled she LICKED MY EYELASH - thinking it was an insect I feel sure. She's nuts!

 

[grendel9]

Grendel's been very healthy since she was a baby, and never had relocation stress. I think a big reason why you see health problems in beardies is the massive amount of misinformation given out by pet stores (particularly the big chains) regarding how to care for these guys. People will go buy a baby and be sent home with sand or crushed walnut for a substrate, mealworms as food, ineffective lighting, and then end up with a sick bearded dragon. That's my opinion, anyway.

 

[EmilyRussom]

I think a big reason why you see health problems in beardies is the massive amount of misinformation given out by pet stores (particularly the big chains) regarding how to care for these guys.

AGREED.