Bearded dragons have a few charming behaviours and one of the most unusual of those behaviours is when they bulge out their eyes.
If you spot your bearded dragons bulging out their eyes, it is able to leave you scratching your head because it regularly seems to be for no obvious reason.
They come from the genus pogona and reptilia agamidae.
In this article, we are able to take a close look at the feasible reasons Why Bearded Dragons Bulge Their Eyes and if it’s something to fear about?
So, Why Bearded Dragons Bulge Their Eyes? Scientists are still looking to determine precisely why bearded dragons bulge out their eyes. However, they are expecting that there may be 7 possible reasons for this behaviour. These motives consist of supporting the shedding process, excessive blood pressure, and relieving itching eyes.
Why Are My Bearded Dragon’s Eyes Bulging?
Increased Blood Pressure
When blood pressure increases, the eyeballs swell up. If you observe that your bearded dragon has swollen eyes, then this may imply that they may be experiencing a growth in blood pressure. This might be specifically real in case your pet apparently has bulged eyes all the time.
You ought to take them to the vet right now in case you suspect this. This is due to the fact excessive blood pressure can cause severe health problems.
Vitamin Deficiency
If your bearded dragon has been lacking in vitamin supplements, then this may be the reason why they’ve bulging eyes. Vitamin deficiency causes swelling withinside the body. Since the eyes are a part of the body, they could swell too.
According to the Reptile ophthalmology by ViN, Vitamin A deficiency occurs frequently in chelonians kept in captivity.
Infection
A third viable reason for bulging eyes is infection. Eye infections are quite common amongst bearded dragons.
In fact, they may be one of the most common eye conditions that lizards experience.
The symptoms of an eye infection consist of redness across the eyes, discharge, and pain. Furthermore, their eyes will be swollen or crusted.
Your bearded dragon might also additionally have developed an eye infection because of a fungal or bacterial infection. Another purpose can be mites. Mites are tiny parasites that stay on the skin of reptiles. They can cause irritation and inflammation. If left untreated, they can result in extreme infections.
Finally, this infection can be caused by the use of inappropriate material in the cage or enclosure.
It may be very critical to deal with any eye infection as quickly as possible. This is due to the fact that untreated eye infections can result in blindness.
Therefore, you ought to seek instant scientific attention in case you observe any signs of an eye infection.
Shedding Process
An alternative reason for this happening is the shedding procedure. When the bearded dragon sheds its scales, it’ll commonly rub off a few scales.
To make this procedure easier, it is believed that the eye bulges in order that the skin isn’t as tight.
Shedding is a superbly natural procedure that a number of lizards undergo. It enables them to shed useless cells from the body.
You can assist your bearded dragon shed more without problems by presenting them with an excellent quality substrate.
A substrate is something that provides help for the animal’s weight.
Bearded dragon proprietors also can accelerate the shedding procedure with the aid of washing them in warm water.
To prevent fallacious dropping, you can additionally regulate the enclosure’s humidity.
Too Much Vitamin A
Another reason why the bearded dragon has bulged eyes is immoderate vitamin A intake. Too much vitamin A can bring about issues like liver damage.
As a result, your lizard may also become lethargic, lose appetite, and develop a swollen eye. If you observed that your bearded dragon has been fed an excessive amount of vitamin A, then you definitely need to seek advice from your vet. They can advise you on a way to cope with this situation.
Alternatively, you can sincerely try converting the food regimen of this reptile. Some of the meals that are excessive in vitamin A are carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash.
If you suspect that your reptile is eating an excessive amount of vitamin A, you may need to avoid those meals for a while.
There are lots of different veggies that you can feed them instead.
Improper Substrate
An improper substrate is another thing that can make contributions to the improvement of this condition.
An incorrect sort of substrate can have an effect on the health of your bearded dragon. For example, sand can once in a while dry out their skin.
In addition, wooden shavings can worsen the skin. These overseas items could worsen the eye, inflicting it to end up swollen.
Metal is considered to be one of the worst substrates for bearded dragons. Therefore, you need to choose a substrate that is perfect for your dragon. The proper sort of substrate will offer support to your animal’s weight without being harmful.
These substrates can be purchased online or in pet stores, whichever is handier for you.
For example, you can purchase reptile carpet, sand or bark for bearded reptile enclosures. Some humans even use newspapers, which is a brilliant manner of recycling vintage papers.
You can also use a substrate that is simple to clean. It would be exceptional in case you were capable of washing the substrate regularly.
This will restrict the chance of infection significantly.
If you consider that the sort of substrate that you are presently using is inflicting this bulging, you may need to test with a specific variety.
Luckily, there are plenty of various substrates that you could test with. If one does not work, you could sincerely try another.
Inadequate Water
Your bearded dragon needs adequate quantities of water to live healthily. If they do not acquire sufficient water, then they’ll dehydrate.
This dehydration can result in health issues, along with an enlarged eye. You can test whether or not your bearded dragon has enough access to water. You can measure the quantity of water that they drink every day.
However, keep in mind that reptiles want little or no water. Bearded dragons are native to dry deserts, wherein they receive little or no water.
Most of the water in their food regimen comes from the meals that they eat. If you observe that your bearded dragon is ingesting much less than every day, then you definitely need to increase its water supply. You can add some clean water to their enclosure.
Alternatively, you could purchase bottled water for your pet. You can also use a water dispenser, permitting the animal to access moisture every time required. Remember to only give them small quantities of water at a time. If you place an excessive amount of liquid in the water bowl, you can end up wasting water.
If your dragon does not drink much water, this is fairly regular behavior. However, if they do not drink any, your reptile will be afflicted by prolonged dehydration.
How Do You Know If A Bearded Dragon Is Dehydrated?
Dehydration is serious.
Although these animals come from Australia, they still want water to stay healthy in their lives. When they lack water, it impacts them. You would not have trouble telling if they are dehydrated.
Look for these signs:
- Wrinkled Skin
- Sunken Eyes
- Lethargy
- Lack Of Appetite
- Loose Skin Test
Look for variations in these regions with your pet, and you will be able to inform if the pet is dehydrated.
Loose Skin Test
If you begin to see the above signs, you may need to try the loose skin trick as the very last test of dehydration.
How To Do The Loose Skin Test
- Hold your bearded dragon firmly in a single hand.
- Take fingers and lightly pinch/pull the skin on its back or side.
- Release the skin.
- Observe how fast the skin returns to normal.
Fast = hydrated, slow = dehydrated.
When your bearded dragon is properly hydrated, its skin is elastic and “springy.” In different words, the skin bounces right again into the vicinity when pulled on.
As more and more dehydration sets in, the skin starts to dangle loosely on the reptile’s body.
The slower the skin is going back to normal.
Bearded Dragon Eye Problems
Shedding
Causes
Bearded dragons will bulge their eyes to loosen the skin for a less complicated shedding process.
Symptoms
The eyes will seem large and as if they’re coming out of your dragon’s head. They may also appear swollen or excessively large.
Treatment
This is a natural process, and there may be no remedy necessary. If your beardie appears to have a tough time shedding, be sure to test the humidity ranges and preserve a warm compress over the eyes to put off extra skin.
Prevention
Since bearded dragons obviously bulge their eyes, it’ll most likely arise no matter what. Although you aren’t capable of preventing eye-bulging, keep the tank smooth and humidity ranges between 30% and 40%.
Unhealthy Bearded Dragon Eyes
- Cloudy/filmy eyes
- Jerky/shaky behavior
- Discolored urates
- Sunken eyebrows
- Mouth constantly hanging open
- Stress marks
Final words
In conclusion, I would say that the bulging eyes of a bearded dragon are very common. The reasons listed above cause them to bulge their eyes out. When you know what the reasons are, you can easily handle the situation and let your bearded dragon live a happy life.
I hope you enjoyed the article. I will be back with more interesting and informative articles, till then stay connected. Thank you.
Frequently asked questions
Preparing to Molt. One of the greater fundamental theories concerning eye bulging is that the dragon does it to loosen the skin on the eyelids and across the eyes in guidance for shedding.
Eye Drops, Warm Baths, and Diet management can help in recovering eyes infection in bearded dragons.
Swollen/puffed-out eyes are also something to look at. They may be signs that your pet is shedding or that she or he is affected by an overdose of vitamin A, parasites, or an eye infection.
Dark markings, oval shapes, or darkish strains similar to tiger stripes on a bearded dragon’s stomach are a positive indication of stress. Sometimes they may be on the dragon’s chin and limbs as well. These stress marks are common to newly acquired bearded dragons who might be still adjusting to their new surroundings.