Wrinkled skin in bearded dragons can be alarming. Bearded dragon wrinkled skin tells about their health, especially if they were absolutely fine and active, but suddenly you notice the skin and observe something wrong with it. Several factors can cause wrinkled skin. And the main factor that is very common in every lizard is dehydration.
Further factors of wrinkles in bearded dragons will be discussed in detail, which will help you know the actual reason.
Causes of bearded dragon wrinkled skin
- Dehydration
- Weight loss
- Parasites in skin
- Weather
- Skin shedding
- Respiratory infection
- Severe internal health issue
1. Dehydration
One of the most common and major causes of bearded dragon wrinkled skin is lack of water in the body which is called dehydration. Dehydration in bearded dragons can occur due to so many reasons. They can have sunken eyes and dry skin from dehydration.
We can check the skin to see if they are suffering from dehydration or not. If we gently pinch the skin and the skin does not go down back, then it’s a sign of dehydration.
By checking bearded dragon poop, we can determine whether it is dehydrated. If the poop is so hard and the color is black, then it’s 100 % dehydration, but we can treat it easily.
We can hydrate them by using green veggies and intake of water.
We know that bearded dragons can absorb water through the skin, so giving them baths daily helps them maintain the water level in their body.
Using a syringe, they can drink water with your own hands, and you can monitor how much they drink.
After a day or two, bearded dragon skin will be normal.
2. Weight loss
Bearded dragons’ wrinkled skin can be due to weight loss. If a beardie is not eating food and has problems with their diet, it badly affects the skin. It can lead to weakness in their body.
They need an adequate amount of food to survive, so by giving them supplements for a few days to recover quickly, they can easily get rid of wrinkled skin.
Another thing is that every pet owner wants to see their pets healthy, active, and energetic, so it’s necessary to maintain the weight of a bearded dragon according to his age.
If they are not eating, there can be another health problem, and you need to talk with a vet.
3. Parasites in the skin
Parasites and other organisms can damage the skin of bearded dragons, which looks like wrinkles. Even this can cause skin diseases, so if you see something harsh on the skin, there’s something wrong with it.
We must take care of our pets and prevent them from these organisms because these parasites start living and eating using bearded dragon body, which can cause severe skin disease.
If they are not visible to us, we can take help from the vet. They can identify them using a Microscope and prescribe the proper treatment to get rid of them.
4. Weather
Weather can also impact the skin. Like humans, bearded dragons can easily be affected by cold and dry weather. If you are a new beardie pet owner and the weather is cold, then the cause of wrinkled skin in the bearded dragon is inappropriate temperature.
It’s a normal thing for them. We can treat them by providing moisture, water, and heat.
5. Skin shedding
In this process, every bearded dragon removes the old skin completely and replaces it with new skin. The time duration of shedding depends on the age of the bearded dragon. In skin shedding, the bearded dragon suffers from wrinkled skin, but you should not try to peel it off because it can badly damage the skin. It’s a natural process, and the bearded dragon can deal with it effectively.
6. Respiratory infection
You may wonder if wrinkled skin can be due to respiratory infection. If you observe the lower neck is wrinkled, then it’s a respiratory infection. You may see a discharge from its mouth, eyes, or nose. Bearded dragons find breathing difficult, and it’s a sign they are suffering from a respiratory infection and need immediate treatment.
7. Severe internal health issue
If bearded dragons lose their appetite, become lethargic, and have wrinkled skin, they suffer from severe internal health problems. Sometimes actual diseases are hidden from us, and we take for granted any health issue. Wrinkled skin can cause internal health issues that are not visible to us. We cannot identify it at home. We need a vet who can examine internally and find the root cause.
Bearded dragon skin diseases
Other skin diseases in bearded dragons are mouth rot, tail rot, fat pads, skin burn, and yellow fungus.
- mouth rot
In mouth rot, the mouth’s inner area is inflamed, which can occur due to viral or bacterial infection.
This inflation can affect the outer side of the mouth and cause skin discoloration.
2. Tail rot
Like mouth rot in tail rot, there is a danger of losing the tail, but the most common reason for tail rot is husbandry conditions.
If tail rot is not treated immediately, it can spread all over the body.
3. Fat pads
Fat pads in bearded dragons store extra fats that will be used when they are in brumation. If you want to know more about fats pads, please click here.
4. Skin burn
We know very well bearded dragon loves basking. But extra consumption of heat leads to skin burn. We should set the temperature of the heat lamp so that it will not burn the skin. an appropriate amount of heat is necessary for bearded dragons because if they get too cold it can create severe health issues for them. if you want to know more click here what happened if a bearded dragon gets too cold.
5. Yellow fungus
It’s a deep internal skin disease which is called fungal infection of the skin.
The color of the skin changed and turned yellow. This infection needed proper care and antifungal drugs.
How to deal
To prevent wrinkled skin is to maintain hygiene, temperature, and water level in the body. We should perform a complete checkup every six months by a vet, including an x-ray and blood test. By doing these measurements, we can save our bearded dragon from any disease. I hope it helps you a lot. If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to comment.