Understanding Bearded Dragon Impaction

The lizards under the genus Pogona are commonly known as Bearded Dragons or “Beardies.” These gentle creatures are so named because of the spiky projections (also called guttural pouch) found on the underside of their neck and chin. They are semi-arboreal as juveniles, meaning that they spend some, but not all of their time living in trees or bushes off the ground. As adults, however, they are mostly terrestrial, although they may sometimes climb on rocks and tree branches to search for prey.

Bearded dragons are generally strong reptiles, although they may become vulnerable in captivity. When these lizards are kept as pets, they completely depend upon their owners for appropriate dwelling, heat, lighting, and food. If you allow a bearded dragon to eat hard-to-digest substances, expose it to cold temperatures, and permit it to live in dangerous substrates, they may suffer from various health conditions that may result in death.

Bearded dragon impaction is perhaps the most common illness that affects the Pogona species. The causes, treatment, and prevention of impaction in captive Beardies are surrounded with a lot of views and opinions by passionate reptile keepers, leaving most starters confused as to what impaction really is and how to care for a Beardie who’s suffering from one.

Simply defined, bearded dragon impaction is a condition in which the gut or intestines become obstructed due to the accumulation of solid, hard-to-digest substances in the digestive tract. Oversized food, substrates, and foreign debris are the most common culprits. The truth is, reptiles do ingest substrates occasionally while acquiring food. In their natural habitat, this likelihood of ingestion is minimal and usually does not lead to serious impaction. When bearded dragons are found in captivity, however, secondary conditions such as improper diet, temperature, and environment usually lead to severe impaction.

To understand bearded dragon impaction in captive animals, one must at least have a background on reptile physiology, ecology, behavior, husbandry practices, and causes of substrate ingestion.

In the wild, animals, including reptiles, experience fluctuations in resource availability. When seasons change, for instance, the availability of food usually changes and temperatures change. In order to deal with shortages and abundances of food, many animals display some natural behaviors that enable them to adapt to such changes.

Many different kinds of animals, including a large number of reptile species, will ingest dirt, rocks, and just about any other kind of foreign debris as a behavioral response to nutritional deficiencies in the diet. This behavior is referred to as geophagy. If a reptile is not receiving the right nutrition, it may resort to eating “substrates” in an effort to obtain the needed nutrients that are lacking in the diet. Just as humans know when they are thirsty, experts believe that animals also do “know” when they need additional nutrients in their diet. In short, bearded dragons that eat excessive substrates are not receiving enough nutrients or are not being kept at the proper temperatures.

A reptile’s body is dependent on many environmental factors that need to be taken care of in captivity. Bearded dragons, for example, require certain temperatures for digestion. In addition, they require sufficient exposure to UVB for Vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium absorption. When metabolism and digestion become compromised due to poor temperature regulation, bearded dragon impaction may result. In addition, if the diet offered is deficient in essential nutrients, Beardies may attempt to get these resources from inanimate, inedible objects in their environment.

While it’s true that oversized food, substrates, and other debris are what cause impaction in bearded dragons, it’s important to understand that they are just a result of a much deeper cause. To prevent the development of bearded dragon impaction, be sure to keep your Beardie well nourished, and well cared for. Bearded dragons that are provided with the right food, temperature gradients, UVB lighting, and overall environment should not experience such potentially life-threatening condition.