Fatty Liver Disease in Bearded Dragons

Bearded Dragons are eating machines, to put it lightly. Everyone wants to give their pet the best care possible, so you read all the books you can, buy the biggest cage that you can afford, provide UVB lighting and keep the cage at the correct temperature. You then feed your Bearded Dragon all the correct food,but wait, your Bearded Dragon really loves the food you give him or her, they eat all the giant mealworms you bought in three days, you feed them twenty crickets a day just like the guy on the reptile forum told you and you feed your adult Bearded Dragon five times a week like the book told you ( adult Bearded Dragons should be fed twice a week). Now your Bearded Dragon looks really fat and won’t eat. Your Dragon doesn’t run around the cage like he used to, he just lies in a corner. Chances are that your Bearded Dragon has fatty liver disease a serious condition that is fatal if not treated. Should this happen, take your Bearded Dragon to a reptile vet ASAP. The vet will assess your Dragon, the sooner you take your Bearded Dragon to the vet the better chances it will survive. Treatment will include force feeding and putting your Dragon on a diet until it reaches the correct weight. I have found that giving your Bearded Dragon electrolytes also works. Please note: only give your Dragon electrolytes specially designed for reptiles. The correct weight for an adult Bearded Dragon is 500 grams.