Bearded dragons have seen a rapid increase in their popularity in recent years and they are now the most commonly kept reptile in the world and their popularity just keeps on increasing.
With bearded dragons being such a popular pet option within the reptile keeping community, we have noticed a spike in the number of people reaching out with various reptile related questions recently.
These questions do cover a wide rage of different topics but one thing that many people have specifically been asking about is if bearded dragons can burp or not.
Bearded dragons can burn for a number of different reasons and although they may naturally burp in some cases, there are some potentially serious problems that have excessive burping as a symptom.
This is why we decided to publish this article in the hope of being able to help as many of our readers as possible avoid any potential problems that they may have with their own bearded dragon that is burping.
Before we go any further though, we just want to say that many people confuse bearded dragon gagging for bearded dragon burping and they are not the same condition and often have different causes.
If you are in doubt, we would recommend that you take your pet bearded dragon for a checkup at the local vets to have them assess your pet and offer their professional opinion but our article below will offer some general advice on the topic.
Can Bearded Dragons Burp?
Bearded dragons can burp for a number of different reasons but unlike humans, it is less common for a bearded dragon to burp to release gas from digesting food and it can commonly be an indication of a problem in the animal.
That said though, there is usually no need to worry if your bearded dragon randomly starts to burp for an hour or so.
Some bearded dragons can have a finicky digestive system and eating too much of a certian food can give them burping fits that will usually natually pass within hours and not cause any long term health problems in your pet.
On top of this, you may also find that your bearded dragon may burp after drinking water and although this may be a sign of a potential issue, it can be natural as the water can fill the gap in the beardies stomach to force it to burp to release gas.
This is one of the reasons that we see so many people reaching out to ask if bearded dragons can burp or not as there are just so many different reasons that can cause a beardie to burp with some being normal and nothing to worry about with others being potential problems.
As we mentioned above, if in doubt, take your beardie for a checkup with your local vet as soon as possible.
Is It Normal For A Bearded Dragon To Burp?
It is not as normal for a bearded dragon to burp as it is for humans to burp due to the normal diet of a bearded dragon being mainly leafy greens and insects.
These food types tend to produce far less gas than the average human diet meaning that most bearded dragons will usually burp far less frequently than a human.
That said though, in some situations, it can still be totally normal for a bearded dragon to burp throughout the day but it is rare.
You will know your bearded dragon better than anyone, especially if you have been keeping it as a pet for a couple of months so you will be in the best possition to workout if its burping is normal or irregular.
Why Do Bearded Dragons Burp?
As we touched on earlier in the article, it is actually less common for a bearded dragon to burp due to the digestion of normal, suitable food in their diet and the four most common causes of a bearded dragon are usually an indication of a problem.
These are the most common reasons that your pet bearded dragon may be burping:-
- Drinking Too Much Water
- Respiratory Infection
- Unsuitable Diet
- Health Issues
Drinking Too Much Water
One of the most common mistakes that we see people new to keeping a pet bearded dragon make time and time again is that they will give their bearded dragon far too much water.
We have an article going over bearded dragons drinking too much water as well as bearded dragons choking on water (a symptom of drinking too much water) but burping is also a common symptom too.
Other symptoms of your pet bearded dragon being over hydrated include the bearded dragon drooling or the bearded dragon blowing bubbles but there are some other potential causes of this too.
Bearded dragons can take a surprisingly large amount of food in via the goods in their diet with grapes and cucumber being the most common food based water sources.
This means that your bearded dragon may end up being over-hydrated and burping but this is an easy fix and slightly lowering the water in take of your beardie will usually fix this.
We would recommend that you get confirmation from your vet on this being the cause of the issue if possible though as tweaking the water intake of your pet is a serious step.
Respiratory Infection
Respiratory infections in bearded dragons are far more common than most people think and they will usually require a trip to the vets for a check up and some medication to treat the condition quickly.
In addition to excessive burping, other symptoms of your pet bearded dragon burping include the bearded dragon sneezing and your bearded dragon breathing heavily.
You will almost always require medication from a vet to help your pet beardie get over a respiratory infection so if you do think that this is the reason that your bearded dragon is burping so much then there is no time to waste.
These infections can develop quickly and end up being fatal so the sooner you get the correct medication for your bearded dragon, the higher its chances of survival are.
Unsuitable Diet
Many people make easy to avoid mistakes with their pet bearded dragon when they first add their beardie to their family.
These mistakes are usually based around overfeeding their beardie or feeding them unsuitable foods that really should be avoided.
Both of these can result in excess gas being produced during the digestive process causing your pet bearded dragon to burp excessively.
Although there really are a huge number of different ways to feed your pet bearded dragon, we really would recommend that you check out our article going over the bearded dragon salad method if possible.
It is becoming a more popular way to feed bearded dragons that can help to avoid issues with overfeeding and accidentally adding unsuitable foods into their diet that can cause burping so we highly recommend the method.
Health Issues
There are a number of health issues ranging from infections to tumors that can also cause your bearded dragon to burp or move and make similar sounds to burping.
These can be difficult to diagnose yourself but can sometimes end up being fatal if not treat quickly so we would recommend that you take your bearded dragon for a check up with the vets if you suspect that any of these could be the potential problem.
Some of these health issues can be a quick and easy fix where as others may need an operation or medication but until you have your beardie checked out, you just won’t know.
How Can I Stop My Bearded Dragon Burping?
Depending on the reason that your bearded dragon is burping, you may be able to quickly and easily stop your pet from burping with some simple steps but it is usually far more difficult than most people think to actually diagnose the problem correctly.
This is why we have mentioned taking your beardie to see a vet so much above as it is usually the safest, quickest, and easiest way to correctly confirm the problem with your pet beardie.
Once you know the problem, it can be as easy to fix as removing a certain food from the diet of your bearded dragon or giving it some medication for a week or so then the burping can stop.
