Over the last two years bearded dragons have managed to surge in their popularity and push from being the third most commonly kept pet reptile to the most commonly kept reptile overtaking both leopard geckos and corn snakes with ease.
With bearded dragons being such a common option for pets right now, the number of questions that we have seen people asking relating to caring for their bearded dragons are also increasing with a number of people asking about caring for a bearded dragon with a broken jaw.
Thankfully it is rare that a bearded dragon will break its jaw and in many cases, it is relatively easy to fix but the problem is getting your bearded dragon to eat while its jaw heals.
You should always be getting assistance from a veterinarian if your bearded dragon does have a broken jaw due to the various complications and potential problems that can occur.
Although there is no public data available about the fatality rates for bearded dragons with broken jaws, we have seen people report on social media that the main issue was starvation and dehydration rather than the break itself.
You can book a video call with a veterinarian to get professional advice on the specific situation to your bearded dragon and some of them will be able to provide you with specialist syringes to give your bearded dragon food and water while it recovers.
Can a Bearded Dragon Break Its Jaw?
Bearded dragons can break their jaw and although it is thankfully a rare injury, it does happen.
This is often due to the bearded dragon having a lack of calcium in its diet causing problems with bone strength but it also often includes the bearded dragon falling off its branches and taking a hit to the jaw when it lands.
We are big believers in prevention being better than cure to taking steps to try and reduce the chances of both of these happening can be a quick and easy fix if you keep multiple bearded dragons to prevent your other pets breaking their jaw.
As we covered in our article on why bearded dragons walk on their wrists, there really is a large amount of pet bearded dragons with a calcium deficiency that causes a wide range of problems.
Thankfully though, you are able to supplement your pet bearded dragons diet with calcium with ease by adding a reptile calcium suppliment to their diet with this being a surprisingly effective way to top up the calcium intake of your bearded dragon without breaking the bank.
Thankfully, calcium supplements for reptiles are very budget friendly and easy to use with some people supplementing their bearded dragon’s diet with calcium as a part of the recovery process.
How Do You Help A Bearded Dragon With A Broken Jaw?
The best way to help a bearded dragon with a broken jaw is to get some input from a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis of a broken jaw.
Sometimes bearded dragons have issues with swelling for a number of reasons that may look like their jaw is broken in bad cases if the swelling is on their heads.
If you do get professional advice form a veterinarian and they confirm that the jaw of your pet bearded dragon is broken then they will also offer their advice on how to move forward.
There are a range of options available but as we touched on back at the start of the article, the main problem with a broken jaw on any animal is their lack of ability to eat causing issues with starvation and dehydration.
No matter the treatment that your vet recommends to treat the broken jaw in your bearded dragon, be sure that they factor in the potential problems with your bearded dragon being able to take on food and water.
You will usually find that your vet will have some type of syringe available to help you get food and water into your bearded dragon but if that doesn’t work then they may request that you leave your bearded dragon in their care for a drip to tube feeding system to be used until your bearded dragon is feeling better.
Should You Be Worried If Your Bearded Dragon Has A Broken Jaw?
A bearded dragon suffering from a broken jaw is reason to worry as the injury can end up getting worse resulting in serious issues if left untreated.
You then have to factor in that it is unlikely that your bearded dragon will continue to eat and drink correctly with the injury due to it either being too painful for them or being unable to move their jaw due to the break.
The less food and water your bearded dragon consumes the weaker it will be increasing the chances of other secondary issues taking hold of your pet too.
These secondary issues can take hold and start to compound on your pet bearded dragon with its health being able to take a bad turn and potentially result in a fatality.
You also have to factor in the potential pain that your bearded dragon is in if it does actually have a bearded dragon and it is not just a swelling issue.
This is why this really is one of those problems that you need to get in touch with a vet with to get a professional diagnosis and treatment option.
Most pet insurance policies will be able to cover at least part of the costs of the vet fees but the chances of your bearded dragon being able to pull through without professional-level treatment is minimal unfortunately.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over what to do if your pet bearded dragon has a broken jaw to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you understand the severity of the situation as we have seen some posts on social media suggesting that a broken jaw on a bearded dragon is not a serious problem but it really is and needs veterinarian attention. As we mentioned a couple of times in the article though, some bearded dragons can have issues with swelling, especially when shedding and this can make it look like they have a broken jaw when in fact is it just swelling due to an infection on their skin that is much easier to treat.
