Are Bearded Dragons In Pain When They Shed?

Before delving into whether bearded dragons feel pain or not when they shed, it is important to know the meaning of shedding. Shedding is the process of getting rid of old skin and giving way to the newly formed skin underneath the old one that has been worn out. The wearing away of the old skin can either be due to injury or age or other normal physiological factors. This process of skin replacement is basically just found in reptiles. In other animals, there are substances in the skin that enable them to grow with their skin. In most species, their skin is elastic and has a generous blood supply from blood vessels. This kind of skin they possess enables them to not only grow with their skin but also heal themselves when they have an injury. This quality of the skin is what gives these animals the soft feel of skin. 

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On the other hand, when it comes to reptiles, this characteristic of skin is different. They possess substances that make their skin really hard. Imagine a very hard material being stretched. Too hard to imagine because it is not possible. Even if it is attempted, the hard material will be destroyed. This is the case of reptiles because their skin is hard and rigid; because of this, it cannot be elastic or even grow with them. This is why they have to undergo this process of shedding, and this is known as ecdysis. This process helps them get rid of injuries and old skin, or just to help them maintain a clean appearance. As a reptile, bearded dragons also undergo this phenomenon. In their case, they have keratin in their skin that gives their skin a hard feeling. It also gives the spines on their backs a hard feeling. Due to this hardness, they have to shed their skin too. This process can be a very exhausting process, even if it is a natural phenomenon. This is why sometimes, during the shedding process, they are very irritable and short-tempered. If you can imagine pulling your skin with your teeth, the imagination is enough to cause goosebumps to rise on your arms. This is why a bearded dragon might be irritable and sometimes lose its appetite when shedding. Usually, the only reaction it can cause in the bearded dragon is lethargy and irritation. However, when the process is intruded upon, helping it peel off the old, it can cause pain. The pain caused by helping the bearded dragon peel off its skin is caused by injuries that can be caused by forcefully peeling the skin. To give the long-awaited answer to “do bearded dragons feel pain when they shed?”. It can be said that they don’t feel pain when they shed, but they can feel intense pain when the process is assisted inappropriately.

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Do Reptiles Feel Pain?

Pain reception is the ability to understand or perceive discomforting or painful signals. As said earlier, when we are inflicted with burns or severe hotness as humans, we feel pain. This pain we feel is because of the pain receptors close to the surface of the skin. The receptors that receive these pain signals are known as nociceptors. They send pain perception to the brain for interpretation. As previously said, reptile skin is far different from the skin of mammals. Their skin has scales, and sometimes even without the scales, it is hard. This implies the physiologic makeup of these reptiles’ skin is far different from that of mammals. They do not have specialized receptors in their body composition as mammals do. This is why for many years, it has been said that reptiles do not feel pain because of their difference in body composition and their barely developed cerebral cortex. However, more studies have been made recently, and it has been seen that reptiles may not have the sensory receptors, but they have the pain neurotransmitters and anatomy. 

An inquiry into the physiology of pain in reptiles not just covers the physiological aspect but also the behavioural aspect. Even if there have been controversies on the matter of pain reception by reptiles, the behavioural traits can be enough evidence to prove that they perceive pain. Using the key study of dogs and other mammals, when they feel pain, they make sounds or even give facial expressions to express their discomfort. Reptiles, on the other hand, have tight skin, which limits them from making facial expressions; because of this, it cannot be known when a reptile is in pain by looking at its face. Also, reptiles don’t make sounds when they feel pain or discomfort, so this is not a yardstick to look out for when observing if the reptile is in pain. Even if the aforementioned cannot be a yardstick, there are specifics to look out for when checking for pain. The reptile exhibits lethargy, loss of appetite, isolation, and a host of other things. These behaviours are behaviours associated with pain. Hence, it is safe to say that reptiles feel pain.

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What Can I Give My Bearded Dragon For Pain?

Since bearded dragons exhibit behaviours that suggest that they are in pain, many owners try to look for a solution to end their misery. In the world today, only a few scientists have come to terms with the idea that bearded dragons can perceive pain. Most still have the idea that bearded dragons, like reptiles, do not have feelings or cannot even perceive pain—the excuse of bearded dragons lacking a well-developed cerebral cortex surface whenever questions on pain are brought up. 

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Vets are not even advised to use local and general anaesthesia on reptiles when performing surgery. This attitude all sums up to the human perception of reptiles as cold-blooded animals that cannot feel, think or do anything except causing harm and eating food. Due to this lapse and ignorance, the research done into drug making for bearded dragons is almost nonexistent. However, in the past years, as bearded dragons became a popular pet for pet owners, there has been a rise in the number of inquiries around pain killers for bearded dragons. As there are no known drugs tested on reptiles to alleviate pain, the drugs recommended are either over-the-counter drugs or drugs used to treat other animals. Drugs for treating other domestic animals {mammals), like cats and dogs, are mostly used for alleviating pain in bearded dragons. If the bearded dragon has a broken leg, calcium supplements can be given to the bearded dragon to rejuvenate its bones. The thing to be done in a bearded dragon with a broken leg is not only to give it calcium supplements; the pain needs to be alleviated. In some cases, to alleviate pain, pain-relieving drugs like; meloxicam is given in 0.2mg/kg. This implies that the dosage of the drug is dependent on the weight of the bearded dragon; the bigger the bearded dragon, the higher the dosage. 

Meloxicam can be given intramuscularly or orally. There is absolutely no evidence of its potency when administered intramuscularly, but there is a significant change when administered orally. Prednisone can also be administered to bearded dragons going through serious pain. Opioids are also used in other mammals as pain killers. A good example of an opioid is tramadol, and this drug is administered within the range of five to ten milligrams per kilogram of the bearded dragon. The number of times to be taken in a day should be asked of the veterinary doctor to avoid giving the bearded dragon excess dosage. Excess dosage of tramadol can cause the bearded dragon to be unnecessarily and overly active throughout the day and night. Pain is most times accompanied by inflammation. If the inflammation is not handled accordingly, it can cause even more pain after painkillers have already been administered. This is why the use of anti-inflammatory drugs is advised when treating pain. 

The known anti-inflammatory drugs used by vets are the usual ones used in the treatment of inflammation in mammals. Drugs like serrapeptase, gotten from silkworms, are used to reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain in mammals. This drug is also used to reduce inflammation in bearded dragons at dosages prescribed by a vet doctor. In surgery, anaesthesia should be followed duly to avoid making the bearded dragon go through so much pain. All these drugs should not be taken without advice from a vet doctor.

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Do Bearded Dragons Recognise Their Owners 

Animals might not have the intellectual capacity of humans, but they can feel attachment for the person that cares for them. In dogs, when their caregiver returns home from a long day at work or just returns after being away for a short time, they wag their tails in the form of welcoming. Some go as far as licking their owner to express happiness. This behaviour is not peculiar only to dogs, cats, and other mammals exhibit this behaviour. Even humans with higher intellectual capacity exhibit this behaviour because we show excitement in various ways when our loved ones return home. 

Reptiles, on the other hand, are solitary creatures who like their alone time. They hate being disturbed when they are simply exploring, having a nap, or simply just basking. This behaviour is peculiar to all reptiles. This is why they are not handled all the time by their owners. On the issue of recognition, many have said that because of their underdeveloped cerebral cortex, they are not able to recognise their owners. This might just be speculation by a school of thought because, on the contrary, bearded dragons can recognise their owners. They might not be able to know their owner by face because their evolution did not cater to that. However, they can perceive when their owner is nearby. Their perception of smell is high, and this enables them to be able to mark their owner by the type of smell they have. Also, they have highly-specialized thermal receptors that help them recognise body heat. All these sensations put together help them recognise the touch of their owner over the touch of a stranger. Even if it is not feasible for a bearded dragon to run out of its tank to hug and lick you, to show how happy it is, in its tank, it might show some signs of excitement. This excitement is because of the familiarity your presence brings to it. So the answer is yes, they recognise their owners even though they might not recognise them by face or name. 

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Conclusion

Response to pain varies from person to person. One person might thrive through the pain with teary eyes, and another might thrive through that same pain with dry eyes. This does not mean that the person with dry eyes is not passing through pain. The difference is the mechanism of response to the pain. This applies to animals, too; most mammals show pain by squeals, squeaks, or even grunts. Some show their pain through facial expressions. In these kinds of animals, it is easy to know that they are in pain or they are fine. However, reptiles are different because they have evolved to the point of not being able to show their pain through their facial expressions. They do not have eyelids, so the pain cannot be seen from repeatedly blinking their eyelids either. Bearded dragon as a reptile exhibits this kind of characteristics too. When it is in pain, it is immobile, in isolation, irritable, and experiences lethargy. It is often mistaken for the bearded dragon acquainting itself to the environment or being stressed. This is why it is important to observe your bearded dragon closely because the behaviour it exhibits when it is in pain is almost similar to its regular behaviour.