Sessions

Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are commonly kept reptiles in Hungary and worldwide, and they can live up to 10 years, or even longer, in captivity. However, this lifespan can be easily reduced to a fraction of that due to illnesses caused by suboptimal husbandry and/or nutrition. Examples include metabolic bone disease, kidney disease, and obesity. These conditions are often caused by owners who lack adequate information.

The aim of my research was to assess captive bearded dragon husbandry conditions in Hungary. I shared a 36-question survey in two Facebook groups. One group had 3,500 members (exclusively bearded dragon owners), while the other, more general group had 19,600 members. The questions addressed information about the owners, husbandry practices, nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplementation, and diseases that had occurred. The survey was open from October 2025 until March 2026, and was completed by 250 owners. Most respondents acquired their animals from breeders (45.6%, n=114) or pet stores (40.8%, n=102). In terms of husbandry practices (UVB lamp, substrate, terrarium size), overall, the majority of owners provide an appropriate habitat for their animals. The diet of an adult bearded dragon should primarily consist of greens (70–80%), and it should be fed only 2–4 times per week. In contrast, 44.4% of respondents (n=111) feed their bearded dragons a higher proportion of animal-based diet than plant-based diet. In addition, 41.2% of them (n=103) provide animal-based feed 5 or more days per week, while an even higher proportion (54.8%, n=137) provide plant material the same number of days. A history of illnesses was reported in 22.4% of the animals (n=56). Gastrointestinal diseases were the most common, accounting for 30.4% of cases (n=17), followed by metabolic bone disease (n=8, 14.3%). Based on the risk factor analysis, there was no significant association between housing and feeding conditions and the occurrence of diseases. There was a weak but significantly positive correlation between respondents’ self-assessment and the adequacy of housing and feeding conditions.

The role of veterinarians as reliable sources of information should be emphasised in the prevention of diseases caused by husbandry and nutrition deficiencies. In this regard, owners should be made aware of the appropriate ratio of animal to plant feed, as well as the importance of incorporating fasting days.