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Bearded Dragon Care

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Diet, Food and Nutrition

Bearded Dragon Care

Behaviors

Do Bearded Dragons Bite?

Yes bearded dragons can bite. A bite can break the skin and cause bruising. But your bearded dragon will usually let you know it isn’t happy before it bites you by hissing, puffing, displaying its beard or even trying to run away before resorting to biting.

If you see signs that your beardie isn’t comfortable and is giving the impression it may bite, leave it to calm down first. Consider how to refocus its attention before touching it. There are some tips for helping your bearded dragon to become more friendly in the article on how to tame a bearded dragon.

If you do ever get bitten by your Bearded Dragon, go to your doctor even if the wound is minor. Any broken skin no matter how small from an animal bite should receive medical attention immediately.

Health

When you should see a vet avianexoticsvet

Bearded Dragon Pet Insurance [3 Reasons & 7 Must Haves]

Pet insurance is a challenging subject for many pet owners and for reptile owners it can be much harder to find insurance. Some treatments can be expensive and surgery can go into the thousands. Sometimes this leads to heartbreaking decisions with your pets life. As with any pets, bearded dragon pet insurance requires considering many what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

When you first take your new pet home, reptile pet insurance can feel like one more thing on a long list of new expenses (list of bearded dragon costs). Your pet has many immediate needs, and it’s easy to put off concerns about the future when your bearded dragon is young and healthy.

This is an unfortunately common mistake, because it is as at this young age when things can go very wrong. To get the best out of pet insurance it is essential to invest in before your pet needs it.

More and more people are opting into pet insurance. The number of insured pets has more than doubled in the United States since 2008 (Walker, 2016).

This growth is partially due to the availability of affordable non-traditional options available in pet insurance. With these options on the market that have no restrictions on pre-existing conditions, it’s a great time to consider, or reconsider, if bearded dragon pet insurance is right for you.

3 Reasons to Buy Reptile Pet Insurance

There are 3 main reasons to buy bearded dragon pet insurance (and other reptiles or pets):

1. The savings can be in the thousands in money.

Investing in pet insurance can sometimes seem counter-intuitive. While in other cases, like car insurance, the vehicle itself costs significantly more than the insurance, buying a pet can be relatively cheap. And of course, it’s impossible to put a price on your beloved pet’s life!

The medical bills, however, tell a different story. When a pet becomes seriously ill or injured, the costs can quickly rise into the thousands of dollars.

In the case of most traditional insurance, all expenses over the deductible can be paid up to 90% (Walker, 2016) and with a service like Pet Assure, the entire bill can be reduced by 25%. Those are big savings!

2. It’s an investment in your peace of mind not just for routine events but also if the worst happens.

It’s unrealistic to only think of insurance as something you’ll need in a worst-case scenario. The truth is that your money is also buying freedom from years of stress, worrying about things that could go wrong.

In addition to the many injuries and illnesses that all animals can get, you are inevitably going to find yourself worrying about disorders specific to reptiles and bearded dragons, such as coccidia and egg binding.

When you invest in pet insurance, you’re buying yourself the ability to say “Relax. If anything goes wrong, we have medical coverage to take care of it.”

3. 100, 500, 1000… ‘economic euthanasia’.

100, 500, 1000…in an emergency medical bills add up so quickly. It’s never something we plan, but it happens. The sad truth is that many of our pets need emergency care in their life time and that hits our wallets.

When the bills add up many of us are faced with making choices that we don’t want to face. Economic euthanasia ( (Kipperman, 2010) is the term for when a family has no choice but to put down their pet, because they can’t afford the medical treatment.

This is a tragic situation, and actually shows how important your bearded dragon pet insurance can be for tight budgets. Will it hurt your family if you are hit with a $2,000 or $5,000 medical bill in an emergency? Compare the cost of reptile pet insurance against what can go wrong and speak with your vet to decide if it is right for you.

7 Bearded Dragon Pet Insurance Must Haves

When you first start looking for options to buy reptile pet insurance, the wide range of coverage plans can seem daunting. Fortunately, there are a number of essentials that can help you narrow down the field.

1. First, make sure that the insurance covers reptiles. Unfortunately, many pet insurance companies only cover cats and dogs. Insurance for reptilian pets will often be listed in a category of “other” or “exotic” pets.

2. Compare the deductible against the rate of coverage and monthly cost. Many plans set the annual deductible so high that only emergencies qualify! This arguably makes deductibles the most important consideration.

3. Consider the annual maximum coverage (if any). While it can be painful to consider the possibilities, making an informed choice in terms of worst-case scenarios is absolutely essential.

4. Will the insurance cover pre-existing conditions? If a condition being treated is found to be pre-existing, some insurance companies may reject your claim, right when you need the money. Check the insurance covers pre-existing conditions.

5. Check for the exclusions. Ensure the policy doesn’t exclude the very things you need.

6. Short or nil waiting period.

7. Check if the plan covers death or theft. Though some plans exclusively cover medical costs, it could be some small relief to receive some financial support if you lose your pet.

Some home and content insurance policies also cover some pet illnesses and injuries. Check your current policies to see if you are eligible. Chances are it will only extend to cats and dogs, but worth checking.

www.petassure.com

Pet Assure provide insurance for bearded dragons and other reptiles in 50 states of USA, Puerto Rico and Canada. Bearded Dragons World is an affiliate of Pet Assure. It doesn’t cost you more and it does help keep this site running. Thank you for your support.

Conclusion

For some new bearded dragon owners, buying reptile pet insurance may be the last thing on your list. It’s difficult to think about your bearded dragon becoming ill, and of course it’s hard to predict if you’ll need the coverage for emergencies. However, there is are the routine medical costs as well that some insurance companies cover which can make the decision to take out pet insurance much more economical.

Insurance is not only an important investment in your pet’s future – it’s an investment in your own peace of mind. Speak with your vet to come up with the best solution for you and your pets.

Have you considered taking out bearded dragon pet insurance? Let us know in the comments below!

Fecal samples for parasite testing

As more and more online services become available, vets have competition for parasite testing. While this does appear to be quite attractive, it is not necessarily effective and could lead to incorrect results.

Tests are best performed on stools less than 24 hours old to minimize development or destruction of parasites which will inhibit testing. Samples kept between 4 to 8°c will reduce the development or destruction of some parasites, however others, i.e., flagellates are best kept alive at room temperature.

A teaspoon sized sample is sufficient from two or more stools as evidence of parasites can be intermittently shed and may not be apparent in a single stool. Seal the sample in a zip lock bag or sample. If obtaining a sample is not possible prior to visiting the vets, the vets will be able to extract a sample.

References

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