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Do Bearded Dragons Have Teeth? Everything You Need To Know
Yes, Bearded Dragons do have a lot of small teeth that are hard to see sometimes. Bearded Dragons do have a mixture of acrodont and pleurodont teeth that they use to eat a diet that consists both of insects and various vegetation.
Bearded dragons are one of the most popular reptiles that people use as a pet. They are cute and friendly lizards that can make excellent family pets for those who love reptiles.
Bearded dragons are active, curious, and interesting to watch. Often times when people consider owning a bearded as a pet, they want to know about the potential risks that can come with having this pet.
In this blog post, you will learn more about Bearded Dragons and their teeth.
Do Baby Beardies Have Teeth?
Yes, baby beardies are born with teeth. Bearded Dragons need their teeth from birth to chew up their diet of that consists of insects such as crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, and leafy plants. Their teeth when they are babies are small and quite sharp but will dull over time as the dragon grows up. This is normal as their diet will change from mostly insects to mostly vegetation.
What Kind of Teeth Do They Have?
A beardie’s teeth are mostly acrodont. In simple terms, this means that their teeth are not like people’s teeth. They don’t have roots; they are merged to the bone. Their teeth vary in size and have triangular shapes. They are smaller towards the end of the mouth and get bigger as get they get closer to the rear of their mouths.
Most of their teeth are situated at the front end of their mouth. And the other ones are part of the bone. The teeth help them to consume a variety of insects and give them good flexibility to chew different foods successfully.
How Many Teeth Do Beardies Have?
They have approximately 76 teeth in total. These teeth are a mixture of Acrodont and Pleurodont teeth which will round out the dragon’s ability to chew and eat their food. Beardies have both types of teeth on their upper and lower jaw as well as both sides of their mouth.
What Do Beardies Use Their Teeth For?
Bearded Dragons use their teeth to disable their prey, grip down onto insects and break down vegetation from the time they are born. Their teeth are incredibly important as the developing dragons will need calcium which they will get primarily from the insect prey which would be difficult if they did not have strong teeth.
You should use a calcium powder to dust your bearded dragon’s food to supplement their daily intake of calcium. This will help prevent diseases such as MBD.
Can bearded dragons chew?
Yes, beardies can chew but they don’t always. Bearded dragons use their mouth to catch insects and chomp down on them with their teeth as well as using those teeth to chew up vegetation.
Are Their Teeth Sharp?
Yes, a beardie’s teeth are sharp when they are young but over time their teeth will dull due to constantly eating. Their teeth have to be sharp from birth as they need to eat crickets, roaches, or worms to get their protein and nutrition. When they are older their food will change
How to Clean Your Bearded Dragons Teeth
Dental hygiene is a very important part of the care of any pet and bearded dragons are no different. It is crucial that you take extra special care of your dragon’s teeth to help them eat over the course of their life.
It is actually pretty simple to clean your dragon’s teeth at home with very little effort.
Check out this helpful video on how to clean your bearded dragon’s teeth:
In order to keep your Bearded Dragon’s teeth clean, you should follow a regimen of cleaning his or her teeth 2-3 times each week using a q-tip that has been dipped in water. This will not hurt your dragon and will help to keep them happy and healthy.
Your Bearded Dragon will of course experience normal wear and tear on their teeth throughout life as expected but keeping their teeth clean is still very important.
Do You Need To Brush a Bearded Dragons Teeth?
Yes, you need to brush your Bearded Dragon’s teeth in order to keep them healthy over the course of their lifetime. You should be brushing their teeth 2-3 times each week using a wet q-tip to prevent discoloration, tartar buildup, or even redness of the gums. Brushing your dragon’s teeth will also help to keep bits of food from getting stuck in their mouth.
Do Bearded Dragons Bite?
If you are wondering if beardies have teeth then you may also be wondering if they bite.
Yes, Bearded Dragons do bite. Even though they can bite, they rarely do. They are generally not aggressive and take other actions in the face of adversity or threat. They usually only bite if they are afraid, threatened or if they are hungry and see you as food.
They use their mouth and their teeth to grip their prey and to eat their food. They will only bite things that either are food or they presume as a threat such as another Bearded Dragon in the wild or in their enclosure.
In this case, the Bearded Dragon may feel threatened and may result in biting to defend themselves. Overall, bearded dragons are very friendly and are great pets to have.
Are Bearded Dragons Poisonous?
Bearded Dragons are not poisonous to humans even though it has recently been discovered that they have venom that is injected when they bite. This does not affect humans but is rather effective on their prey.
FAQs
Below is a compilation of the most common questions about Beardie Teeth:
Do Bearded Dragons Lose their Teeth?
Yes, some of a Bearded Dragon’s teeth can fall out. Their Acrodont teeth can easily be lost or even knocked out. You should always try to take the best care of your dragon’s teeth to prevent this from happening.
Can Bearded Dragons Teeth Grow Back?
No, beardies do not grow their teeth back. Their teeth are Acrodont, meaning that they are not attached by a root making them very easy to lose and as such, they do not grow back.
In Conclusion
As you can see, bearded dragons do have teeth and their teeth are triangular in shape. The teeth help them eat a variety of foods, some hard and some soft.
If you have a bearded dragon as a pet, tooth care is something you should be aware of. Make sure a licensed veterinarian performs a routine physical check to detect any problem early enough to prevent major dental problems later in your pet’s life.
