We have a fairly young bearded dragon that has a constant swollen pouch. It isn't the normal flairing of the beard. It feels soft to the touch and it doesn't seem to bother him if I massage it. He is eating fine; pooping, and very active. Because of this we hadn't worried too much, however it has been like this for a month now and is not getting better. Here is some background info on him:

My son purchased him from a local pet store in January; he was VERY SMALL. When he brought it home I noticed that some of its toes were deformed. At that time the pouch under his jaw was normal. We keep him in a 40 gallon tank with a basking light at one end (100 deg.) and a UVB light across the center of the tank. We just purchased a new UVB light one month ago. We use rabbit pellets as a substrate. We currently feed him medium sized crickets that have been gutloaded. I vary his veggie/fruit matter (given daily) and sprinkle it with a Calcium supplement. We keep a water dish in his cage. We also soak him in warm water once a week. He is still very small 8" snout to tail. Does anyone have an idea what could be causing this?

Would you mind posting a picture so we can see the extent of the "swelling'?

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photo of swollen pouch

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Looks like it could be a fatty deposit to me. You might want to get it checked by a vet.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Yeah, it's definiely not normal, i'd have it checked out by a vet just for peace of mind. Make sure it is an experienced reptile vet or they probably wont even know anything is wrong.

Check out Herp Vet Connection

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Those who say it can't be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.

~*~Lacey~*~

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Definate vet visit is in order, That looks painful!Good luck with that and keep us posted.