Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello all, does anyone know how to identify signs and symptoms of hyperthermia in pogona vitticeps? how long before and at what temp does irreversible damage begin?

I've never experienced that. I have read of outdoor enclosures where the dragons can dig into the ground and then survive in temps. near freezing. Generally it is thought that temps. below 60 are not good.

i think that temps above 120 start to wear on a dragon. If they are too hot they will have their mouth open to try to "loose" some heat.

temperatures around 140 are not good for proteins in general. they will begin to denature...be destroyed. humidity is a bigger problem then heat itself. for example if your room with lizards is 85 degrees and 90% humidity is far worse than 100 degrees with 50% humidity.

i think BDlvr misread and thought you were asking about hypothermia...
-----
a free range dragon is a happy dragon

You're right I did! My observations, ambients above say 95 are bad if the dragon has no place to cool off.

heat stroke (another name for hyperthermia) symptoms are listfullness, lack of coordination, labored breathing (I think), pretty much the same symptoms in any other animal. If they cannot cool off quickly, bearded dragons will die pretty quickly. Hence why it is always good to have a cool area of the tank for the dragon to get to. Prolonged exposure to temps well over 120F without having areas to go that are 90F or less, will prevent your dragon to cool their core temperatures down. Dehydration is a major problem, though really high temps will kill much faster than dehydration, pretty much cook their brains.
-----
PHLdyPayne