Black spots on Beardie?

Question

Two year old male Inland Australian Bearded Dragon. He's got little black spots (seems indivual scales are colouring) on the side of his head, between the eye and mouthline, and under his back legs.
it seems to run in a line. he is also got dull scales on his nose and lower jaw. almost like its unshed skin that doesnt come loose.
is this just part of normal colouring, or is it some kind of parasitic infection that i should worry about.
if so, what course should i take from here?

Answer 1

I don't think it anything to worry about especially since it's a male and it's this time of year (mating). his hormones are wild right now. parasites usually get under the scale and will irritate the skin and the beardie will act accordingly. if you are still concerned calm your fears and take him to the vet and get a wellness checkup it can't hurt. also take a picture of your setup (living area etc.) and write down any questions you can think of. let him know your setup temps humidity etc. and see if he can help you to improve in any way. I will bet your beardie is fine. to remove unshed skin around his toes etc. use a warm wet washcloth. along with a bath to loosen the unshed scales. you can remove unshed skin around the toes and under the neck area but avoid areas that should come off by itself easily. sometimes skin will look as if it should come right off but its still attached in one small area you peel it off premature and it can cause sores or infections. remember to keep his humidity between 20 and 30 percent this will help with shedding. here is a basic care sheet. I like it because the pictures of the femoral pores are large and easy to see.

Answer 2

Beardie's can change the coloring of their scales depending on temp, light exposure, and mood... so it doesn't sound like a parasite, external parasites show up usually in an 'open sore'.

if you're really worried about parasites, take him to a vet that HAS EXPERIENCE with reptiles. you can also take a fresh stool in for a fecal exam, that will let you know if he has parasites.

How long has it been since you have changed your uvb bulb? if the color is changed and staying that way your bulb might be 'burnt out'. they should be changed every year because the UVB does wear down and eventually stops emitting.

un-shedded skin looks like our peeling skin, if it's just dull in colour he might be approaching a shed, if he has shedded recently and there are pieces left you can usually remove them with tweezers, if it's not comming off easily you can soak him in warm watter for a bit then try. I usually just leave mine on, he get's it off eventually.