When to Trim or Cut My Bearded Dragon’s Nails?

If you end up with nail marks all over your arms while you're handling your bearded dragon, it is probably time to trim or cut its nails. Some people like to get their dragon's nails done at the vet as doing this yourself can be a difficult thing to do, but you can also do this at home.

Your dragon's nails have a "quick" just like cats' and dogs' nails do; you mustn't cut through this when trimming its nails, or they can hurt your dragon and bleed. If this should happen, you can dab the end in some flour to help the blood coagulate and create a clot to stop the bleeding. But this is why when you are cutting your dragon's nails, it is essential only to cut the very tip so you can avoid this happening.

Keeping your beardie's nails trimmed neatly or clipped is very important for comfortable and safe handling. Their nails grow fast, so regular clipping (once a month) is necessary to prevent scratching or them getting their nails caught on something and damaged.

Cutting the bearded dragon's nails is not always necessary, though. If your lizard's vivarium contains packed sand or slate tiles, their nails will naturally get worn, so you won't have to clip them.

You may only have to trim their nails from time to time, just to keep them even.