How Do You Know When a Bearded Dragon is Mad? (2024)

FAQs

What does a bearded dragon do when its mad? ›

Your beardie may display signs of anger if you are handling them incorrectly. Biting, hissing, or tail twitching can all indicate your beardie is trying to tell you it doesn't like being handled that way, and that you should try a different approach.

Color Changes

Beardies will often darken or turn black if threatened or upset. If your bearded dragon's coloration of skin becomes lighter, it could be due to an impending shed. They will also darken their beards while exhibiting the beard puff.

Anger, stress or anxiety

A bearded dragon may turn black to let you know he is upset. Many factors can contribute to a bearded dragon's stress—shedding; a new terrarium; frightening decor; or noise such as loud traffic, music, or a blaring TV.

Do - Be as gentle as possible with your bearded dragon. Slowly reach your hand in their terrarium and lift up on their chin. This will usually prompt them to start climbing onto your hand/arm. If they don't climb, you can slowly place your hands around them and place them on your hand.

Bearded dragons need plenty of space to move around and roam in. They do like exploring but hiding spots in their tank will also help make them feel safer. Small tanks can stunt the growth of juvenile dragons and lead to other diseases, causing stress.

When bearded dragons become very stressed, dark markings can appear on its belly and chin. These marks are a sure indication of stress. It can be very common to bearded dragons that you have recently acquired. The stress marks may go away in a few days once it has become accustomed to its new home.

They display many signs of their mood, such as head bobbing, arm-waving, bowing, tail swinging, and yawning. These are all signs of a content and happy beardie. Hissing, rapid head bobbing and a gaping mouth are signs of an angry, generally unhappy beardie.

Abnormal and undesirable behaviors of bearded dragons include: Lethargy. Wobbly walking. Lack of movement.

If their terrarium is too cold, bearded dragons may attempt to regulate their body temperature by flattening out in order to absorb as much heat as possible. If you notice your dragon pancaking a lot in his tank, this is likely the cause.

What do bearded dragons do all day? ›

Unlike lizards who are active at night, bearded dragons are awake during the day. They often like to climb branches and sit on logs to bask in the sun. As a result, they make great pets for people who want to interact with their pets during waking hours.

It's A Sign of Aggression. Bearded dragons are generally calm and docile lizards. However, if they feel threatened, angry, or afraid, they may open their mouths as part of an aggressive stance.

The answer is it's situational, but the worst-case scenario really isn't that painful. Even though these lizards have tiny sharp teeth, it really just feels like a brief pinch or sting. The age of your bearded dragon when it bites you will impact how much their bite hurts too.

When a bearded dragon reaches its thermal maximum, it will often sit with its mouth open. This behavior, called gaping, shows that the lizard is at its optimal temperature for basking. This gaping will allow a bearded dragon to dissipate extra body heat.

Regular handling helps bearded dragons get used to people, so you should handle your beardie daily. Doing so also minimizes stress during regular care, such as bathing or tank cleaning. They are generally gentle and easy to hold.

Make sure you don't use vinyl or linoleum, which are too slippery for your bearded dragon's claws to gain any traction. The other issue with those materials is they retain a lot of heat and there is nowhere for it to escape in your dragon's tank, so it can burn your dragon.

Even the calmest bearded dragon will eventually become stressed out if you handle him for too long. In fact, it is important to understand that bearded dragons probably do not “like” being handled – they simply “tolerate” it. So, it is wise to avoid pushing their limits by keeping handling sessions relatively brief.

Although bearded dragons are not generally aggressive by nature, they may become mad and show signs of aggressive behavior if they feel threatened, they may feel threatened should you mishandle them or if they interpret something as an act of aggression even when it isn't.

For example, wide eyes with dilated pupils mean your Beardie is interested and relaxed with you. If their mouth is curved and closed, that acts as a smile and is a sign of happiness and interest.

Many beardies don't like drinking from bowls, but will happily slurp up their bathwater. Baths are of course also important for hygiene. Plus, they help with shedding and constipation. Last but not least, many lizards simply enjoy a good soak!

Where should you not touch a bearded dragon? ›

One very important note: Don't approach your bearded dragon directly from above. Bearded dragons have sensory receptors on the top of their head because in the wild their predators attack from above. If you try to grab a bearded dragon from directly above, they will interpret this as a predator attack.

Many new owner reports suggest it takes up to three or four months for the bearded dragon to get comfortable. With time, the beardie will trust you and look forward to your petting. They can go for several days or even weeks alone. We recommend paying close attention every day.

Don't kiss or snuggle your bearded dragon, and don't eat or drink around it. This can spread Salmonella germs to your mouth and make you sick. Keep your bearded dragon out of your kitchen and other areas where you eat, store, or prepare food.

A bearded dragon's eyesight is generally excellent; they are great at seeing things from a distance, which is why you may notice that if you drop a feeder for them across the room, they may come running to devour it.

Behavior When Shedding

You may additionally notice them not wanting to be held or even seeming a little restless and fidgety. They may even black beard a little more than normal as well. Also, it isn't uncommon for their appetite to be a little non existent as well.

Bearded Dragons are the only known reptile to show affection for their human companions, which is why they make great exotic pets if a reptile is the kind of animal you are looking for.

Bearded dragons are active during the day, so this is when food, handling, and enrichment should be provided. All bulbs that emit UVB/UVA must be replaced every 6 months—even if they still appear to work. Even though the bulb may emit visible light, the UVB fades in time.

Most bearded dragons love playing around in the water. It's a great way for them to have some fun while also getting hydrated. A large plastic storage bin that is at least twice as long as your bearded dragon makes for a perfect swimming hole. A small kiddie pool works well, too.

Since bearded dragons are naturally solitary creatures, they do not get lonely if placed alone in a cage or left for some time away from their keeper. They much prefer having their food and heat to themselves rather than sharing it with another bearded dragon.

Without proper care, bearded dragon “pets” who outlive the one-year curse often suffer from serious and painful health problems, including metabolic bone disease from calcium deficiency, mouth rot, respiratory disease, abscesses, and ulcers.

Why is my bearded dragon shaking when I touch him? ›

A bearded dragon that is shaking or moving in abnormal, jerky motions is exhibiting another sign of calcium or vitamin D deficiency. Not getting enough of these nutrients can lead to metabolic bone disease.

In hot weather you can adjust the thermostat to keep the vivarium at the optimal temperature. Without one, your bearded dragon could be exposed to dangerous temperatures of 42+ degrees with nowhere cold enough to cool down.

You can also pet it from head to tail, going slowly and using gentle pressure. Avoid positioning yourself right over the bearded dragon's head as you're petting it—bearded dragons feel threatened by movement above them.

Intestinal Parasites

Being infected with an abundance of parasites is another common reason why your pet bearded dragon will strain and prolapse their cloaca. 2 You should have a fecal sample checked by your exotics vet to rule out having too many parasites.

The most popular live food for Bearded Dragons are crickets and meal worms. You can find them in most pet stores.

They need all of that extra energy while they grow. A bearded dragon that's less than 18 months old might eat 2-5 times a day, whereas an adult bearded dragon only eats 1 time a day.

Most young bearded dragons eat once or twice daily, while older lizards can be fed once daily, depending upon each pet's individual appetite.

Bearded dragons typically only hiss when they feel threatened. If your dragon is new, he may need some time to get used to the new environment and you. Your dragon may also hiss if he sees his reflection, or if you are reaching for your dragon from above.

Bearded dragons use their beard as a defense mechanism. When they are scared they open their mouths wide and puff out their beard which instantly turns jet black. This shocking sight gives predators a second thought about messing with this otherwise docile reptile.

You've Changed Something In Their Habitat

If you suddenly make a drastic change to the habitat, your beardie could start to feel stressed and angry. As you can see, it doesn't take much to throw a bearded dragon off.

Do bearded dragons let you hold them? ›

Bearded dragons usually tolerate handling better than other lizards. Regular handling helps bearded dragons get used to people, so you should handle your beardie daily. Doing so also minimizes stress during regular care, such as bathing or tank cleaning. They are generally gentle and easy to hold.

Behavioural signs of pain in reptiles

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association has also documented general signs of pain in reptiles including anorexia, immobility, abnormal posture/locomotion, dull colouration, and increase in aggression (Brown and Pizzi, 2012).

As a general rule, bath time three times a week should be sufficient to keep your dragon clean and hydrated. If your dragon absolutely hates baths, then once a week may be a reasonable goal. If your dragon can't get enough bath time, you may want to do it more frequently, maybe even once a day.

Beardies in the wild receive ultraviolet light and heat from the sun on a daily basis. In order to best mimic the ultraviolet light in an indoor enclosure, high ultraviolet (UVA and UVB) output light bulbs must be used. 1 Fluorescent bulbs and mercury vapor bulbs are the two sources most commonly used in the pet world.

Bearded dragons are capable of swimming! They can hold their breath for up to two minutes at a time. Bearded dragons have amazing vision and hearing—they can see in color, and can even see things that are moving behind them by using their “parietal eye” (a small gap in their skull).