Your bearded dragon isn’t very predictable. There are different moods to your adorable pet, and it might signal those with its bearded dragon black beard. With other pets, like your dog, it is easy to decipher the emotions.
For example, when your dog is happy, it will wag its tail; it will be restless around you when playful. But, your bearded dragon is hard to read. As a reptile owner, you’ll need to understand its moods. Here’s how?
Head Bobbing
Head bobbing is the most common bearded dragon behaviour that you might have often seen. It might seem like a habit, but there might be various reasons associated with the habit. It can be to assert dominance over another animal within view, or it may be directed to you as a sign of mating, or just like that. Your female dragon may, however, head bob in front of another dragon to show submission.
There might be occasions when your dragon head bobs in its sleep. You don’t have to worry about it; make sure that there’s no bright light affecting its sleep pattern. It may be more aggressive at the start and then be normal when familiar with the environment.
Arm Waving
The friendliest of all the behaviour is the arm-waving. It’s always adorable to see your dragon arm waving at you. It might be a friendly gesture to gain your attention. Just like the gestures made by your dog or cat to steal the limelight, your bearded dragon might also try this to be a centre of attraction. So specialists believe that they arm-wave to the other pets to signal that they mean no harm to them.
Turning Black
If you see your bearded dragon black beard, there might be several moods associated with this behaviour.
- Threatened – The black colour may be a symptom that some other pet in the house threatens your dragon, some dangers around the cage, any loud noises, or you.
- Ill – If you see a constant black beard of your dragon, it might be a symptom of illness. In this situation, you might also find your dragon asleep most frequently, or its tail turns black too. It will help if you take your dragon to the vet.
- Excited – Your dragon might feel too excited at times, and fast movements or twitching eyes might be a clear signal to identify this.
- Feeling Too Hot or Cold- Any uncomfortable temperature might also be a sign of your dragon turning black. If it continually keeps its mouth open or moves less, you should consider changing the cage temperature.
Glass Surfing
There might be a couple of glass surfing or glass scratching. Your pet might feel caged or see a larger animal outside the glass or some unwanted creature in the cage. The other signs associated with glass surfing is: when your dragon is hungry, it might be looking out for you to feed it. Sometimes, it could be due to its reflection cast on the glass that might be overwhelming.
There can be many signs through which your bearded dragon might showcase its emotions. It would be best if you looked out for such signs.