Why is bearded dragon bobbing head

Dragons will mostly see their reflection if their terrarium is bare or has a bare spot. If your Dragons terrarium has got a corner that is a little bare and you notice them bobbing their head only in that corner it might be the case that they are seeing their reflection in that spot.

A simple change of scenery can cause your Dragon to feel uneasy and feel like they need to reassert themselves in the home. Moving the terrarium to another room can obviously cause the same kind of reaction. Any small change like this should only cause a temporary change in your Dragons behaviour and they should be back to their old self in a short period of time once they get used to the changes.

Bearded Dragons have some fascinating behaviours that they use to express themselves in certain situations whenever they see fit. Things like head bobbing, arm waving and puffing up the beard all help to show the mood that your Dragons are in and also express intentions and feelings. For the most part, when a Bearded Dragon bobs its head i t is perfectly normal and part of their natural behaviour to express their intentions at that time.

The only time i would say that this is an unhealthy behaviour for your Dragon is if they appear to be aggressive, dominant or submissive constantly over a few weeks. If this happens then they are obviously unhappy by either being constantly angry or intimidated. Ok, are you are worried that your Bearded Dragon is bobbing its head constantly either in a dominant or submissive manner and you think it needs to stop but not sure how?

If you have 2 Bearded Dragons housed together and there is a constant fight for dominance then, unfortunately, i would recommend that as heartbreaking as it sounds you give one of the Dragons away to a good home. The other option is to rehouse one of the Dragons in a separate terrarium in a different room. Keeping both Bearded Dragons together is going to cause the weaker one a lot of distress and, it will also get less UVB light along with a decreased appetite through stress.

The only option is to separate them so they can both live happy, calm and stress-free lives. In just about all other situations you should be able to remove the cause of the problem or move your Bearded Dragon to another room if that makes more sense. Toys, items of clothing and small objects are pretty easy to separate from your Dragon if they are stressing them out continuously. Pets are a little more tricky as cats and dogs can easily wander into the same room as your Dragon all throughout the day.

In order for your Bearded Dragon to feel happy, calm and safe they need to have the right environment. Creating a terrarium that is close to their natural habitat can go a long way to making them feel comfortable and reducing behaviours such as head bobbing and arm waving. You should consider creating hides for your Dragon and with rocks and plants so they feel like they can retreat when they need to and not be exposed all of the time.

This is very important for stress levels and overall happiness. Getting the right amount of good quality UVB light is also very important to make your Dragon feel like they are in their natural habitat as well as for health reasons.

If you give your Beardie a good home with good hides then you should see a reduced amount of behaviours triggered by stress or feeling intimidated. I really hope you got some great value from this post and you got the answer that you were looking for. If your Dragon is constantly head bobbing and you feel that their stress levels are going up then it might be a good idea to find the source and stop your Bearded Dragon from coming in contact with it for a while.

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Head Bobbing at New Pet. Your female beardie may also show a modified version of this head bobbing. You might see this behavior displayed in tandem with a black beard. When bearded dragons are placed together, there will usually be a lot of macho-style jockeying for position in their hierarchy. Larger bearded dragons will often confront a smaller or weaker beardie with quick, distinct head bobs.

If the smaller reptile decides that the larger one is too intimidating or it just senses that confrontation is not worth the risk it will usually show submission with a slow bob that is often accompanied by a funky arm waving motion. Like we mentioned earlier, having two male bearded dragons in one tank is usually not a good idea. The dominance and submission situation can get out of hand if not monitored closely, so keep all of your beardies safe by providing them with their own tanks.

If this is the cause it will likely go away after they adjust and you spend more time handling them. Sometimes, you will see a kind of non-aggressive head bobbing that seems to have no real purpose or is directed at nothing in particular. On closer inspection however, you may notice that this happens whenever your beardie is around another bearded dragon or even another pet.

In nature, the way for a bearded dragon to deal with a potential threat is to try to make itself look more menacing which is also one of the reasons why they puff up. This behavior translates to your tank set up, so your bearded dragon may try to use intimidation to show dominance over its territory. The goal here is for them to let other beardies know that they should stay away from his female or to prove that he is the alpha male of the group.

This intimidation is usually signaled by jerky, vigorous head bobbing, and it sends a very clear signal to other bearded dragons that they should signal submission or they may risk a confrontation. Conversely, depending on the type of head bob, it can mean that it has acknowledged you as the dominant creature and is offering you a kind of submission. Your beardie may also be trying to tell you that it is feeling nervous or stressed. Others are rare and may be an indication of stress or illness.

The important thing is to know what each behavior means and if you need to do anything. It is very common for males to show this behavior. During breeding males will head bob to show their dominance to a female. Males will bob their heads when performing a mating display to initiate courtship.

Females show acceptance by bobbing their heads back. You may see head bobbing in your pet as they try to establish dominance in their tank. In the wild bearded dragons have a large natural range. If they find another male in their territory they will head bob as a form of territorial aggression. An individual declaring dominance will confront another with quick head nods.

If the other bearded dragon chooses to submit, it will respond with slower head nods while arm waving. If an individual chooses not to submit the males will circle each other and fight. Glass surfing happens when a bearded dragon tries to climb the glass in their enclosure.

This behavior is not seen in the wild because beardies do not naturally encounter glass. Normally the main cause of stress is their environment. It is common for first time keepers to make a mistake when setting up their tank. Some common examples include:. Using a larger enclosure and the correct lighting is very easy. If two beardies are sharing an enclosure then consider keeping them in separate tanks.

Some individuals will dig because they are stressed. They are trying to hide or escape. Stress can be a result of incorrect lighting levels, heating, humidity and loud noises. If your bearded dragon is not stressed but continues to dig, they may be underfed and are looking for food. Adult bearded dragons should weigh to grams. Monitor their diet closely to make sure they are receiving the right amount of food and nutrients.

Finally, bearded dragons dig to prepare for brumation. Brumation is a type of hibernation where beardies eat less and only drink water occasionally. Before brumation they will dig to find a safe and comfortable space to sleep.

This space also helps to regulate their temperatures while they are hibernating. Brumation normally happens in the fall as light changes and temperatures drop. The most common reason for gaping is that your beardie is too hot. Beardies do not sweat like humans! Gaping is their only way of cooling down. Gaping is used as a cooling mechanism as they try to cool down and regulate their body temperature.

Sometimes gaping is used by males to show dominance. However, it is normally used as a cooling mechanism. This is a natural behavior and is not a cause for concern. If your pet is gaping a lot then check the position of your heat lamp.

Make sure the heat lamp only covers half of the enclosure. It is important they have an area of shade to cool down. When you look at a beardie during shed you may notice their eyes look like they are about to pop out of its sockets. This is known as eye bulging. Eye bulging is common when your bearded dragon is shedding.

Bearded dragons will eye bulge to help loosen the skin around their eyes. This makes it easier for them to shed as their eyes and face is one of the toughest areas. If you want to help your reptile when they are shedding you can use baths, misting or a shedding aid.

Arm waving is known to be a form of submissive behavior. This behavior is common for hatchlings or juveniles and is less common in adults.