# Bearded Dragon Behavior



## Harrison (Feb 29, 2008)

I'm curious about the behavior patterns of beardies. I know about the head bobbing and the submissive "wave" as I've read about them, talked about them, watched them on the internet and seen beardies do this when visiting friends or reptile shops.

Do they do anything else that would be handy for people to know about? I was watching a video of a girl giving her beardie a bath and at one point it started to "flatten" itself and the girl said, "oh, he's going flat which means he doesn't like this".

Is that true? What else can I look out for when trying to tell how a beardie is feeling?


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## Bmolle (Feb 1, 2008)

my beardie goes flat when she is trying to warm herself up. (more surface area.

also "glass dancing" sometimes means the y wanna come out for a bit or feeding


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## Harrison (Feb 29, 2008)

Cheers Bmolle. I take it glass dancing is kind of waving from side to side or something against the glass? Not seen it yet.

Any other tips for telling if the beardie is angry/content etc?


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## Bmolle (Feb 1, 2008)

angry its beard will go black and it puffs itself out. they also do this when excited or so ive read.

glass dancing is stang up on its back legs and like scratching at the glass. mine do it all the time


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## sahunk (Apr 1, 2007)

um in the bath they more imflate them selfs to stay afloat they look like a baloon!! :lol2:


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

They can inflate themselves to make themselves look bigger, and to make it harder for a predator to take a bite out of them. They also do it in the bath, but I don't know if they do it to float or as a stress response. In the wild they would enter open water so infrequently that any selective pressure to evolve a "flotation" response would presumably be minimal...

You may also see females doing "acknowledgement" nods in response to head bobbing - they are much shallower, slower nods. The females may also do slow press ups as an acknowledgement to a male.

Arm Stamping is sometimes shown by males that are meeting a new female, or are with a female that isn't acknowledging them. They head bob so vigorously that one of their arms lifts from the ground whilst they raise their head, then stamps back down when they lower their head.

Juveniles that enounter larger lizards, or adult females that don't get on will often rotate their bodies 45 degrees and flatten themselves to make themselves look taller. They will do this whilst circling each other, before attempting to bite. Males generally just pile straight in and fight, without the circling / intimidation beforehand.

Colour is a good indiactor of mood - BDs that are often dark, and rarely go light are either consistently cold, or consistently stressed (cold during the day = stress as well...)

Andy


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## Pleco07 (Aug 15, 2007)

i get glass dancing at about 6am. Dont need an alarm clock now ive got Dennis lol


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## mybeardeddragons (Oct 1, 2007)

Male beardies sulk! Well, at least mine does! :lol2:

I can make him sulk if I head bob back at him right - he gets really offended and goes off in a huff. He also sulks if he is 'in the mood' and the female goes off somewhere inaccessible (like on her hammock!). He goes off back to his basking log looking like a kid whose lost his ball! 

The female doesn't seem to sulk though - still, that's females for you! (I am now ducking!)


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## ev2277 (Jan 28, 2008)

yes I am sure Kizzy sulks when I went away for the weekend and came back every time I came to the viv and talked to him he turned his back to me....


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Time I posted something that I witnessed in bearded dragon behaviour...but I think that this might deserve its own thread :blush:...stay tuned :whistling2:...T.T.8)


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

Terrific tortoise said:


> Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Time I posted something that I witnessed in bearded dragon behaviour...but I think that this might deserve its own thread :blush:...stay tuned :whistling2:...T.T.8)


I'm intrigued...


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## Testudo Man (Aug 3, 2005)

HadesDragons said:


> I'm intrigued...


Then go here my friend http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizards/102392-dancing-bearded-dragons.html

...T.T.8)


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

Terrific tortoise said:


> Then go here my friend http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizards/102392-dancing-bearded-dragons.html
> 
> ...T.T.8)


Right on cue!


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