Bearded dragons maintain their territory very aggressively.Male bearded dragons get into stress once a year making them restless and agitated in the mating season. This animal will also fight another male to decide which one is dominant to mate with a female.Bearded dragons became famous as exotic pets since their introduction in the ’90s in the United States. Being the most popular pets, central bearded dragons are most common in captivity. Their diet usually consists of vegetation, insects, and sometimes small rodents. They will also feed on locusts, spiders, butter worms, silkworms, mealworms, grasshoppers, hornworms, and fly larvae. Adults can get very territorial. A male bearded dragon is housed alone as he will try to breed with females or fight with other males. The underside of these lizards’ throats will puff out and turn black if they are threatened or are under stress. This gives them their common name. There are seven species of bearded dragons within the genus Pogona. Females can grow up to 20 in (51 cm) and males up to 24 in (60 cm). The bearded dragon has a flattened body with clusters and rows covering it and broad, triangular heads. Although they live up to 10-15 years of age, their life expectancy can increase with good care. A study showed that these dragons were able to perceive illusion most of the time. Both males and females display head-bobbing behavior.The six species of bearded dragons are Rankin’s dragon, Easter bearded dragon, western bearded dragon, Kimberley bearded dragon, Nullabor bearded dragon, northwest bearded dragon, and the central bearded dragon. They can go dormant at high temperatures and brumate in winter. The body of these reptiles cannot stay active in high temperatures and it will also cause death. They will burrow underground. They will usually form a permanent hiding place or burrow to escape harsh weather and predators.If you enjoyed reading these facts about bearded dragon head bobbing, then make sure to read some more interesting facts about bearded dragon terrarium and bearded dragon eggs here at Kidadl.What does bearded dragon head bobbing look like?Bearded dragon head bobbing is a quick up and down motion of their head.In the wild, bearded dragons are territorial and get aggressive in protecting their territories. Their main way of communication is through body language and not sounds. So, it is nothing to worry about if you find your new pet bearded dragon head bobbing. To display a variety of moods they display behaviors like arm-waving, glass surfing, digging, gaping, tail twitching, eye-bulging, and black beard. Both males and females use head bob to communicate and change in the pace of bobbing head is also a way of communicating in the wild. The head bob also shows their emotions and health. It is vital to understand a variety of your pet’s behavior to make sense of their physical and mental conditions. Bearded dragons gained popularity as pets in the ’90s when they were first introduced and known as exotic pets. Also, bearded dragon owners enjoy having this pet around as these animals are very social with their human beings but in the wild they are solitary. However, your pet will get along with another male beardie and they need to be housed alone. The average head-to-tail length of captive bearded dragons is between 16-24 in (40-61 cm), weighing around 0.7-1.3 lb (350-600 g).When you understand your pet’s behaviors it will allow you to give them a stress-free, happy, and healthy life. So, it is not only necessary to provide a nutritious diet and natural habitat to your bearded dragon. A total of seven recognized bearded dragon species and all of them display head-bobbing behavior. You can observe your pet bobbing by lowering and raising the head quickly or slowly with frequent flaring and darkening of their beard. Make sure to pay attention to the darkening of their beard as it could be a sign of stress, anxiety, or fear in your new pet. Stress in a new terrarium is normal and natural as they get accustomed to the new territory. You can also help your pet reptile to calm down.Reasons Why Bearded Dragons Bob Their HeadsBearded dragons bob their head as a sign of dominance, a sign of submission, acknowledgment, and ready to mate.Head bobbing in a bearded dragon is normal in both wild and captivity. Your pet dragon is trying to express something with this behavior. Bearded dragons not only use behavior if another dragon is around but also to human beings. If you happen to have more than one bearded dragon, especially males, in a glass tank, it will mostly drive your pets to fight with aggression over establishing a territory. These solitary creatures will love to have the tank for themselves. It is normal for the beardies to fight but it will not lead to death and only the dominant reptile wins. After establishing the boss of the tank, the dominant male bobbing their head quickly to remind the submissive reptile that he is the boss. The dominant reptile does the fast head bobbing with aggression. Another sign of dominance is darkening and puffing their beard while head bobbing. This is done to make them look much bigger and scarier than other submissive beardies. A male trying to establish dominance expects the other bearded dragon to show a submissive behavior with either arm-waving or a slow head. If the other beardie does not accept then he will start quick head bobbing and they will fight to establish territory.Male beardies will show this behavior when they are eyeing a particular female in the mating season. Usually, males fight each other and the winner will mate with the female. Males are also aggressive during the mating season. When a male dragon starts head bobbing, they are asking a female dragon to mate with them and also warning other males to stay away. The female, if receptive to the males will display steady arm waving with a slow head nod. Bearded dragons might not be comfortable with other pets living at home, particularly if it’s a new one. Your beardies will feel threatened and uncomfortable whenever they see the pet walking around. They will then start head bobbing to show they are not okay. It takes some time for your beardies to realize that this pet means no kind of harm to them. Once they realize this, they will stop head bobbing. However, the head bobbing might continue every time the beardie sees the pet, then you will need to move the beardie’s enclosure to some other place.What does it mean when bearded dragons bob their heads?Bearded dragons use fast bobbing, slow bobbing, jerky bobbing, and bobbing to the owners to show dominance, submission, readiness for mating, and acknowledgment.Bearded dragons are native to Australia and are known to make no sound except hissing when threatened. They also communicate through physical gestures, color display, and posturing. Head bobbing is a necessary and common form of communication. There are different paces of head-bobbing used to display their aggression or discomfort. As mentioned above, fast head bobbing is a trait observed in male bearded dragons. It is used to display their dominance, aggression, and territoriality. When the male comes across females and younger males, he will bob his head quickly. If the other dragon does not show aggression and waves the arm then they are recognizing the other male as the dominant one around the territory. If other dragons do not accept then both fight. During the breeding season, the head bob is jerky, frequently combined with the darkening of the beard. This jerky motion of the head can move the whole body. This is a way to tell the female that he is interested in mating and a sign for other males to stay away from them. If the female is receptive then she will wave her arm slowly.Bearded dragon slow head bobbing is a response given to the initiating male, recognizing his superiority. The calm male will slowly wave his hand to let the other male know that he means no harm. Slow head bob in females can mean that they are ready for mating. Whenever a pet dragon sees his owner approaching he might start slow head bobbing. This is a way for your pet to greet you, trying to say hello. It is also been observed that sometimes two young males might slow head bob at each other without any sign of aggression to acknowledge the presence of each other. If your dragon comes across any non-living item in their environment, they might confuse it with a predator, feeling threatened they will start head bobbing. In this case, you replace any item that is scaring your pet. Sometimes, they might look at their reflection in the tank and will not understand the concept of glass-like many animals. They will start quickly head bobbing thinking there is an intruder.Why do female beardies bob their heads?Female bearded dragons bob their head to show submission, willingness to mate, and to show dominance.Head bobbing is a behavior often seen in males showing their aggression towards another animal in their terrarium, tank, or surroundings. It is also helpful to separate male breaded dragons to avoid their territorial behavior and aggressiveness. However, female bearded dragons can also display all the behaviors, arm-waving, glass surfing, digging, gaping, tail twitching, eye-bulging, and black beard including head bobbing. This female reptile is not as aggressive as males. Females are also thinner and smaller than males. Usually, female bearded dragons are friendlier to another beardie than a male bearded dragon. However, this friendly behavior is the same for humans. Both sexes will have the same amount of love and affection for their humans. A female uses her spikes around the beard for self-defense. Females are also less aggressive in the mating season compared to males.Most of the time females use head bobbing as males do. As females are much calmer than males they will send calmer head bobbing signals. She is either ready to mate with a dominant male or being submissive in a male’s territory. Usually, females might bob their heads slowly, but when they are mating their head bounces more than usual. So, in the mating process, the head bobbing uses more vibrating than the usual one. If you have placed many females together then, the initiating female will head bob to assert dominance over the remaining females in the tank. If you want to avoid this and have a peaceful environment then it is better to house them separately. Also, make sure not to place two bearded dragons in the same tank especially if they are males. Your pet must not be subjected to stress as it can cause health issues. Make sure to monitor your pet’s behavior frequently.If your pet is head bobbing all the time then it means that there is either a living or non-living thing that feels like an intruder to them. It can be caused by any new piece of furniture, bottles, or keys near their tank. Make sure to assess the environment around the tank. If he still continues then maybe look out of the window to see any stress-causing objects. It is also recommended to spend time with your dragon to ease their stress.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestion for bearded dragon head bobbing, then why not take a look at bearded dragon brumation, or bearded dragon third eye.
Bearded dragons maintain their territory very aggressively.
