#uh oh it’s beardie infodumping time!

[clickbeetle]

being a big bearded dragon enthusiast who likes explaining beardie behavior and correcting misinformation about it is so hard sometimes, because a lot of times the explanation is just “they’re kind of bastards sometimes.”

don’t get me wrong, most of the time they do have a reason for doing certain things. sometimes they are in genuine distress. but you need to learn the difference between “actually needing help” and “just being a dumb lizard” by knowing the context.

i’ll see a youtube short of a male beardie running around a room while stopping to bob his head a few times, and someone in the comments will be like “they only do that when they’re stressed! you must be abusing him somehow!” meanwhile he’s just pissed that he heard a stranger’s voice in another room and wants to scan the area, just in case. i had a male that darkened his beard and bobbed his head for hours…. because i got a new dresser. they’re just bastards sometimes.

“why does this one keep trying to jump from high places?? they’re trying to get away from you! you must be abusing them!!” no they just do that sometimes because they’re little dummies. you need to keep an eye on them because they’re bastards who will do the stupidest things imaginable.

“she’s bowing to a male, which is showing submission, which means she’s scared!” possibly in some cases, but in this case she’s just horny. the horniest pet i’ve ever had in my life was a female beardie. she wanted to be a mommy so badly. i could take the male away and she would get SO upset and try so hard to find him again. she’d do her mating dance to nobody in hopes that maybe he’d see her. not scared in the slightest. she was a horny bastard.

“this baby beardie is waving which means it’s scared of you!!!!” waving can be baby language for “hello i’m here and i’m lizard pls don’t eat me.” give it some space and respect. but it doesn’t hate you. it’s just a baby doing what babies do. adults can wave too but it isn’t always a need for concern. my male and his babies waved at each other as a mutual signal of “dw i see you. i won’t eat you. ur good.” not bastardous, but still understandable lizard behavior.

usually just knowing the context is enough to dispel any concerns.