Cranky bearded dragon?

Question

My bearded dragon has been acting really weird today. Usually I can hold him with no problem but today he puffs up really big and even opens his mouth to me. He's never done this before.

Does anyone know why he's acting so strange? And is there anything I can do?

Answer 1

My Bearded Dragon gets moody sometimes and just doesn't feel like being held.  Or he might be hungry.  It shouldn't be a longterm thing but if the behavior lasts something might be wrong.

Answer 2

Beardie's can be very tempermental when a juvenile reaches breeding maturity (both males and females), so it would be helpful if we knew the age of your reptile.

So, if this is odd behavior for your Beardie, and he hasn't been "puffing his stuff" at you prior to now... well, wait it out a day and see if it was just a bad mood, or a week or two, if he's experiencing a hormonal shift into adulthood.  As long as he's eating, and his excrement stays normal - I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Check out the links below, and in particular, click up the breeding sections.  One can never been too informed about the animal they own.

If you're sure something is wrong several days from now - take him to the vet.  With reptiles, "it's better safe, than sorry," as the adage goes.  Reptiles are slow to show signs of illness and by the time they exhibit symptoms, it's usually well progressed.

I hope this has been of help.

Answer 3

well i have a bearded dragon and he puffs up every time i hold him but i know the reason for that, when i got him everyone would mess with him trying to get him to puff up, they thought it was cool while my bearded dragon thought other wise so now i am trying to get him to be his normal self before. But i looked into this and male bearded dragons seem to get like that after a few months old. But i would recommend just picking him up everyday and showing him that your not going to hurt him. It is going to take some time but show him alot but not to much attention.

Answer 4

It is completely normal for bearded dragons (especially males) to puff up their beards. Sometimes they do it in the mornings as a way to stretch their jaws...others just do it plain for intimidation! It slightly depends on how old your bearded is, but he/she will most likely do this for the rest of his life...and if its a male, he will eventually be able to turn it pitch black!

He was probably just startled or something, and there really isn't anything you can do except leave him alone for a little while.

Just to clear things up, puffing his beard up doesn't mean he is sick, it just means he's normal!