It should go without saying that it is always important to make sure that you put a fair amount of research into a pet before you choose to adopt and own one.
Even with animals that are as common as the cat or dog, it is important that the owner make sure that he or she knows what to do and how to care for the animal before actually signing the papers for it and owning the animal.
This becomes even more important to consider when one is looking into adopting a pet that isn’t necessarily traditional. A good example of this is when you are planning on adopting a bearded dragon.
Out of all the lizards that one could choose to adopt, the bearded dragon is likely one of the most popular out there, and for good reason too. The bearded dragon is a wonderful companion that can stay by your side for years and years at a time.
However, when you are first planning on adopting and purchasing one, it is crucial to make sure that you are doing the research that you can.
If you are planning on adopting only one lizard at a time, you should make sure that you know what to expect on a behavioral ground. While most animals will act the same regardless of the sex of the animal, whether the animal is a male or female can make all the difference in how that animal acts toward you.
An animal that has a tendency to be a lot more aggressive than the other gender may not make for the best match, making it all the more important for you to consider this.
A Male or Female Bearded Dragon
When you are looking into the idea of adopting and owning a bearded dragon, you will want to make sure that you choose the more docile of the two genders.
Not only will this be easier for you as someone who is new to the idea of working with bearded dragons, but it will also make sure that you and your new lizard friend are able to get along well so that you can enjoy your time together.
The male and female bearded dragon are fairly similar in temperament for the most part, aside from one thing. Male bearded dragons tend to be noticeably more territorial than the females, meaning that they are more prone to becoming aggressive and trying to get any other animal to back down, especially if that other animal is a bearded dragon that it can easily communicate to and gauge its reactions from.
Female bearded dragons tend to remain on the calm and passive side, waiting for the conflict to roll over, if it can.
Male bearded dragons will also become far more aggressive during breeding season so that it may assert its dominance over potential threats. Of course, when the bearded dragon is living inside a lizard enclosure with just another female bearded dragon, the male may begin to see other passing animals as threats to its mate and will display signs of aggression through there as well.
When trying to decide what gender of bearded dragon to invest in, keep in mind that the females are going to be easier to keep as they tend to be less aggressive on an overall basis.
If you are planning on owning an animal that has the chances to show off how aggressive it might be, it is important for you to make sure that you also know what the signs of aggression in bearded dragons are so that you know when to back down and leave the bearded dragon alone.
If you want to be bitten as little as possible by your bearded dragon, this should be the next step in your research.
Recognizing the Signs of Aggression in Bearded Dragons
More often than not, the signs of aggression in bearded dragons are pretty straightforward, meaning that it will be pretty easy for you to tell when your bearded dragon is a little bit angrier than usual.
Signs of aggression in bearded dragons are shared between male and female bearded dragons, and luckily, they are not aggressive by nature. The most common signs include “bearding,” hissing, biting, and bobbing their heads.
When a bearded dragon bobs its head, it will generally be aimed at another bearded dragon, so you will not have to worry about this as much if you are housing a single bearded dragon.
It is a form of communication that usually relates to territories and can quickly escalate into other forms of aggression if the bearded dragon it is communicating with doesn’t seem to approve of what it is saying.
There are times, though, that the head bobbing can be a mutual way that bearded dragons talk to each other and doesn’t always indicate aggression off the bat.
Hissing, in bearded dragons, is done for much the same reasons as it is done in other animals that hiss, including cats, rattlesnakes, and hedgehogs. Hissing tends to be a universal way for animals to indicate that they are feeling threatened by another animal or object and that they are close to biting or defending themselves if the problem in question keeps approaching.
“Bearding” is a trait seen in bearded dragons that involves puffing up the “beard” of the dragon. This is done when bearded dragons feel threatened and it is a way that bearded dragons will make themselves seem larger so as to intimidate whatever may be threatening it at the time. In some cases, when a bearded dragon is bearding, the beard may even darken in color in addition to expanding.
Finally, there is biting. This is pretty straightforward and it is one of the main forms of physical defense that your bearded dragon will use to protect itself against threats other than other bearded dragons. Biting is about as clear of a sign of aggression as you will get from your bearded dragon.
Now that you know what signs of aggression to be mindful of, even if you choose to adopt the more aggressive male bearded dragon, you will know what to look for and when you should try to back down so you do not disturb the lizard any more than you may already have.
Additionally, now that you know these signs, you will be able to tell when your bearded dragon is trying to pick fights with other bearded dragons in its enclosure.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. Growing up, I had pet dogs, cats, deer, sugar gliders, chinchillas, a bird, chickens, fish, and a goat.