Bearded dragons are friendly and easy to bond with, in a natural way.Dragons that live in the wild can be dangerous sometimes, but you need not be scared of your bearded dragon. It will never think of harming you if you treat it well.Don’t judge them by the ‘dragon’ in their name because they are tiny cute little reptiles. Beardies are very particular about what they want, whether it’s the place they live in or the people they are around—both male and female dragons wave. Beardie waving means that they raise their arm above their head. Just like we humans do, except grown beardies, don’t swing their hand after raising it. It is easy to see when a bearded dragon is waving; as a matter of fact, both male and female bearded dragons wave. However, what’s more, challenging to find is the reason why a bearded dragon might wave? What is the meaning when your beardie is waving? Is it trying to say hello to another beardie, or the bearded dragon could be trying to convey a message to its owners? Some people attribute multiple reasons behind beardie waving, such as a sign of submission to a waving bearded dragon that might be trying to scare another bearded dragon.Yes, some facts are actually surprising and super weird. But if you own a pet dragon, you might as well know about them. There are nine types of bearded dragons. A bearded dragon is a venomous reptile. A bearded dragon can change its sex. Bearded dragons wave and bob their heads to communicate. A bearded dragon can run on two legs. A bearded dragon can smell from its mouth. When a bearded dragon sheds, it changes color. A bearded dragon can be born with two heads and still live. It is proven that these beardies excrete a mild venom. While running away from predators, running on four legs will make them slower; therefore, a beardie may run on two legs to save its life. You may not get to observe this activity with your pet beardie.After checking out the interesting facts behind bearded dragon waving, also read why do lizards do push-ups and why wasps sting.What causes bearded dragons to wave at people and other lizards?There can be many reasons behind bearded dragon waving. It is possible that a bearded dragon waves as a friendly gesture to the owner or people who respect their territory. Bearded dragon waving is only a hand sign that these beardies do. Therefore, bearded dragons express almost every emotion through hand waving. In adult beardies, you can see that when a bearded dragon is waving, it is more of an arm raising than swinging.Fear, stress, anger are a few of the many reasons because of which bearded dragons wave at people. When beardies feel scared or have a sense of insecurity, this animal will start waving to warn others to step back by appearing dominant and without any fear or stress. Anybody invading their space makes them wave out of anger, anxiety, and frustration on both other lizards and people. Being housed with other beardies and the idea of sharing a tank with others causes them to wave out of aggression. Beardies wave at people either to greet them or to express their discomfort. The exact cause of why the animal might be waving can be found by looking at your pet’s body language and other actions.What does it mean when bearded dragons wave their arms?Bearded dragons don’t wave unnecessarily. There’s always a reason behind it. There is no need to worry or panic if your beardie waves; it’s normal—the meaning of their wave changes with age. Juvenile dragons whine out of excitement.The most common messages conveyed by a beardie’s waves are submission, threat, mating signals, and nervousness. If these dragons are around strong people or animals, they wave. Waving suggests that they are not interested in picking a fight. These pets are well aware of the fact that they aren’t the strongest among everyone. If a beardie waves in front of people, they are showing that they know who is superior. Sometimes, a bearded dragon might feel threatened by its mirror image. The moment they see their reflection, this reptile species becomes submissive. This proves that beardies can be tricked easily into submission by the owners through their reflection. Same-sex beardies wave as an act of surrender, whereas if a female dragon waves at a male dragon, she signals that she is ready to mate. Suppose your dragons are waving at each other, in that case, it means that the alpha dragon (the dominant one) and the beta dragon (the submissive one) might enter into a fight. You can also notice them bobbing their heads.Waving is a bearded dragon’s form of communication with their own species and humans. It is a common trait that all dragons possess. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your dragons will wave. Some dragons don’t. Not waving is also normal behavior for bearded dragons. There is no need to panic if yours doesn’t wave. Everything around them may be just the way these pets want. In such cases, there will be no need for them to wave. For example, if they don’t see their reflection, this reptile species won’t feel threatened and will not wave. Not waving is a sign that your pet is comfortable with its surroundings. On the other hand, it can also suggest that your pet is stressed or something is suppressing them. If it concerns you and you feel that something’s wrong, you can always consult a vet.Bearded dragons prefer to be alone. Therefore, these tiny little beardies can turn out harmful for other submissive ones if housed together. This happens when some other pet or beardie tries to invade their territory. These pets get aggressive and end up hurting pets around them. This generally happens when male beardies share the same tank. It is advisable to house these dragons in different tanks, regardless of their gender.Should you wave back at your bearded dragon?Well, there’s no harm when you say hello back to your dragon. They know that you’re the boss so that they won’t jump on you. But, before waving back, observe why your beardie is waving at you.The information mentioned above in the article can be of great help to you for identifying the reasons. Is it a normal greeting, or you’ve overstepped their territory? Find out and react accordingly. Mostly, the chances are that your pet dragon will be comforted by your wave. But then it depends on why he is waving at you. Waving back will help you bond with your pet. Your pet will feel happy when he receives your attention. Before bonding, have a clear sight of what should be done and what shouldn’t. Below mentioned are other ways to bond with your pet dragon.When do beardies wave a lot?Beardies don’t have a habit of waving on a regular basis. If they wave quite often, it’s a signal for you to understand that something is bothering them.Excessive waving can occur if the tank in which the beardie is housed gives him a feeling of threat. If the tank’s too small, it is likely for the beardie to feel trapped and suffocated. Since beardies generally live alone, if people or pets pass by their tank regularly, sometimes more than once a day, then they start feeling threatened. The dragon gets afraid, and if it is not taken care of, the beardie might even bite. Make sure that your dragon’s tank is designed as their natural habitat. It gives a homely feeling, and the beardie will feel more comfortable. As mentioned above, beardies get threatened by their reflection. Therefore, try and keep shiny and transparent surfaces as far from them as possible. Do not place their tank close to mirrors or windows.What are the other common beardie behaviors?Some of the other beardie behaviors are head-bobbing, glass surfing, digging, eye-bulging, going black, tail twitching, and so on. Apart from waving, these are the other ways pet bearded dragons communicate.Head bobbing is an up and down head movement generally done to express dominance and agreement. When stressed, beardies usually try to climb the glass tank. Therefore, it is known as glass surfing. It is done to tell the humans that beardies do not like the place they are put in. Climbing suggests that they wish to get out. When the space is insufficient, dragons start digging in the sand in the tank.On the contrary, it can also mean that the beardies are trying to lay eggs, searching for something, or finding a cozy spot to sleep. Eye bulging is another common behavior. No, it doesn’t mean that your pet is trying to scare you. It simply suggests that your pet is shedding, and you cannot offer much help. These tiny, cute little beardies go black when they are not feeling well.Other symptoms of illness are feeling lazy and losing appetite. These dragons also turn their beards black when they are ready to breed or are threatened. Remember that when your beardie is twitching its tail, it means that he is feeling hungry. After reading the reasons behind these beardie behaviors, it is well understood that these signs are normal. There is no need for you to panic or rush to a vet.What are the dos and don’ts of bonding with your dragon?It would be best if you put effort into bonding with your pet. If you want your pet to like you, spend time with your dragon and get to know them more.You can initiate bonding with them by petting them, feeding them, letting them out of the cage, and giving them treats. When was the last time you let your little beardie walk on you? Or when was the last time you held them? These little steps help a lot in improving your relationships with your beardie. Hold your pet gently, and slowly pet them to give them a feeling of comfort. Let him walk over to you to get familiarized with your scent. Treat them for their good behavior and find time to feed them yourself. These little activities will be beneficial in creating a bond between you and your pet. The more you bond, the more you will get attached.While bonding, there are many things that you should avoid doing. One of the most important things is to not be too loud around them. Beardies do not like much noise and start feeling negative about you. So, instead of bonding, the opposite can happen. Don’t hold your pet in an uncomfortable position. For example, never hold your beardie with their tail. Such actions will arouse feelings of discomfort. If continued, they may even bite you.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why bearded dragons wave, why not take a look at why dogs paw at you or are black diamonds real.
Bearded dragons are friendly and easy to bond with, in a natural way.
