It has been a while, maybe a day, maybe two days but now you know the time has come. It is time to make a living sacrifice to the mighty dragon running around in a glass tank.
You are going to feed the dragon a couple of … crickets, but suddenly it is not possible for you to get near the territory of your mighty, wingless dragon. What happened?
Yesterday everything was fine and now you can´t even look at him without freaking your beardie out.
Seriously, if you have some problems with an aggressive bearded dragon no matter if it was calm all the time or if it was aggressive right from the beginning, this can be a real pain.
In this article I am going to show you why it is important that your bearded dragon is calm, why your bearded dragon might be aggressive and what to do about it.
Why It Is Important That Your Bearded Dragon Is Calm
There are some reptile owners who say that you should not touch your bearded dragon at all. You should just leave it in the tank living a normal life like a wild bearded dragon.
They think that bearded dragons should remain skittish and sometimes aggressive if you get too close to their territory. Especially in Europe people think this is the way a reptile should be kept at home.
To be honest, I think that as long as the bearded dragon is healthy and happy, you should keep them the way you want. Wether it be wild or calm.
However, there are a couple of good reason to help your bearded dragon to get comfortable with your presence.
Your Bearded Dragon Could Get Hurt
Is your bearded dragon freaking out whenever you walk into the room? That could be very dangerous for the little dragon.
Some reptiles run through their cage with full speed and what do you think how they stop most of the time? They run against the glass of your tank!
The result is an injured snout which could lead to various infections. Have you ever seen a bearded dragon with mouth rot?
Visiting A Vet Is Much Easier
This is very important. There might come the time when your bearded dragon really needs help from a vet because it is very sick.
If your bearded dragon is not tamed you will stress him out when trying to catch him to bring him to the vet. This way your bearded dragon´s condition could get even worse.
A Lot More Things Are Possible For Your Dragon
Bearded dragons do get bored, even most people do not know this or do not believe it. If you have an aggressive bearded dragon you can do nothing with him.
So your bearded dragon has to sit in his tank his whole life and eventually die. I think that is awful and I am sure you do so too.
You can have a lot of fun with your dragon an it can actually be good for a dragon. For example: have you ever taken a walk with your bearded dragon? Get a bearded dragon leash and let your bearded dragon enjoy the natural sun outside!
There is even more stuff you can do with your dragon if it is not aggressive anymore! Have a look at these 10 things you can do with a bearded dragon!
Why Your Bearded Dragon Might Be Aggressive
Even if your bearded dragon is shy, it does not mean it has to be aggressive as well. Most bearded dragons are pretty curious about everything that happens around them.
Here are a couple of reasons your your dragon wants to kill you! (Not really, but yeah)
Got a New Bearded Dragon? Or a New Tank?
If you just got your bearded dragon and it is totally aggressive don´t worry about it. Most of the time beardies get calm over time.
Your dragon just has to get used to the new home.
Think about it, how would you feel after such a trip? Your bearded dragon just came from the pet shop or you ordered it online. This is a hell of a journey for such a little guy.
So being aggressive should be okay for a while.
Same goes for a new environment for your bearded dragon. If you just got a new tank with a lot of awesome decor, new plants and everything, chances are that your bearded dragon absolutely hates it.
Did You Hurt Your Dragon?
Believe me, no one points with their finger at you and screams “dragon abuser”. Sometimes it just happens.
You want to get your bearded dragon out of the cage, you grab it, your beardie wants to get away and you hurt it accidentally.
It doesn´t have to be wounded, just the pain is enough for your bearded dragon to hate you for a while. (You might not know it, bearded dragons only know three emotions: silent love, hate and food.)
Give your beardie a couple of days. Everything will be fine when your dragon trusts you again.
You Got The Wrong Tank
If you got the wrong tank setup it can happen that your bearded dragon gets aggressive.
For example, if you have a too small tank your dragon easily feels under pressure when you get near the tank.
What to do now?
Fleeing or attacking?
Since your beardie can´t flee, because of the too small tank, he will bite you. Or at least he will try. Need help with setting up a tank? Click here!
When Puberty Hits…
All the mothers now go: ohhh yeah, now I get it! Well, it is hard to believe but even beardies have this. If your dragon is around 7 months old, prepare for a sometimes weird behavior. Give your bearded dragon some time. It will get better, trust me.
Here is more on bearded dragons and puberty.
Do You Have More Than One Bearded Dragon?
It is a popular misunderstanding that you can keep more than one bearded dragon in one cage. Bearded dragons are loners and most of the time they hate roommates of their species.
Sometimes it is possible to keep a male with a female in one tank, but this isn´t always the case.
If your bearded dragon suddenly becomes aggressive to another bearded dragon, most probably it is because one of these two reasons: there are two males in your tank, even though you thought you have one female and one male.
(Male bearded dragons can disguise as females. Read more here!)
Or your tank is simply too small for two beardies.
BTW: In case you keep two beardies for several years and you think they are male and female, but they never laid eggs… surprise, surprise, most probably you got two males.
Your Bearded Dragon Is Exhausted
For whatever reason, your bearded dragon is exhausted. Let´s say you got a female, she just laid eggs and buried all the eggs.
Now she is is tired as hell and she does not wants to see anybody. This can be a reason for aggression. It is just a normal defence mechanism.
She will be the friendly, little dragon she was by tomorrow, but for now – beware of the dragon! (Same goes for sick bearded dragons!)
You Handfeed Your Bearded Dragon!
If you do this and suddenly your bearded dragon bites your hand even though you do not offer any food at the moment your bearded dragon is not really aggressive. Your dragon associates your hand with food and sometimes it happens that you get bitten! Tweezers like these will help you!
What You Should Do Now
First of all you have to find out why your bearded dragon is aggressive. Has it always been this way? Is this a new behaviour?
Above I gave you a couple of reasons, if not all the reasons for an aggressive behaviour. Find out what the reason is and act accordingly. For example, get a new tank or separate your two bearded dragons.
You should never punish your bearded dragon ever if you want to have a calm bearded dragon. Your dragon will only learn that it can´t trust you because you are dangerous.
So always stay calm and show your dragon that you are not a threat. Sometimes you just have to wait. I know this is hard, but it is what it is.
Why Wearing Gloves Is Not a Good Idea
Unfortunately, wearing gloves does not help to gain your bearded dragon´s trust. Experience has shown that bearded dragons hate big gloves and freak out even more if you wear them.
And even though I do not recommend gloves, your highest goal should be to remain calm even if your dragon bites you. Of course this is easier with gloves, so if you need them, I recommend to get these gloves.
Get Some Tweezers – Now!
Click For More Images!
Tweezers actually help you to get a relaxed bearded dragon. Your dragon does associate you with food, but it does not associate your hand with food.
This is a big help as your bearded dragon won´t bite your hand by accident anymore. Further you minimze the risk of getting bitten with long tweezers and you can still show your dragon that you are not a threat.
Tame Your Dragon Easily!
If you want to know how to tame your bearded dragon easily, have a look at my taming guide here. I show you how you can tame your dragon in just a few simple steps!
Do you want to share any bearded dragon bite survival stories with us? Go ahead and enter your story in the comment section below!
Would you be able to help me? My beardie kiwi will be a yr old next month. This is my first dragon, so learning as I go. Me and my partner let him run about the flat and he’s all friendly and chilled but lately he’s been wall surfing against the wall. So I took him out side for some real sunshine, he seemed ok with me. I sat with him for 5 to 10 mins then took him in as it can be overwhelming. Then my other half took him out a few hrs later and kiwi just turned. Trying to bite him and he run for the bushes. Kiwi was in full raptor mode. Ready in attack and bite. It took a while to calm kiwi, I covered his eyes, spoke to gently and rubbed his chin and head.
Today i took him out to see if something had spooked him yesterday and if I hadn’t put the harness on…he would’ve been in Narnia before I could reach hin, he was up on his hind legs and off. I’m wondering if somethings scared him or if he’s extra sensitive during his shed. Or strangely as you have said, it him hitting puberty? I’ve never had this problem with him before. kiwi is a good little dragon fussy with food, only likes certain greens, but im trying. Is there something I’ve mis-read am i doing or doing something wrong? Again i spoke to him,’ covered him him up as the wind seemed to set him off and my hair…..but watching hia body language and eyes he was watching the trees. And as i type this, hes back to bonking his head on the window and wall surfing. Any advice or help would be gratefully appreciated. I’m worried he’ll hurt him self. I’m also getting him a cat tree to climb and give him things to do, even hanging his favorite leaves off it. Sorry this is long. Just not sure what to do. Thank you
Hey Toyah,
it is not unusual that bearded dragons that go outside freak out. You know, they have pretty good eyesight and he might have seen a bird or something that might have been a bird and tried to get to a safe spot.
This would also explain his aggressive behavior.
When you bring him outside, bring him to a place where he can hide if he wants (with the harness on) and see if it gets better.
Is he really wall-surfing or is he glass-surfing inside his tank?
If he is wall-surfing outside his tank try to put him back in his tank. Maybe he needs heat. (I hope you are making sure that he gets enough heat and UVB. Beardies should not be kept outside of their tanks for too long.)
If he is glass-surfing, kiwi might have learned that you take him out when he does that.
Hope this helps,
Pierre
The one other thing I forgot to mention. He doesn’t go dark when he does this. Nor does his beared. He’s completely yellow (his happy colours) so I’m wondering if it’s him reaching teenage hood? And he’s just telling me to sod off?