Bearded dragons are quickly becoming a popular reptile pets across the globe. The Australian desert lizard is a wonderful and unique indoor pet. However, unlike most other household pets like cats and dogs, beardies have numerous unique traits that are harder to identify and understand.

So, why do bearded dragons bob their heads up and down? In most cases, bearded dragons bob their head up and down to show dominance to other beardies or creatures or to signal their readiness to mate. The behavior is common in males of all bearded dragon species although the females also take it up sometimes.

We can all agree that caged bearded dragons make unique and exciting pets. They boast a wide range of queer traits such as a scale-covered throat that rises to form a beard. On top of that, beardies exhibit several peculiar health-related, social, and territorial behaviors including scratching, digging, and brumation as well as glass-surfing, beard-flaring, and head-bobbing.

However, apart from an aggressive hiss once in a while, beardies rarely communicate via sound. Instead, they leverage a mix of color displays, posturing, and other physical gestures to communicate with their owners, caregivers, surroundings, and other bearded dragons in their vicinity.

Learning he reasons for your beardie’s head-bobbing is essential to enable you to give the pet the best care. Join us as we explore the various causes for head-bobbing in bearded dragons to help you make crucial tweaks for your pet to thrive.

6 Common Reasons for Head-Bobbing in Bearded Dragons

Head-bobbing is a common bearded dragon behavior in both wild and captive bearded dragons. It’s a typical beardie response to aggression, discomfort, and stress in their surroundings, both in their natural and artificial habitats.

The commonest reasons for head-bobbing in beardies include:

            1. Showing Territorial Dominance

In most cases, male bearded dragons bob their heads fast and aggressively as a show of territorial might and dominance.

In their natural habitats in the Australian deserts and outback, beardies are territorial lizards that compete for several resources counting food, space, hiding spots, and mates.

As such, they’ve evolved numerous survival instincts to help them conquer and protect more territory for survival.

Likewise, caged bearded dragons are equally territorial in their tanks. Thus, you’re likely to witness your beardie bobbing their head quickly and aggressively if you introduce another beardie into their tank.

They’ve already established the tank as their personal turf and other beardies are perceived as potential threats and competitors.

Head-bobbing to assert dominance is common in male bearded dragons. Nevertheless, female beardies of the same size sometimes head their heads up and down in a show of territorial dominance.

On top of the fast and aggressive up-and-down head bob, beardies sometimes flare up their beards and puff up their bodies to appear bigger and more menacing.

In the case of two male beardies, the second bearded dragon could accept the challenge for territorial dominance by returning the fast and aggressive up-and-down head bob.

After this, the two beardies circle each other and fight to determine the dominant and submissive one.

In most cases, beardies bobbing their heads to assert territorial dominance in captivity shows that you’re keeping multiple beardies in the same tank without sufficient space.

If you want the pets to thrive, put them, especially male beardies, in separate enclosures.

            2. Signaling Desire and Readiness to Mate

During the breeding season, approximately one month after brumation, male bearded dragons are tasked with the responsibility to search out and win female beardie partners. Thus, they must perform certain pre-mating gestures or rituals to lure the females.

Male bearded dragons use quick and jerky up-and-down head-bobbing round female beardies to show willingness and readiness to initiate mating with their chosen female partners.

The jerky head-bobbing gesture also warns the other males to back off from the chosen female as the dominant male has already pegged her as their own for that time.

On the other hand, the targeted female beardies respond with slower and more subtle head bobs to signify acceptance to the male’s advances.

Additionally, the females sometimes accompany their slow and subtle head bobs with a black beard and slow arm-waving to signal readiness and willingness to mate.

            3. Acknowledging the Presence of another Animal

Sometimes, your beardie could bob their head slowly and mildly, seemingly at nothing and for no reason in particular.

However, a closer inspection might reveal that this happens whenever your beardie spots another bearded dragon, pet, or other creature in the vicinity.

Oftentimes, beardie specialists hypothesize that this kind of head-bobbing in bearded dragons is a greeting gesture between beardies.

Then again, others argue that it’s a subtle warning to the new animal that the beardie has their eyes on them.

Either way, it’s best to keep beardies in separate tanks to avoid unnecessary competition, aggression, fights, and potential fatalities.

Further, placing your terrarium conveniently can keep your beardie from seeing strange surroundings, thus guarantee the pet a better chance to thrive.

            4. Showing Submission

Although bearded dragons are territorial solitary creatures, they often submit to perceived bigger and stronger beardies and other animals to avoid unnecessary antagonism.

In case you observe you beardie making slow and deliberate up-and-down head bobs, it’s most probably submitting to another seemingly dominant or intimidating animal such as a cat, dog, or human.

Besides the slow head-bobbing, a submissive beardie sometimes accompanies their submissive act with funky arm-waving.

Moreover, this submissive behavior is common in female beardies as they submit to and welcome a male beardie’ advances to mate.

If you’ve just recently adopted your beardie, they could be still adjusting to their new habitat and surroundings.

Thus, you might see them bobbing their heads in the typical submissive gesture as they perceive you as bigger and more intimidating. However, the behavior will stop as the pet grows more accustomed to you and their enclosure.

            5. Depth and Distance Perception

Bearded dragons boast exceptionally powerful eyesight due to the convenient placement of their primary eyes at the sides of their skull.

Further, this eye placement provides beardies with simultaneous front, side, and back vision around the shoulders without having to look around.

On top of this, bearded dragons sometimes bob their heads up and down to determine their distance from objects as far-away objects move considerably less compared to near-by objects.

In turn, this behavior helps the lizards to gauge various depths and distances, thus evade predators better and hunt prey more efficiently.

            6. Attempting to Intimidate Other Beardies or Creatures

We’ve already established that bearded dragons prefer a solitary life to a social one. Thus, they’ll go to a lot of pain to dominate their turf in the wild.

In the same breath, pet bearded dragons sometimes bob their head up and down in fast, jerky, and aggressive fashion to try and scare off other bearded dragons, pets, or other creatures from their terrarium.

Naturally, beardies deal with perceived threats by propping themselves up as bigger and more menacing reptiles.

On top of this, their fast, aggressive, and deliberate head-bobbing clearly signals nearby beardies or other creatures to stay off the alpha’s territory or female or risk a potentially violent confrontation.

What Other Behaviors Accompany Head-Bobbing in Bearded Dragons?

Along with observing the rate at which your pet beardie bobs their head, looking out for other accompanying behaviors can help you to determine the cause for the head-bobbing more accurately.

Besides the bobbing, you might observe your lizard doing performing these actions:

• Puffing up their Beard
• Arm-Waving
• Beard and Chin Turning Black

Beard-Puffing

Whenever a bearded dragon bobs his head aggressively and quickly and flares up his beard, it often symbolizes a challenge to another female beardie for dominance over turf, food, or female mates.

However, sometimes the beard-puffing is a form of instinctive defense mechanism against bigger predators.

In such cases, the beardie is trying to appear as large and menacing as possible to scare off the perceived predator.

Arm-Waving

If you see a male bearded dragon lifting and waving their arm to another male beardie, they’re submitting dominance to the bigger beardie.

The submissive beardie perceives the dominant one as bigger and stronger thus submits to avoid a confrontation they can’t win.

On the other hand, a female beardie waving their arm at a male beardie often signifies that the female welcomes the male’s proposition for mating.

In most cases, this behavior is accompanied with slow and deliberate head-bobbing.

Beard and Chin Turning Black

Oftentimes, a bearded dragon’s chin skin and beard turning to a dark coloration means that the reptile is under a lot of stress.

In case the dark coloration comes with head-bobbing, then your beardie is most likely sensing a challenge from another beardie or other creature.

Thus, it’s critical that you speedily resolve the situation stressing out your lizard to restore comfort and help them thrive.

Frequently Asked Questions About Head-Bobbing in Bearded Dragons

Do female Bearded Dragons bob their head?

Yes, like their male counterparts, female bearded dragons also bob their head in certain situations. However, head-bobbing in female beardies is relatively less frequent compared to their male friends.

In case you observe your female beardie bobbing their head at another beardie that’s new to the terrarium, their evidently trying to assert dominance over the new lizard.

Most probably, your beardie has already established the tank as their private turf, thus feel an instinctive urge to protect the space.

Nevertheless, a female bearded dragon bobbing their head slowly at a male beardie usually signals that the female has accepted the male’s advances to mate.

This behavior often comes in tandem with arm-waving from the submissive female dragon.

Further, hatchlings, baby and juvenile bearded dragons, particularly those kept in captivity as pets, usually bob their heads whenever they feel afraid or threatened irrespective of their sex.

It’s a beardie’s instinctive response to establish dominance over their new habitat and unfamiliar surroundings.

Then again, head-bobbing in young and small bearded dragons could be an effort to appear bigger and more intimidating to any perceived threat in their space.

The good news is that this head-bobbing ceases soon after your pet adjusts to their new habitat.

Still, you can help them to familiarize themselves faster with their surroundings by limiting the frequency and period you and other people handle the new pet.

You’ll have plenty of time to bond with your reptile pet once they’re comfortably settled.

Why is My Bearded Dragon Bobbing their Head at Other pets

In most cases, the beardie perceives other pets as potential threats, especially if the other animal approaches the terrarium or produces sounds that are unfamiliar to the beardie. Therefore, the pet lizard bobs their head aggressively in an attempt to scare away the intruding animal from their turf.

On the other hand, your bearded dragon could be bobbing their head at other pets in an effort to gauge their distance from the beardie’s tank.

In rare cases, the beardie could be trying to get the other pet’s attention and make an acquaintance with them.

Nonetheless, beardies thrive best in solitary seclusion, so it’s best to keep other beardies and pets far from where your caged reptile pet can see them to avoid unnecessary stress.

Why Do Bearded Dragons Bob their Head at Toys?

A beardie usually bobs their head at toys if they mistakenly perceive them as predators. In such cases, the beardie is trying to prop themselves up as a larger and more intimidating reptile in an effort to assert dominance and scare the predator away.

Conversely, bearded dragons sometimes bob their heads at stationary toys to determine their distance from the object so they can pass safely.

Why Do my Bearded Dragons Bob their Heads at Me?

It’s common for bearded dragons to bob their head at their owners. In case the head-bobbing is slow and deliberate, your beardie is trying to communicate that you’re the boss and they submit to you.

Moreover, it could be a form of greeting from your beloved pet reptile. The lizard identifies you as their owner and caregiver and is simply trying to pass a cordial greeting.

Nevertheless, a beardie bobbing their head quickly and aggressively at you is often a sign that they’re attempting to dominate their turf and make you submit to them.

This behavior usually wears off after you sufficiently bond with your pet and they feel relaxed and comfortable around you.

What Causes Bearded Dragons to Bob their Head while Sleeping?

Bearded dragons bob their heads a lot when awake but sometimes take the behavior to their sleep. Although it may seem bizarre to new beardie owners, it’s a typical reaction to some situations.

For instance, shining a bright light in a beardie tank at night often disrupts the pet’s sleep patterns, frustrates their rest, and elicits distressed head-bobbing.

Moreover, like humans, bearded dragons sometimes bob and jerk their heads as they fail into and out of sleep.

Should I be Worried if My Bearded Dragon is Always Bobbing their Head?

In case your beardie bobs their head frequently but doesn’t show any other worrisome signs, you have nothing to stress over.

However, if the head-bobbing is accompanied with any of these actions, it could point at an underlying issue such as:

• A black beard and dark-colored chin signifies that your beardie is stressed out by an unfamiliar habitat, surroundings, another pet, other creatures, or live bug feeders hat have been left to roam inside the beardie tank

• Arm-waving accompanying head-bobbing often shows that the beardie is either submitting to another’s mating advances or submitting to the dominance of another beardie to avoid unnecessary confrontation and fights.

• Aggressive and fast-paced head-bobbing toward another beardie, another pet, other creatures, or a new habitat is a typical show of dominance in bearded dragons

Oftentimes, head-bobbing in beardies ceases after some time especially after the pet reptile acclimatizes to their new habitat.

Nevertheless, if the behavior persists, it could stress out your beardie excessively and lead to fatal health complications.

Thus, it’s beat to locate the cause of the head-bobbing and promptly resolve the situation to help your pet thrive.

Why do Bearded Dragons Bob their Head at Nothing? 

A common misconception among inexperienced bearded dragons is that beardies have to bob their heads at something. Nevertheless, in most cases, beardies bob their head instinctively in response to the various feelings they experience.

Oftentimes, bearded dragons bob their head to establish dominance over humans, their turf, other pets, or another creature.

Then again, the pet lizards sometimes bob their head to win over or show acceptance to another beardie’s mating advances.

In all cases, a beardie bobs their head at something but especially performs the action to express their underlying feelings.

Wrapping Up

Head-bobbing in bearded dragons is a behavior that most beardie enthusiasts, owners, and caregivers misunderstand. You might mistake it for a serious problem or overlook it as an inconsequential beardie tendency.

Nevertheless, while it doesn’t always signify something worrisome, head-bobbing in beardies offers a chance to improve the pet’s life in captivity.

In most cases, bearded dragons bob their heads to assert dominance over their habitat or another pet, because they’re horny, feel threatened, or are stressed out by strange creatures, sounds, or unfamiliar surroundings.

Look at your pet’s artificial habitat, their surroundings, and the time of year to determine the reason for the head-bobbing.

On top of this, watch out for any accompanying symptoms that could point at an underlying problem such as a black beard, dark-colored chin, and excessive scratching or panting.

In most cases, pet bearded dragons cease their head-bobbing once they adapt to their new habitats and surroundings.

Nonetheless, it’s best to give your new pet sufficient time and space alone inside their tank and eliminate noises to reduce stress levels and give your beardie a better chance to thrive in captivity.