In this guide, we will explain why your bearded dragon waves, what it means, and what action is required of you when they do this.

How Does Arm Waving Look Like?

Many owners actually misinterpret other forms of arm movements, such as waving. While it might be harmless to think wrong, it’s still very important to know exactly what kind of behavior you are dealing with.

Some of the behavior may require adjusting to the care you give your beardie.

When a beardie waves, it’s basically a deliberate wave (sometimes slow), where they raise one of the hands above the head and then move it back slowly to the ground.

You have probably realized that beardies lack the same fluidity when it comes to arm motion. The behavior is somewhat robotic for them, but it’s nothing to worry about.

They might only wave occasionally, but it’s likely they’ll do it a few times in a row. Once you notice the behavior, you’ll always see it.

What Does it Mean When Your Bearded Dragon Waves?

Is it a random behavior with no meaning at all, or are they trying to communicate something? While waving means different things in different situations, the tricky part is to find out what the waving means at what time.

The truth is, there are many reasons why a bearded dragon could wave. Some of the reasons are due to things you can’t control, but others might require you to adjust the kind of care you provide.

Some of the most common reasons to consider when your dragon waves include:

1. It’s a sign of submissiveness

Sometimes a beardie will wave as a sign of submissiveness. They will do this towards predators and other animals in the wild to show that they are not the strongest in the territory.

When they do it, for this reason, they are simply demonstrating that they are not challenging any other animal for dominance. This helps them to stay safe and away from unwanted encounters.

Most other creatures (including the smallest) tend to try and appear strong, which is not a practical approach sometimes. Just this shows how intelligent the bearded dragons are.

So, when a bearded dragon waves at you, there’s a good chance they just want to acknowledge you as the owner.

Your beardie might have the urge to communicate this often, and there’s nothing wrong. There’s nothing you need to do but enjoy the quirky behavior.

It’s kind of satisfying to know your beardie likes you and is trying to communicate it in some way.

2. There are Scary Pets in the Household

As we noted earlier, beardies can easily fear other pets. It’s probably just a cat getting too close to the enclosure or a dog, and the beardie is getting nervous.

If you have young kids in the house, the random movements and noises are also other things that could be making your beardie uneasy.

There are things you can do to react to this. You first need to understand that the beardie is just trying to show other animals or people they aren’t a threat and just want to be left alone.

It’s a bit different from the situation where a beardie tries to wave at its owner. You should be able to understand the person they are waving at is the one who takes care of them.

When it comes to waving when other things scare them, they are usually genuinely concerned that the other one might hurt them. It’s a clear sign that the living environment is suboptimal.

If this happens with your beardie, you should find a way to remove the stress and fear from their view and ensure the enclosure is far from other animals and won’t be disturbed.

3. They are Acknowledging Other Pets/People

If there are passive people or pets who regularly come in the room and go without interacting with the beardie, it might be waving to acknowledge their presence.

If you are unsure whether the waving is fear-driven or acknowledgment, here’s how you can determine.

Try figuring out the context. Are the pets or people that the beardie is waving at trying to scare them? Perhaps by moving quickly towards the enclosure or making noises that scare the beardie.

If they are just minding their business and passing by slowly, there’s a chance the beardie is just giving an “I know you are there” signal.

The frequency of their waving is also a factor to consider. If this happens occasionally, it’s probably nothing fear-driven.

However, if it keeps happening, you want to test. Sometimes you have to prevent people and animals from getting too near the enclosure to deal with the stress.

4. Their Reflection is Tricking Them

This is a funny case, but it can happen in glass cages with opaque objects on the sides. While this may be a great design to keep your dragon engaged, it might be unintended. On occasion, beardies will see their own reflection and disguise it as another beardie. Two possibilities why the beardie is waving back to the reflection: to show acknowledgment or show they don’t want to fight. This is usually harmless, but you might also want to test if they are legitimately afraid of the reflection. If you need to stop this from happening, it’s as easy as tweaking the positioning of the light in the enclosure to alter reflection.

5. Mating season

A possible reason for bearded dragon waving is mating. In the wild, the females tend to wave toward males to get their attention. As such, if you have a male beardie, there’s a slim chance that its mating behavior. For females waving, however, it could be the cause.

If you are unsure whether this is the reason for waving, you should look for other signs like head bobbing as well as methodical movement around the enclosure.

If none of that is occurring, it’s likely not the reason for waving.

6. Space is limited

Some reptile owners strive to provide the best conditions in the enclosure for many beardies at once. But this may not work if the males in the cage are fighting over territory and females.

In this case, they can only live in small groups of not more than three (preferably one male, two females).

One of the signs that you have too many bearded dragons in the tank is too frequent waving behavior. Waving toward other dragons should be one of the signs to let you know they are uncomfortable.

Also, notice the one beardie doing most of the waving, as it’s most likely the most submissive and least territorial.

Also, make sure you provide enough space for the dragon because the waving can be a sign of an uncomfortable tank. The right tank size for an adult bearded dragon should be at least 4x2x2 Feet.

Juveniles can work with a smaller tank, but it’s recommended you get a large one and partition it until they achieve adulthood.

Small tanks leave your dragon trapped in a small area that makes it hard for them to stretch. On the other hand, a tank that’s too large could also make them uncomfortable.

Ensure there are not too many wide spaces in the enclosure as these can make the dragon feel vulnerable.

7. Window View

Does your dragon face a window with a view from the enclosure? It might be the reason they wave.

Whenever they see birds, they are afraid, which could make them anxious. It’s even worse if there’s a tree just outside the window where they can see crows and sparrows.

The prey hides and waves to protect themselves from predators.

Due to this fear, it’s essential to protect them from the skyrocketing stress levels by closing this window.

8. Change in Scenery

Like many creatures, bearded dragons are creatures of habit. They grow accustomed to their surroundings. If there’s a sudden change in scenery, they may begin to experience stress.

Although they may get used to it eventually, this does cause frequent waving. If you think it’s causing too much stress to your beardie, try repositioning him to a different room or part of the house.

This is a common scenario when the juveniles have already gotten accustomed to the breeder’s store.

They may seem to exhibit a bit too much waving but will adjust to the new environment. You just need to give them some space to be at ease first.

9. Juvenile Behavior

If you have a young bearded dragon, you might have noticed that they wave their arms more than adults. This is often true if you have many beardies in the enclosure.

Even if there are no fights in the tank, juveniles will still wave. Just by looking at how the beardie practices the waving, you’ll notice it’s different, and the hand stays in the air for for longer than what adults would.

Besides, they might keep switching hands as if they are unsure of which hand to wave. In this case, it’s harmless, but you need to keep a closer eye on it.

It could be that the beardie is becoming territorial, leading to fights over the coming months.

What If Your Bearded Dragon Is Waving a Lot?

A beardie waving constantly is an issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible. As we’ve seen above, the most common causes of unhealthy waving in beardies are nervousness and suboptimal habitat.

That said, it’s your responsibility as the owner to know the cause and fix it.

For instance, if the bearded dragon is afraid of people or animals passing by the enclosure, you can fix this by placing the cage in a different area where there’s less interaction.

How To Reduce Your Bearded Dragon Excess Waving?

1. Get Plants and Hides

In the wild, a bearded dragon’s natural environment is under logs and rocks. You should aim to replicate the natural habitat by getting some plastic plants and hides.

These provide a safe place for the bearded dragon to hide and feel less vulnerable. We recommend getting a hide or two and about three plastic plants in the terrarium.

Position them on the sides to ensure your bearded dragon only looks out the terrarium on the front.

2. Separate your Bearded Dragons

Although bearded dragons like to socialize, you should be careful about how you group them. Most of the time, they do not coexist in large groups of more than three.

If you think the waving is a result of overcrowding or being suppressed by another dragon, you should separate them.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon Waving at Crickets?

Some owners have also noticed that their beardies wave at crickets, especially the young bearded dragons. Usually, the beardie looks at the crickets, waves at them, and then attacks. Usually, arms waving can either be a show of recognition, fear from other pets, or submission and reaction to reflection.

When it comes to feeding, the reason is entirely different. Of course, it’s yet to be proven why they wave, but their various thought reasons.

For instance, when a beardie waves at crickets, it pretends to be friendly before they expect the worst.

However, sometimes they wave because they are frightened of seeing lots of insects running around.

This may happen when you offer too many crickets at the same time. If this is the case for you, it’s best to start by providing a few crickets and keep adding as the dragon feeds.

Also, big crickets can scare the beardies as they crawl. You can consider offering the crickets in a food bowl with a lid where the beardie sticks the head and front legs.

This way, it can feed on the crickets without worrying about them crawling.

Why Do Bearded Dragons Bob Their Heads and Wave?

Bearded dragons also wave to signify they recognize other beardies in the enclosure, particularly those superior to them. As for head bobs, these can mean different things. Females use slow head bob to show submission to males.

When the females bob slowly, it’s often a sign they are ready to mate. A faster head bob in females could signify stress and warning that she wants to be left alone.

It can also be a sign to the male that she does not want to mate because she’s gravid.

In males, a fast head bob signifies dominance and is accompanied by aggression. Besides, males’ vigorous head bob and shaking of the whole body are seen right before mating begins.

Should I Wave Back at my Bearded Dragon?

Yes, you can wave back at your bearded dragon if you want as too. There is no harm in doing that.

Common Misconception About Waving in Bearded Dragons

Some things people say when bearded dragon waves are incorrect. These include:

Your Dragon Is Waving Hello

While it’s nice to believe that your beardie is greeting you when they wave, it’s not true. Beardies do not have the same concept of greetings as humans do.

They communicate by waving, but it does not mean they are saying hello.

All Bearded Dragons Must Wave

Some dragons do not display the waving behavior, and there’s nothing wrong if your beardies do not wave.

When they don’t wave, it simply means they feel very dominant and do not feel the urge to communicate submission. It might also mean they are satisfied and healthy.

Only Female Beardies Wave

All bearded dragons show the waving behavior regardless of their gender. Female beardies do the wave and bob their heads as a show of submission towards the males and to show they are ready to mate.

Make bearded dragons may also wave to show submission to their owners or other mates who are bigger and stronger than them.

Wrap Up

More research is still being gathered to understand more about what the waves in bearded dragons mean. Right now, the reasons addressed in this guide can be agreed upon by most experts.

That said, you should keep an eye on your bearded dragon waving to ensure it doesn’t become overly frequent.

Waving in bearded dragons is not considered too dangerous, even if it’s frequent, but you also need to know whether something is wrong with your surroundings. Stress is not suitable for beardies as it could make them ill.

Bearded dragons are adorable pets and if you have one, consider yourself lucky.