Yes, bearded dragons can hear their owners which is a relief. They can also hear other noises around. Beardies have great hearing skills that they learned from the wild. It’s where they have to make their escape from predators. As a pet, bearded dragons retain this ability to hear their owner talk to them.
Bearded dragons can hear around their environment. They are also listening to the movements of their prey. Like other animals, bearded dragons take advantage of their ability to hear. That serves them well whether they are in the wild or at the comfort of their enclosure from your home.
How Do Bearded Dragons Hear?
Bearded dragons can hear you when you talk to them. But some people think they can’t hear because it seems that they don’t have ears. Although it’s not the case because bearded dragons have ears.
But it doesn’t look like those of humans or other animals. It’s not protruding so this is easy to miss.
The ears of bearded dragons look like a hole. They don’t have an outer ear like other pets you may have. Beardies only possess a pair of inner ears.
It’s easy to find if you want to check it out. Just follow their mouth right to the corner and move your finger up a little.
Bearded dragons can hear very well like other animals. They have to be keen, especially in the wild.
Predators and preys are all over their natural environment. They need to listen to the sounds to be able to eat their prey and avoid getting eaten by predators.
Why Hearing is Important for Bearded Dragons?
1. Avoiding the Predators
The main reason why bearded dragons have a great hearing is to escape their predators. It’s essential for their survival in the wild. If they can’t hear a predator approving, they will be eaten.
Their common predators are cats, pythons, dingoes, foxes, and even birds. These predators have attacks differently and they are all great hunters.
Bearded dragons rely on their vision as well to escape predators. Using their sense of hearing is also very helpful for them. In the wild, survival is essential.
Only those who have superior skills, strength, and intelligence can survive. The great hearing provides bearded dragons to survive and avoid their predators.
They have sensitive hearing which allows buddies to detect approaching predators. It will help them to avoid danger.
When they are in the wild, hundreds of predators are around them. All of those are great hunters and they can easily capture their prey. A good hearing provides bearded dragons an advantage.
2. Catching Their Prey
Bearded dragons need to have a great hearing as well to catch their prey. It’s survival of the fittest when they are in the wild. They have to eat when they are hungry to survive as well. Beardies can find different varieties of insects in the wild. But food is scarce at times and it’s not readily available for them.
In the wild, they need to be very patient before they can eat. Beardies need to wait for several hours to find insects or bugs to catch and eat.
Hearing is very important during these waiting periods. They need to detect the sound of their prey or they can go hungry.
In captivity, bearded dragons don’t need to worry about food anymore. Their owners feed them every day. But they still need to use their sense of hearing for feeder insects.
They also need to use their vision to find these feeder insects that you provide. Beardies still need to use their hearing and vision even as pets.
Feeder insects will hide from bearded dragons within their enclosure. Bearded dragons need to find them and use their hearing ability.
They can hear even the slightest noise and will trigger their instinct to feed. You can observe your beardie how it can catch its prey in its enclosure.
3. Ability to Respond When Their Name is Called
Some bearded dragons owners may be wondering if they can hear their owners calling their names. The good news is, beardies can be trained to respond when their name is called. They can recognize their names by proper training which is also a good bonding moment.
Training your bearded dragon on how to respond to its name is important. In case your pet suddenly gets lost, it will be easier to find it.
All you have to do is to call your pet’s name and the beardie should respond. It’s a helpful skill to teach your pet. That way, you can easily find it and avoid being too worried.
Sometimes, new bearded dragon owners often overlook this ability. Teaching your pet to respond to its name can create a strong bond between you and your reptile.
It can also come in handy in case you can’t find it around the house. Beardies can hear you when you call its name and come to you.
Once your bearded dragon learns how to respond when you call its name, it will run to you right away. This ability can bring you closer together.
It’s a great feeling to see your beardie running when you call out its name. Learning this ability can also play a vital role in your lizard’s safety. It’s best to train your bearded dragon to recognize its given name.
Do Bearded Dragons Recognize Their Owners’ Voice?
Yes, bearded dragons can recognize their owners’ voices. It depends on how long you interact with your pet. That’s why it’s good to play with your lizard every day. Try to speak in the same tone when you talk to your pet. It will help the bearded dragon to recognize your voice easily.
Beardies are smart and they can recognize the voice of their owners and the one who feeds them. They can associate your voice with food.
Like other animals, reptiles can learn anything if they can get something out of it. When it comes to beardies, they can remember easily if it’s associated with food.
Do Bearded Dragons Have Ears?
Yes, bearded dragons have ears. That’s why they can hear the sounds around them. It’s a misconception that they don’t have ears. Like other animals, bearded dragons have ears. It allows them to survive when they are in the wild. They can hear both their prey and predators. It will help them to stay alive.
However, bearded dragons’ ears don’t have an external part. They only have internal ears which look like two small holes. Their ears are located above the mouth. It can receive sound and vibration from its surroundings.
These holes make them aware of what’s going on around them. Beardies evolved to hear sounds to help them survive in the wild.
Do Bearded Dragon’s Ears Need Cleaning?
No, you should not attempt to clean your lizard’s ears. Bearded dragon’s ears look like holes in their head. It’s located farther back than their eyes and halfway down between the corner of their mouth.
If you check your beardie, you should see a thin membrane which is known as the tympanic membrane.
Their ears appear like large holes and something might get inside them. Beardies don’t have to protect external ears like other animals.
You might fear that the substrate or some small pieces of bark can get inside their ears. If you think that your beardie got something inside its ears, see a vet instead.
Do Bearded Dragons Get Bothered By Noises?
It depends since beardies have different individual personalities. Some may be outgoing and dominant and others may be submissive and timid. Their personalities will determine if they can get easily bothered by the noises around their enclosure.
Some bearded dragons may be unbothered by the noises they hear but others may be annoyed.
Loud sounds can bother a bearded dragon if it happens abruptly. Although quiet noise can be more intimidating for bearded dragons. It’s associated with predators so that can stress them.
You have to understand that bearded dragons also have different personalities. Avoid putting them where there are loud noises when the beardies show discomfort.
The best thing to do is to observe your bearded dragon. If it seems to get stressed by loud noises, find a different area and relocate the enclosure to a quieter place.
That will help your pet to relax better. But if your beardie looks unbothered, you don’t have to do anything. If it doesn’t show discomfort when hearing loud noises, your pet should be fine.
Can Bearded Dragons Sleep With Noise?
When it comes to sleeping, bearded dragons are the same as humans. They also have different ways and requirements when they are sleeping. Beardies also prefer to sleep in the dark. They sleep during the night and prefer to sleep when it’s quiet. It will help them relax easier than sleeping with noises.
When your bearded dragon tries to sleep but hears noises, it will have a hard time. They need to constantly listen to make sure that predators are not coming to get them.
It will bother your beardie when it hears noises. The beardies brain will not allow it to rest because of the noises it needs to process.
Is Excessive Noise Unhealthy for Bearded Dragons?
Loud noises sometimes occur but they should not cause any problems. Bearded dragons can process the noises it hears around them. It’s hard to avoid especially if you have to use appliances that can create loud noises. These are essentials to living a modern life. But you don’t have to worry about your beardie.
However, constant noises that happen for a long time and are unnecessary should be avoided. You have to think about its effect on your bearded dragon over time.
Playing loud music every day can cause them stress. They have excellent hearing and it can be bad for their well-being to be exposed to loud noises.
Natural noises might scare your beardies but you don’t have to worry about it. As an example, barking dogs can scare them. But the bearded dragon can hide. It only happens for a short time.
Bearded dragons can come out when they already feel comfortable. Although it scares your pet, it’s not as bad as unnecessary noises that last a long time.
Do Bearded Dragons Make Noises?
Many pets such as cats, dogs, and birds can be very noisy at times. It can be annoying and can get into your nerves and your neighbors. The best thing about bearded dragons is that they don’t have vocal cords. They communicate using body language. That means they are not noisy like other pets.
Bearded dragons hiss when it feels threatened. They can’t make loud noises like other animals. Although when you provide them with some crickets, those insects can be noisy.
But bearded dragons can still make some sound yet not as loud as other animals. If you pay close attention to your pet, you will know what sounds it can make.
How Bearded Dragons Make Noises?
As mentioned, bearded dragons don’t make noises like other animals. Dogs and cats can be noisy at times. But don’t expect it to be the same with your lizard. They don’t usually make noises since they can communicate through body language. Beardies body language can be easily understood.
As an example, bearded dragons will bob its head to show dominance. It can also be a sign that they are ready to mate.
When a beardie waves its arms, it means it’s showing submission. It looks funny to see a bearded dragon waving and cute at the same time.
They have good eyes and are very territorial especially when they are in the wild. When they see another bearded dragon on their territory, they will show a certain body language.
They will show movements to the other beardies to leave or just stay where they are which means they can’t come closer.
Can Bearded Dragons Change Their Colors?
Their coloring also plays a huge role when it comes to communication. If you think that only chameleons can change colors, beardies can do the same. Although they can’t change their colors completely, bearded dragons may appear darker or brighter colors.
When bearded dragon feels discomfort, they can change the color of their beard to black. Their beard changes to black as well while mating.
They can change the color of their beard depending on how they feel. Therefore, making a sound is not important to them. Although they can use their body language to convert their message.
How Bearded Dragons Communicate?
1. Hissing
Beardies hiss and it’s always combined with very strong body language. They hiss when they see a threat around them. It will scare other animals and leave them alone.
This may look like aggressive behavior but it’s more of a defense mechanism. Bearded dragons don’t attack if they don’t feel threatened.
When a bearded dragon hiss, it means that it’s their last warning. If ignored, prepare to be slapped by its tail or get bitten. Don’t underestimate your bearded dragon because it will attack if threatened.
Beardies can also show their black beards and puff their bodies. It will help them look bigger and more dangerous to intimidate other animals.
Bearded dragons are not likely to bite without a reason. Many bearded dragon owners never heard their pet hissing. Beardies are laid-back types of animals.
They are not aggressive and don’t want to attack anyone. Unless you make them feel threatened, you will hear bearded dragons hiss.
2. Glass Surfing
Another way bearded dragons communicate is by glass surfing. Sometimes, beardies scratch the glass of their terrarium. It appears that it wants to get out of its enclosure.
This action can be very noisy but not all beardies do this. It only happens when the reptile is bothered by something around the tank.
There are different reasons why bearded dragons do glass surfing. It can be because it saw a slider or a fly around the enclosure. They have very good eyesight so they can see small insects.
Your beardie may also do this since it knows you will let it out. Glass surfing also means that the enclosure is too small for your bearded dragon.
3. Digging
It’s a natural behavior for bearded dragons to dig. They dig caves and even bury themselves in the sand. But some owners don’t allow their beardies to dig.
They also use reptile carpet or newspaper as substrate. Some beardies eat substrate so their owners don’t use sand to avoid them from digging.
When you use a sand mix, bearded dragons can sometimes eat it. That will cause inspection when the beardies have eaten a lot. It’s the reason why many owners don’t use substrate anymore.
But bearded dragons only do this if they need to balance their minerals. The best thing to do is to offer your beardie calcium to avoid this behavior.
Digging should be encouraged for bearded dragons. It will not make too much noise when they do this. You can use a clay mix as a substrate.
That way, the beardie will not try to eat those. It’s their natural behavior in the wild so it should be encouraged. Digging can help your beardie to release stress.
4. Feels Sick
Bearded dragons can sometimes get sick which is unfortunate. Some diseases may lead to very weak hissing sounds. Although it’s not normal hissing for bearded dragons.
When beardies are sick, you can hear them breathing hard. It can also be combined with coughing or in some cases, checking.
If you hear your bearded dragon with weak hissing, it means that your pet may be suffering from lung inflammation.
This may also mean it has parasites or yellow fungus disease. When you hear your beardie with a weak hissing sound, you have to visit the vet right away to get treated.
Should You Feed Crickets to Bearded Dragons?
Feeder insects such as crickets can be noisy. If you have a box of crickets, you will hear them chirping. The noise they can make depends on how many crickets you have stored. It can get into your nerves at times when crickets constantly make their noises.
If you hate the sound of crickets chirping from time to time, you can fix that easily. Instead of crickets, you should buy dubia roaches.
It’s healthier for bearded dragons and they are quieter. That will also let your bearded dragon rest from hearing its prey.
FAQs
Do bearded dragons have better hearing than humans?
Yes, bearded dragons have better hearing than humans. They are more sensitive to sounds. Their awesome hearing sense helps them to survive in the wild. They can hear when predators are approaching. It also helps them to find prey for food.
Can bearded dragons see?
Yes, beardies can see and they have a great vision. It helps them survive the wild by seeing predators from far away. They can also locate their prey easily with their good eyesight. It’s helpful for their survival aside from having a great sense of hearing.
Do bearded dragons have a third eye?
Yes, they do! Bearded dragons have their third eye and it is located at the top of their head. It looks like a small dot but it can’t see images. Although it can see different changes in the dark and light. This helps them to be more alert all the time.
