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Q. My dragon's neck/chin is all black!! What does it mean? A. You mean that thing where it looks like his eyes are gonna pop right outta his heads? That is called ‘eye bulging’. There appear to be a few different reasons why they do this: -To stretch and losen the skin around the eyes when they are getting ready to shed. -It can also be a sign of stress, so if your guy is doing it over and over, then see what might be stressing him out. -They can also do this if they have gotten something in their eye and are trying to dislodge it. -Sometimes they just do it to stretch their eyes. Because it feels good. You know, how when you rub your eyes when they’re tired? Brian McNab states, in his Physiological Ecology of Vertebrates book, that by eye bulging, these lizards are actually changing the pattern of circulation in their blood. That this can actually change the temperature between the head and the rest of the body, by reducing the heat in the head and increasing the heat in the body. If your bearded dragon exhibits eye bulging for an hour or so, make sure that you get him to a Reptile Vet ASAP………Some reptiles suffer from high blood pressue and this can cause their eyes to bulge. Creating thus, risks to their health. What is that white stuff in my beardie’s poop? It is basically his pee. It is called the urates. Urates are made up of two different parts: a white thick substance, and a clear globby, gooey, syrupy clear part. This clear part will surround the poop and the urates. The white part should be soft when deposited. If the urates are thick and a bit yellow, this could be your dragon is a bit dehydrated. If the urates are a darker yellow, orange or reddish, this could mean that it is breeding season, severe dehydration, a parasite infection and sometimes kidney problems. If the urates are very grainy, it is a sign of kidney trouble or stones. Sometimes a female dragon will pass something that looks like an egg yolk. This is an unshelled egg and it could mean trouble if there is any left inside her. It could cause an infection, so get her to a vet. It is very important that you know and observe your dragon closely so that you can see if a problem arises. So that you can keep your beardie a healthy and happy little guy. Can I help them shed by pulling at the skin? Never pull at the skin. You could hurt your dragon and damage the new skin underneath. Does my beardie love me? Do they have feelings? The Hypothalamus is the part of the brain where most of our emotions come from. All reptiles have one, therefore we assume that they do have feelings. A study was performed at Observation shows that dragons recognize and differentiate between people. There are certain people they like and certain people they don’t like. There are people they can be afraid of never having met them before. They recognize voices, and it even appears that they know and recognize their own name.
A. This usually indicates that your dragon is trying to assert his dominance or be intimidating.
It is also a male mating behavior, indicating he is interested in the female.
This type of behavior is usually seen in males, although females are capable of ‘black bearding’ too.
It’s nothing to be concerned about, but if your beardie is feeling threatened, be cautious of possible biting reactions if they are scared.
Q. My dragon is waving his arm in a circle, why?
A. This is generally considered a submissive gesture. It’s your beardie’s way of saying, “Yup, you’re the boss, and I don’t want to fight.”
It is also a female mating behavior, to let the male know that she may be receptive to his advances.
Q. What is this freaky eye thing my beardie is doing?
We want to thank Shez, Neil Sheriff, for the fabulous
picture of George eye bulging.
Q. What is that little black dot on the top of my beardie's head?
A. It’s called the third eye. The parietal eye; a kind of photosensory organ that allows your beardie to detect changes in light and dark. It is said that it also triggers hormone production and helps with the thermoregulating. It does have an immature retina and lens but cannot form images.
Something you can do to help your dragon shed, is give him a few more warm soaks in luke-warm water. This will help the skin to loosen and fall off faster.
Basic emotions are fear, aggression and pleasure. And we know that dragons will attack what angers them, avoid what scares them, and look for what gives them pleasure.