If you see your bearded dragon mouth open you might think they are happy or maybe even hungry but there are a few reasons why they do this and you should know why they do it
Keeping a close eye on how your bearded dragon behaves is going to tell you a lot about their personality and what might be wrong
Now just because they are doing something doesn’t always mean something is wrong however, there are things you can pick up on
Like Glass surfing. Some owners think this is completely normal behavior but it’s not.
Glass surfing is a sign of stress and shouldn’t be laughed at if you care a lot about your beardie
This article is going to cover why bearded dragons keep their mouths open sometimes and if you’re a new bearded dragon owner check out this long guide for beginners
Table of Contents
Bearded Dragon Mouth open
The first cause of this is that they are trying to regulate their temperature
This is the most noticeable thing because they will actually do this on their basking spots sometimes
You might walk by the tank and see your bearded dragon mouth open on their basking rock or log
They do this often to help regulate their body temperature so don’t worry about it too much
Once they reach the right temperature they will stop holding their mouth open
The heat itself actually leaves their mouth stopping them from becoming overheated
Bearded dragons will go to their basking spot to obviously heat themselves up but they also go there to help with digestion
The best way to think about this is how humans sweat to cool down. Bearded dragons will open their mouth to let heat out
The temperature in the tank needs to be just right in order for your bearded dragon to be able to regulate its temperature properly
If its too cool all the time they might try to leave the tank. They won’t be able to digest food properly.
If its too hot they will hide under their hiding spots if you have them set up a lot and they will sit still
make sure you keep a close eye on what the temperature is
They might be angry
Sometimes an open mouth will be accompanied by a black beard
if they are showing this to you they could be mad at you or agitated by something else around them
If the temperature is okay then you want to make sure they aren’t being bothered by another animal or something around them
When a bearded dragon feels threatened by something in their environment they will get defensive as any other animal will do
They will show a puffy beard, they will stand taller. They are going to try to appear bigger than they actually are
Do you keep stuffed animals near your bearded dragon’s enclosure?
Do you have other animals in your home near your beardie?
is your bearded close enough to a window that other animals can be seen by him?
When did you bring your bearded dragon home? he might still not be used to you yet
There are a lot of different reasons but the easiest to check off are the ones with the environment
If your bearded dragon isn’t used to you yet make sure you spend at least 20 minutes near them every day
They will get used to the sound of your voice and what you look like
eventually, they will know you’re not a threat and will not hurt them
I had to move my bearded dragon’s tank when I first brought him home because we also have a cat
The cat’s litter box was in the same room as the beardie’s tank
so every time the cat went in there to do its business our bearded dragon would puff up and open his mouth
He didn’t like the cat going near him for a long time. He is ok with it now but it was difficult for us because our place was small at the time
Now we have a bigger place so we were able to move him to another room without worrying
If you have many animals I would highly suggest giving your bearded dragon his own room if you can.
If your bearded dragon gets stressed out it can be bad over the long haul
Until he gets to know you and knows that you’re safe and will protect him he will get stressed out more often
Other animals pose the biggest threat to him and that’s why he gets upset when they’re around
Another thing to consider is how many other people live in the same household as you
They will usually bond with the person they spend the most time with which should be the owner
But sometimes they will be bothered by other people in the house
They can also get upset with too much noise as well
If you notice they get upset when you have company over make sure you spend a little time with your bearded dragon before they come over
I do this when people come over to my place
It’s almost like they enjoy it when you come to check on them
Sometimes a colorful shirt can make your bearded dragon angry!
It’s kind of funny how picky they can be. If you’ve recently bought them a certain toy it can make them angry
Run down the list and make small changes over time and see what happens
If you’ve done everything then it’s a good idea to take them to the vet as they could be sick or dealing with something you can’t see
which leads to
Respiratory infection
Sometimes a bearded dragon mouth open is the sign of a respiratory infection. Now this can happen because of a dirty tank that needs to be cleaned as well as humidity levels being too high
if humidity is too high it makes it really easy for bacteria, fungus, and viruses to grow
You want to keep the humidity levels under 40% and above 20%
IF you notice your bearded dragon is lethargic, tired, not eating much, a cracking and wheezing sound coming from his mouth and nose then he is probably suffering from a respiratory infection
Bearded dragons thrive in hot dry climates. They are used to that desert environment.
When you change something they have evolved to do they can get sick easily
the best way to keep an eye on your bearded dragon’s humidity is through a thermometer that also tells you the humidity levels
That way you can keep a really close eye on the humidity levels that the tank should be at
If you notice the humidity level is too high you should keep the amount of water you let into the tank lower
Sometimes people will have massive water bowls for their bearded dragons and on top of that they will keep them near the basking light which will help it evaporate
This will drive up humidity levels fast. Sometimes people will also mist the tank too much
This obviously also helps if your bearded dragon needs humidity too. You should focus on keeping the levels between 20 and 40 percent
The right substrate will also help with humidity levels
Ceramic and reptile carpet will have awesome results in keeping humidity levels down but stuff like moss and bark will retain moisture a lot
It’s a lot easier to raise humidity levels than it is to lower them. You might have to buy external ventilation to help you achieve lowering humidity levels
A de-humidifier will work too
They are stretching their beards out
They will do this a lot when they are coming close or during the shedding of their skin
when they open their mouths that help loosen the skin under their beards which will help the skin to fall off
they will also puff their bearded while doing this to help that process out more
Sometimes they might just feel like stretching their beards out
it’s normal and you don’t really need to worry about this too much
Another bearded dragon is nearby
They might do this if they see their own reflection in the glass of the tank they are inside
Your bearded dragon’s mouth might also be open because of another beardie nearby
Bearded dragons really do prefer to be alone and they don’t like the idea that another bearded dragon might come along and take their spot
Opening their mouths is another way of showing dominance over the other bearded dragons around
If you own more than one bearded dragon and you see this you should split them up and move them into separate tanks
If one were to dominate the other it would lead to a stressful environment for the weaker one. Sometimes the size of the bearded dragon will automatically make all the other bearded dragons feel inferior
If they aren’t separated soon they will start fighting
this can lead to issues down the road because they will hurt each other
That can cause other infections to happen as well
along with that, you can expect to have to take them to the vet if something happens to their eyes or ears during a fight
it’s best to have them split up
Mating season
Another reason why your bearded dragon’s mouth is open is that they are mating
Their hormones will take over and they will search for a mate
When this happens they can actually get very aggressive and might even try to bite you. It’s a good idea to wait it out and let them calm down
Even if you’re the owner and they’ve formed a close bond with you they might still get aggressive with you. They can’t really help it so don’t take it personally
Summary. FAQ’s and Questions
There are a few reasons why bearded dragons keep their mouths open for a specific amount of time but most of the time you will see this is if they are too hot
This is the only time I’ve ever seen my bearded dragon do this
If you keep the tank clean you will see they won’t get infections often and make sure if you’re ever unsure about something you talk to your vet about it
Questions
I see my bearded dragon mouth open his mouth open only in the evening time. Why is this?
This could be because throughout the day the tank has warmed up and he’s trying to dissipate heat to cool down
What you should do is make sure at night you turn off the lights
I know of many owners who leave the lights on all the time. The tank needs to be cool at night. This is what bearded dragons will be used to in the wild
In the Wild, it would be really hot during the day and cool at night. This is what they have evolved to know so its best if you try to replicate that experience in your bearded dragon’s tank
