Bearded dragons are commonly kept pet lizards, but their behavior can be a lot more colorful than you might expect.
Several bearded dragon behaviors are simply ways of communicating with others of their species, as well as people and perceived enemies.
Most of their behaviors are meant to convey messages of dominance, interest in a mate or their emotional state. Others are the result of environmental factors.
Why Is My Bearded Dragon Curling Its Tail Up?
As a bearded dragon owner you’ve likely noticed your reptile friend curling its tail straight up into the air on occasion. This peculiar behavior is completely normal and is simply your dragon’s way of communicating. A curled tail can signify excitement dominance, warmth-seeking, alertness, stress, or other emotional states.
Understanding the context around your bearded dragon’s tail-curling will help you interpret what it’s trying to tell you. With a little detective work, you can get to the bottom of your dragon’s body language. Here’s a look at some of the top reasons a bearded dragon curls its tail upward and what each tail position means.
Hunting Mode
In the wild, bearded dragons are adept hunters of small prey like insects, spiders, and other invertebrates. They retain this natural hunting instinct even when kept as pets. One telltale sign your bearded dragon has switched into hunting mode is a curled tail.
You’re most likely to witness tail-curling when it’s time to feed your dragon. As you open the enclosure to offer bugs or prepared diet, your dragon will become alert and excited. Tail upright, it will watch the food intently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. This highly focused state indicates your bearded dragon is honed in on hunting to satisfy its appetite.
New Exploration
Bearded dragons are naturally curious and love to investigate anything new in their environment. Adding or moving decor in your dragon’s enclosure is bound to pique interest. As your dragon explores the changes, it will likely hold its tail curled upward. This signals your pet is feeling alert and somewhat cautious in the novel situation.
The same tail position can be seen when allowing your bearded dragon out for exercise. Roaming in a new area of the house prompts heightened awareness. Your dragon wants to take in all the sights, sounds, and smells while staying alert for any potential dangers. With so much stimuli to process, an upright tail helps your pet remain focused.
Mirror Confrontation
Does your bearded dragon appear aggressive or display dominance behaviors like head-bobbing at its reflection in the tank glass? If so, you will probably also notice an upright, curled tail. Your dragon is perceiving its reflection as a rival dragon intruding in its territory.
The upright tail signals a territorial warning. If the reflection doesn’t back down, your bearded dragon may even puff out its beard or open its mouth wide to intimidate the “other dragon.” This harmless territorial display is easily remedied by providing a background on the tank exterior to eliminate reflections.
Basking or Bath Time
A curled, upright tail isn’t always a sign something is amiss. You may also witness this tail position when your bearded dragon is basking under its heat lamp. The warmth flowing down from above is comforting, relaxing the dragon’s mood. A curled tail indicates contentment.
Similarly, a nice, warm soak in the bath tub elicits a curled tail. As your dragon sits in the water, tail held overhead, it is simply enjoying the cozy bath. Elevating the tail out of the water keeps it dry while allowing your pet to soak the rest of its body.
Dominance Behavior
While bearded dragons are solitary lizards, males may still engage in dominance displays from time to time. Even though no rival male is present, an upright tail communicates a dominant status within your dragon’s territory. Head-bobbing and push-ups often precede or accompany the curled tail as your dragon shows off its manliness.
If your dragon is housed alone, this show of dominance is perfectly normal and harmless. However, housing two males together can cause serious conflict. Both will continually assert their dominance, which may escalate to physical violence in the confined space. For this reason, male dragons are best housed individually.
Stress Response
Unfortunately, a curled tail can also be one sign of a stressed bearded dragon. Your pet’s tail will shoot straight up whenever it feels threatened, frightened, or uneasy. Common stressors include loud noises, habitat disturbances, uncomfortable temperatures, unfamiliar handling, or perceived predators like other pets.
If your dragon’s tail is frequently curled and it displays other stress symptoms like darkened beard and reluctance to eat, take action to modify its habitat and routine to restore comfort. Ensure your pet has proper hideouts, lighting, and temperature ranges. Gradually acclimate it to handling to build trust. With improved husbandry, your bearded dragon’s stress levels and tail-curling should diminish.
Medical Issue
In very rare cases, neurological disorders can cause a bearded dragon to compulsively curl its tail. Spinal injury or metabolic bone disease leading to hindlimb paralysis are two possible medical problems that can result in a permanently curled tail. Limb weakness or loss of control prevents lowering the tail.
If your dragon persists in holding its tail up rigidly and you’ve ruled out other explanations, a vet visit is in order. Seek an exotic pet specialist for an exam to diagnose any underlying health issue causing the tail curling. With treatment, some dragons are able to regain normal tail function.
How to Understand Tail Curling
Bearded dragons display an amazing array of behavior with their postures and positioning. By learning your individual pet’s subtle body language, you will be better able to interpret messages like a curled up tail. Here are a few tips for understanding what your bearded dragon is trying to tell you:
-
Note anytrends in when tail curling happens to identify connections with feeding time, new enclosures, handling, etc.
-
Compare with other communication cues like widened eyes, darkened beard, puffed beard, arm waves, head bobbing, or gaping mouth.
-
Consider recent changes to your dragon’s enclosure, diet, or surrounding environment for sources of stress.
-
Monitor how long the curled tail and associated behaviors last to gauge your dragon’s mood.
-
Attempt handling your dragon gently when its tail is lowered to see if it tolerates interaction.
With close observation and record-keeping, you’ll become fluent in translating your bearded dragon’s body language. A curled tail can reveal excitement, contentment, caution, fear, illness, or other inner states. Getting to know your pet’s unique personality helps inform what each tail position means.
The Head Bob
The head bob is typical of male dragons, usually accompanied by a blackened beard.
They do this to impress females during breeding season. It’s also common for bearded dragons to do head bobs in territorial disputes and dominance displays.
Head bobbing can be so pronounced that dragons may also incorporate a push-up movement for an extra bit of show.
It’s amazing how riled up these lizards can become during a head-bobbing episode. If you’ve ever held a bearded dragon while they’re doing this, you can feel their increased heart rate.
If you notice that your bearded dragon is performing head bobbing frantically or scrambling around like crazy, you can wrap them in a towel and take them to a different room that is neutral territory. Sometimes this helps calm them down while they’re experiencing their hormonal periods during the year.
Vertical Tail Curl
If you’ve ever watched a bearded dragon run, you’ll notice how they hold their tails curled backward like a scorpion. Most lizards have a horizontal curl, whereas these Aussie lizards have a vertical curl.
This is a general trait of alertness and possibly dominance.
Most dragons carry their tails like this when walking or running.
A basking bearded dragon will often open their mouth while basking under a heat source.
Gaping is what they do when they’ve reached optimum temperature, and by opening their mouth they are able to release excess heat.
One of the weirdest things you’ll see a bearded dragon do is bulging out their eyes.
Why they do it is a mystery, but it likely has to do with stretching the skin around the eyelids during or before shedding.
Bearded Dragon Body Language
FAQ
Why is my bearded dragon tail curled up?
A bearded dragon curls its tail up when it’s alert, excited, or preparing to run. Think of it like a cat swishing its tail before pouncing.Jan 12, 2024
What are the signs of calcium deficiency in bearded dragons?
- Lack of appetite.
- Lethargy and weakness.
- Stress.
- Constipation.
- Receded lower jaw.
- Swollen limbs and jaw.
- Bumps along the spine or bones.
- Soft jaw and facial bones.
What does it mean when a lizard’s tail is curled up?
The best studied of these species, Leiocephalus carinatus (the northern curly tail lizard), uses its tail curl display to deter potential predators (Cooper, 2001, 2007).
Why is my bearded dragon’s tail bent?
In captivity, the breaks and drops may occur as a result of an attack or perceived attack by a cagemate, another household pet, or other animal. Breaks and drops may also occur when a human tries to grab a fleeing lizard (or one deep in a hiding place with only the tail in reach).