Bearded Dragon Hissing | 5 Reasons

One thing that most of the beardie owners complain about is why is my bearded dragon hissing. There are many reasons why your bearded dragon might be hissing. 

Your Bearded dragon might hiss at you for many reasons. Bearded dragons are not aggressive, but they might get angry for some reason. They might hiss when they feel uncomfortable or threatened. Sometimes they might hiss to appear more intimidating. Bearded dragons don’t believe in fighting but usually start hissing to make you scared and look stern and angry. 

Bearded dragons puff up, blacken their beard, and start hissing to make their enemy back off. These actions, like hissing, puffing, or blackening, are the signs a bearded dragon gives. Puffing is to look prominent. Hissing is a sign to leave, and blacking represents danger. These signs are to leave them alone.

Let us further read some more reasons why a bearded dragon hiss.

5 Reasons Why Bearded dragon Hiss

1: Fear or Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are the main reasons why your bearded dragon might hiss. If a bearded dragon feels stressed, it might start hissing. Sometimes these creatures start hissing when they are afraid of something or someone. Bearded dragons can get scared of sudden movements, loud noises, bright lights, or a sudden home change.

2: Feeling Threatened or Aggressive

Humans and other animals sometimes act out when angry or threatened. Bearded dragons also express their emotions by hissing. As an owner, you should never scare your beardie because you are too significant than them. They might feel scared or attacked, and then they might start hissing to protect them. 

3: Not Enough Access to Food or Water

Malnutrition can also cause animals and humans to act out. Bearded dragons also act when they feel hungry or dehydrated, and they might hiss due to pain or improper nutrition. Bearded dragons can not speak and ask for food, so they start hissing to ask for food and water. It is their way of communicating. 

4: Scared of Their Reflection 

Like sometimes when dogs bark after seeing their reflection in the mirror. Bearded dragons can also hiss after seeing their reflection. They might see their reflection in the tank mirror and think another reptile is in it.

5: Need Some Privacy

They might feel captivated or invaded if you always play with your pet or are always around them. Bearded dragons are one of those creatures who like privacy, and they don’t want to be surrounded by people. If your bearded dragon needs some privacy, it will start hissing. So make sure that you give it enough space to relax and be alone.

These are some reasons why a bearded dragon can start hissing. Therefore, carefully observe your reptile and fulfill its needs. After some time, it will get calm and quiet. 

Why Does My Bearded Dragon Hiss At Me?

There are many reasons why your bearded dragon hiss at you. Your beardie will hiss at you because you are huge for your beardie and can kill it. You can easily scare your reptile, and it could feel threatened and start hissing at you. If you got a new beardie, it could hiss at you because you are a stranger to it. You should not worry because, after some time, it will stop hissing when it gets used to you. 

Apart from that, there are other reasons your bearded dragon could hiss at you. It could be hungry, thirsty, or bored. Additionally, it could hiss during the time of brumation.

5 Ways to Stop Bearded Dragon From Hissing

1: Try changing the light source 

Bearded dragons need 12 to 14 hours of UV light exposure, and the light parameter should be exactly like that. If the lighting setup in your tank is different, you should immediately fix it. 

2: Try to Give Them a Different Type of Food

Sometimes a pet gets bored when it eats the same thing repeatedly. It is necessary to feed the diet food to your bearded dragon. These creatures eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, so you should try providing them with different food.

3: Put Them in a Bigger Tank

Bearded dragons need a prominent place to live. It would help if you changed their tank from time to time because they need big space according to their size. If the tank is small, they will feel suffocated, cornered, threatened, and start hissing. Therefore, please keep them in a big tank. 

4: Keep Each Bearded Dragon in Separate Tanks

If you have multiple bearded dragons, always keep them in separate tanks. Bearded dragons are territorial, and they fight each other for their territories. If you keep them together, they will fight and harm each other. A bearded dragon loves its personal space, but if you keep all the dragons together, they will always be angry, and the anger will lead them to hiss. Therefore, keeping bearded dragons in different tanks can be helpful. 

5: Gently stroke their head

 If your bearded dragon starts hissing at you, it will be perfect to stroke it’s head. It is the best way to relax your bearded dragon, and you can use the back of your fingers to gently stroke its head. 

Conclusion

The main reason why bearded dragon hiss is when it feels threatened. There are many other reasons why bearded dragon hiss, and it can hiss due to hunger, pain, or fear. You can add hiding spots in the tank to stop the bearded dragons from hissing. Apart from that, you can add some plants to provide a relaxing place for the bearded dragon.

Always remember a bearded dragon will start hissing when stressed out, so try to give it healthy food and an environment. 

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