Diet ratio should flip with age — babies eat mostly protein, adults eat mostly plants
Hatchlings and juveniles need a protein-heavy diet (roughly 80% insects to 20% veg) to fuel rapid growth, while adults need the reverse — roughly 80–90% vegetables and greens with insects reduced to a few feedings a week. Continuing to feed an adult dragon like a growing juvenile is one of the most common and preventable causes of obesity and organ strain in this species.
See the full facts guide, or browse all 467 info pages.
Unlike many popular pet reptiles, bearded dragons are fully day-active baskers native to the arid interior of Australia.
The dark, puffed-out throat that gives this species its name can signal several different things: feeling threatened, asserting dominance over another dragon, stress from handling, or simple excitement around feeding time.
The slow, circular wave of a front leg is a bearded dragon's way of signalling submission or acknowledgement — often seen when a smaller or younger dragon is near a larger one, or simply as a response to seeing another dragon (including a reflection).
A fast, sharp head bob is typically a dominance display, most often from males, sometimes directed at a reflection or another dragon.
Adult bearded dragons often slow down, eat less, and sleep more for weeks to a couple of months, typically in the cooler months, even in a climate-controlled indoor enclosure.
Darkening — especially on the beard and belly — helps absorb more heat during basking and can also signal stress or agitation.