My bearded dragon is on his branch under the basking light with his mouth open. Does that mean hes too hot?

Question

My bearded dragon is on his branch under the basking light with his mouth open. Does that mean hes too hot? If so please answer quickly! Also i have a couple other questions!

1. I accidentally gave the bearded dragon a piece of apple that was a little too big. I carefully kept his mouth open and grabbed the apple, as i was pulling it out, he jumped for the apple and bit me. I didnt hold it against him, he was hungry, But he did get a good piece of my thumb off. It isnt bleeding no more so it didnt hit an artery, but should i be worried about any diseases or illnesses?

2. When a bearded dragon puffs up his beard while sleeping calmy, does that mean he is having a dream and chasing prey?

3. When a beardie puffs up his face but not turn black, does that mean your aggravating him?

Answer 1

"Does that mean hes too hot?"

Yes. Make sure your temperatures are where they need to be.

1. Just keep neosporin on it and you should be fine...:-)

2. Don't know that beardies dream. Studies are being done on iguanas and dreaming, but nothing concrete has been discovered yet. Once they figure that out...this may be a field in which other reptiles will be included.

3. Yes...but only mildly irritated. He's just trying to look big to make you think he might be too big to fool with...or he's just telling you this is his space.

Answer 2

No, he's not hot. My Bearded dragon does the same thing. I just spray her with some water(make sure you use some water purifyer for lizards) and she closes her mouth. Otherwise you may want to check his nostrils for any dirt or blockage. If so, then clean it out, but be very careful.
1.) No, don't worry about diseases. If it's been in captivity its whole life then don't worry. There's nothing it could've gotten into that would make its mouth infectious. If it was taken from the wild, then I would possibly clean it out with disinfectant or alcohol.If the injury seems really bad then confront a doctor.Otherwise, no problems!
2.)I doubt it. It's proabably just a normal thing. animals, even people. So he's probably just deep breathing. Nothing to worry about.
3.) Yes, it does. But you shouldn't be too worried. Just give him his space and leave him alone for a minute. If you've had him long enough he shoudl know a little about you. Same as you should know about the personality of the dragon. If bitten, don't take it against him. You should resoect their fellings, which I'm sure you do.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Bearded dragons open their mouth to dissipate heat when they are too hot. It is called gaping. It is a good idea to check your basking spot temperature (should be 95-110 measured on the surface, not the surrounding air) but he might gape anyway even if the temperature is OK. It just means he's a little hotter than he'd like to be but he doesn't want to move.

Make sure you clean out the wound as you normally should with wounds. You should be fine. As for diseases, it is a good idea anyway to wash your hands after handling your pet, because bearded dragons can carry salmonella and other bacteria.

I have no idea why they sometimes puff up when they are sleeping, but it is cute.

If he is really aggravated, most likely he will turn his beard black. He could just be mildly annoyed, or just trying to show off, or just doing it because he can.

Answer 4

yes, it is too hot - but he choose it! absolutely normal behavior

these creatures would just roast there enjoying the heat, till they had enough of it or even a couple of minutes longer. .. no concern - the gaping is the equivalent to us sweating. if it gapes when under the basking light (as if you lie down on a sunny beach) it is no problem. if the whole terrarium gets too hot (in summer) or if it opens mouth to struggle for breath due to infection, then it is a serious problem, indeed life threatening.

just make (with your hand or thermometer) sure the light is not too close to the reptile or too strong to avoid getting him burned - indeed these animals could get burned when basking. it should feel pretty warm but not piercing hot.

i cant help laughing at the apple thing :) poor dragon, poor you. my reptiles bite me frequently and i treat it as i would treat any similar wound - just wash, or put iodine or plaster if wont stop bleeding on its own. never had any afterreaction so far

Answer 5

When dragons get too hot, they either move to a cooler area or open their mouths to release heat. Make sure there's enough room for him to get away from the heat. If there's a spot like that, then maybe he just chose to stay there. He'll move if he needs to.