Bearded dragons, as small as they seem experience many complex emotions and physical disturbances. They have certain common issues, like stress marks. This little creature gets stressed due to various reasons.
They seem to be low on energy, eat less and also poop less. Along with this they will get stress marks appearing on their body.
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What are Bearded Dragon Stress Marks?
Stress marks are the dark colored lines appearing on the belly and chin of the bearded dragon. The only reason of appearance of these lines are, stress. Also there can be oval shaped marks. These marks primarily appear on the belly and later it spreads on the arms and beard. It looks like tiger stripes and then it turns into oval patches.
How to spot the marks:
You can find these fine lines on the belly and the neck portion of the bearded dragon. When you see the dragon behaving in a different way, you may check for the lines or marks on its body.
These marks, if ignored, can increase and can form patches. Stress, when not attended, can cause to severe ailment. The dragon can lose its weight while they suffer from stress for a long time. Weight loss and energy loss are the typical symptoms of stress and you should be careful enough not to make the dragon ill by this process.
There are various reasons to make a bearded dragon stressed. The reasons are sometimes minor but sometimes they are major. You can check the situation and omit the reason for stress of bearded dragon as early as possible.
You can read more: How to Calm Down Destress Bearded Dragons?
Causes of Stress Amongst Bearded Dragons
If there are loud sounds emitting near the terrarium of the bearded dragon, and is continuing for a long time, then stress can affect bearded dragon. You must not let the sound emit near the cage of the bearded dragon as that makes the dragon restless.
When the dragon is first brought to the house, it will experience stress due to the change in environment. This is a normal situation and the dragon will be adjusted within a week. So if you see stress marks in the body of the baby bearded dragon, do not panic. Let it disappear naturally within 7 days.
If you have kids at the house and they get curious by seeing the bearded dragon, they can often visit the terrarium and tap on the walls from outside. They may mean no harm and wish to only communicate with the dragon. But the dragon will feel anxious and stressed if this incident is repeated.
- If your bearded dragon’s terrarium is visited by some other critters then it may feel threatened and that can result into stress.
- Also if the terrarium temperature is not working properly, then the high or low temperature can make it uneasy and fidgety.
If you have bought a new enclosure for your beardie and shifted it there recently, then it will stay stressed for the first few days, before it gets adjusted to the new area.
Other than for the stress marks, let us discuss about the cause and result of stress seen among the bearded dragons:
Low appetite
When you see that the dragon is barely eating anything, it can be due to stress. You must try to offer it different kinds of foods, like some of its favorite insects or sweet fruits like mango or blueberries. If you find that the dragon is not eating properly even when you are offering it the tastiest food, then it is a cause of serious concern.
Solution: you must feed the dragon with balanced meal with proper food. Mixed vegetables along with one or two piece of fruits and adequate amount of calcium must make it energetic like before.
Lethargic attitude
Bearded dragons are not very active within the terrariums, but they make some movements around the hammocks or other instruments that are inside his terrarium. Thus when you see it is barely moving, you can understand that something is wrong with it. The lethargy is a sign of stress and it will affect its metabolism.
Solution: you must check the temperature of the terrarium and also make sure that the basking area is getting ample heat. If the temperature and heat are not at par with its comfort level, it may feel stressed and lethargic.
Glass surfing
This is another typical habit among bearded dragons. You will see them standing on the hind legs and surf on the terrarium walls made by glass with the forehands. They repeat this gesture for several reasons among which, stress is one.
Solution: watch and observe this small reptile for a few days consecutively and see if it is repeating the glass surfing gesture often. If it is done once or twice, then there is no need to be alarmed. But when you see the dragon is doing this on a regular basis then check its food, heating and lighting. Also go to the vet and get the dragon checked for any ailment.
Also Read: Why Does My Bearded Dragon Run Away From Me
Stress mark or coloration
If you notice it closely enough, you can find it having dark coloration on its body. They do get colored during the shading period, but this can also be a sign of stress. This stress can also be caused due to the less time for basking. They are the creatures of desert, so if they do not stay in the sun or under light for long time, it will cause malnutrition in their body.
Solution: if you see that the dragon is living on the cooler side of the terrarium, you can fix the heat emitter on the other side of the terrarium so it gets compelled to stay in the heated area.
Conclusion:
There are certain reasons for the bearded dragon to feel stressed. Also the outcome is much different among individual bearded dragons.
However, all the physical problems sourced from stress are harmful for the bearded dragon. It may not suffer from those issues for longer, or else it can be in a critical condition. You should take help from vets if the situation does not change after you try all the possible remedies.
