Why do bearded dragons seem so intelligent, you may question, well that is because some reptiles were found to be capable of learning through imitation. Numerous animals and certain birds were also able to learn by copying others as scientists continued to research and learn more about animal intelligence.
Before experiments with bearded dragons were conducted by scientists at the University, it was unknown whether these reptiles could replicate actions to solve issues.
In their terrariums, the researchers installed a few bearded dragons. This experiment was conducted exclusively with bearded dragons to avoid misunderstandings regarding the data evidence. The beardies were in sight of a tasty mealworm divided by a straightforward wire door.
One of three videos—one with a bearded dragon opening the door from the left, one with a bearded dragon opening the door from the right, and one with a person opening the door—was displayed on a monitor in some of the compartments.
Four bearded dragons served as the control group and received no video training. Only by releasing the trap door could the bearded dragons obtain the mealworms. After seeing the films of their fellow lizards, the bearded dragons did everything precisely as they had done, even down to how they opened the door.
The non-video-watching control group never figured out how to acquire the mealworm by opening the wire door. The researchers came to two conclusions as a result of these findings: yes, bearded dragons mimic other bearded dragons more successfully than they mimic humans, and yes, bearded dragons do learn through imitation.
The bearded dragons in the experiment took different amounts of time to learn. A bearded dragon typically takes three weeks to comprehend and implement the video’s instructions. The degree of intellect appears to vary among bears, just like it does in other species.
Signs Of Bearded Dragon Intelligence
While it required an experiment to demonstrate that bearded dragons could mimic one another, captive bearded dragon owners have long observed other signs of intelligence in their pets. Numerous pets can recall and pick up on routines and patterns
No exemption applies to bearded dragons. Beardies often have strong food motivations, making routines related to feeding time easy for them to remember and adhere to.
When you feed your bearded dragon, it will frequently meet you on the spot if you keep its food bowls in a particular location in its cage. Before you give them food, call them by name so they can recall the sound of their name and form a pleasant association with eating.
It can take a few weeks for your bearded dragon to become used to you if you recently purchased one and set it up in its habitat. Your bearded dragon will be able to identify you and tell you apart from other humans after it has acclimated.
You could observe your beardie hiding or act uneasy around strangers. Similarly, if your bearded dragon has had a negative or traumatic interaction with a person or animal, it may have an aggressive stance against that person or animal, this shows the intelligence of your bearded dragon.
These actions demonstrate that bearded dragons not only remember both pleasant and negative experiences but also draw lessons from them. One reptile that has a reputation for being skilled at breaking out of its confines is the bearded dragon it can learn a number of ways to open the lid and escape; hence a strong screen or cover should be present on top of your enclosure.
Allowing your bearded dragon to leave its enclosure alone is not recommended. Bearded dragons are unique in that they know things other than themselves. They will wave and nod to one another in acknowledgment of other bearded dragons, this is true not just of other bearded dragons but also of people and animals kept in captivity.
An excellent sign of animal intelligence is the ability to recognize other things.
Can I Train My Bearded Dragon?
Take a moment to define training before you respond. Since they are not, you shouldn’t force a bearded dragon to act like a dog or a cat.
Even other lizards, such as iguanas and tegus, are thought to be more intelligent than bearded. You and your pet may become frustrated when teaching your beard new tricks.
In the experiment, the beardies took different lizards a different amount of time to figure out how to unlock a door. This also applies to bearded dragon pets. While someone online could have trained their beardy to use the restroom without incident, yours might have trouble. That is typical.
The bearded dragon, however, does recall and learn from both happy and negative events, as we described in part above. Your bearded dragon should associate you with joy rather than with suffering, rage, or terror.
Remember that food is frequently their main incentive. Mealworms and super worms are favourites of bearded dragons, so you can give it a treat after it has trained well.
How to Tame a Bearded Dragon?
Even though you won’t be able to learn tricks, your bearded dragon will rapidly pick up on accepting handling if you put in the effort to make it enjoyable for them.
Compared to other reptiles, bearded dragons show their devotion more readily, and as they become older, this affection will intensify.
They will learn that you are not a threat and that handling is nothing to be afraid of if you establish your credibility early on and pay attention to their stress indicators. Bearded dragons showing indications of stress include:
- Bobs of the head
- A frizzy or long beard
- A dark beard
- Avoiding you or other people
- Before touching your lizard, you should always wash your hands.
Bearded dragons, like other reptiles, transmit parasites and salmonella, therefore you shouldn’t give them your germs. Second, be careful to extend your hand to your bearded dragon’s front or side.
Avoid grabbing your beard by the tail since doing so can stress it out. Use your hand and arm to properly hold your body’s trunk. At this point in the handling process, patting them on the back will reassure them.
Watch for calming indicators such as closed eyelids and a relaxed posture. When putting your beard in their cage, be careful to scratch their back if the tension and hostility persist.
You don’t want to put them back right away since it will teach them that they can act aggressively to get you to release them. While training a beardy to tolerate handling takes time, be patient; after a few trials, they will likely understand.
Do Bearded Dragons Think & Reason?
Bearded dragons have a high level of intellect despite not having the same capacity for thought and reasoning as humans. These reptiles are simple to tame and make good house pets since they can acquire a certain habit via repeated experiences. Bearded lizards cannot, however, be expected to complete any duty without previous instruction.
Although bearded dragons cannot think, they nonetheless prefer daily or weekly encounters with people. You may take them outside to explore the house, room, and other areas because of their nature. When they are in certain surroundings, the majority of these reptiles behave in a normal way.
Aggression is undoubtedly a possibility among bearded reptiles, but that has nothing to do with the way they think. Territoriality and other typical reptile behaviors are connected to the basic cognitive abilities of bearded dragons.
If you notice a shift in your bearded dragon’s behavior, it could also be tangentially connected to its capacity for thinking. A lot of tension may be present if the bearded dragon moves about the cage quickly.
Do They Recognize Their Owners & Names?
Bearded dragons can identify their identities and owners. Many owners of these reptiles claim that they exhibit recognition when they speak or visit a space. With their owners, bearded dragons have a calm temperament and don’t lash out easily.
The ability of bearded dragons to identify their owners in varied settings astounds the majority of pet owners. How will you know when they acknowledge you as a pet owner, though? When you get near, these reptiles could rush to the cage’s glass to meet you.
Bearded dragons may also exhibit additional behaviors, such as tilting their heads in your direction and acting bravely when you put your hand inside their cage. If you notice any of those behaviors, you may be sure that your bearded dragon and you have a deep connection.
To get bearded dragons to know their name, you might occasionally need to link them with something beneficial, like food. The bearded dragon will recognize its name if you call it in the same tone of voice over and over again.
There’s nothing to worry about if your bearded dragon doesn’t know you as its owner. As owners, you may need to be patient with your bearded dragons for a while until they ultimately know you, unlike other pets like dogs. Therefore, be sure to follow the usual feeding and habitat-cleaning plan.
Your Lizard may occasionally show signs of aggression. In such instances, be careful to manage them correctly and maintain your commitment to their routine.
Adoption of Learned Behavior
Bearded dragons will take on habits they have learned. By doing specific actions that you want the reptiles and pets to imitate, you may tame them most effectively. A study found that these reptiles could carry out a certain task that they had previously been unable to do without the assistance of a bearded lizard.
In a typical experiment, three films were shown on monitors in a two-room terrarium housing bearded dragons. The objective of the trap doors was to prevent them from entering the chamber unless they knew how to unlock the trap door separating the two rooms. The three videos that were shown were:
- Barbary kings Biting the trap door and pulling it in the proper way
- By biting the trap door and moving it to the left, you may open it.
- a person letting the bearded dragon into the door
The purpose of the three films and the full study was to demonstrate how reptiles may acquire new habits. According to the research, the animals could only open the door when the film showed other bearded dragons shoving it to the left and right.
It should be noted that none of the bearded dragons in the experiment were able to open the door when they saw a human doing it, proving that these reptiles may learn new behaviors from other bearded dragons but not from humans.
Do Bearded Dragons Have Feelings?
The emotions that bearded dragons feel might manifest as bodily sensations. Your bearded dragon can feel joy, misery, or pain. When animals are exposed to an event, they might experience both pleasant and negative emotions.
Researchers have concluded that it is clear that reptiles, including bearded dragons, can feel tension, anxiety, excitement, and pain. Additionally, reptiles like bearded dragons and others may respond to their owners more favorably than anybody else in the vicinity.
Bearded dragons may form strong emotional bonds with people, yet they may not always behave in the same way that dogs or cats do. It should be noted that a bearded dragon’s amount of affection varies on its nature.
Common responses demonstrating bearded dragons’ capacity for emotion include the following:
- recognizing people, particularly owners
- keeping their owners’ necks close
- and staying in the bed of the owner
- excitedly scratching the glass of the cage
You must get familiar with the significance of the majority of a bearded dragon’s emotional cues if you keep one as a pet. If you see your bearded dragon stretching its head in your way, you should think about petting it, as bearded dragons do crave affection as well.
The reptile may also exhibit other common emotional indicators, including opening its lips, adopting a rigid posture, hissing, and moving forward briefly. Keep in mind that if you observe the reptile acting in that way, it will feel intimidated and be prepared to strike.
Are Bearded Dragons Friendly?
The answer is that they are calm. When you approach too closely, these reptiles may try to depart the area. Otherwise, they rarely display hostility
In addition to not biting people and being simpler to train, bearded dragons make wonderful pets since they exhibit signs of cool enjoyment while curled up in your arms or turning
When kept in a cage or when your kids enter one of their “hideouts,” these reptiles won’t harm them. There is no pet-related uprising led by bearded dragons. Other pets may be kept in the same cage as a bearded dragon if you own one.
However, a bearded dragon will hiss, expand its lips, gaze, bobble its head, fluff its beard, or produce stress markings when it becomes angry. The response might be brought on by stress, intense competition, frequent fear, shedding, hormone imbalances, mating season, or environmental changes.
Can you Potty Train the Bearded Dragon?
Some of these critters have been successfully potty-trained. Some bearded dragons take longer than others to pick up using the litter. After a week or two, the majority will develop the habit of visiting one location on their own.
The reptiles learn to stay away from it by picking a solitary, remote “litterbox” place for pooping since they detest the smell and sight of it. Additionally, bearded dragons frequently defecate outside of their cages.
Do Bearded Dragons Show Affection?
Yes! Unlike other reptiles, bearded dragons are unique in that they patiently await their owner or the person who is giving them food. As you go closer, you’ll see that they start to warm up, which is an expression of love and gratitude.
Additionally, bearded dragons actively seek out their owners to hold them. You’ll notice that they prefer to eat off of your hand rather than from dishes.
With maturity, the bearded dragon becomes more affectionate. You’ll discover what it likes to be near to the owner or you. Additionally, it enjoys climbing over you. Consequently, the bearded dragon is a very loving lizard.
Conclusion
We hope that this essay has shown you how intelligent bearded dragons are. Even though tegus and iguanas are intelligent reptiles, bearded dragons also exhibit some intelligence.
The wire trap door and mealworm experiment at the University of Lincoln demonstrated that bearded dragons can imitate and learn from one another. They also identify things other than themselves, which is a very good sign of intelligence. Both good and bad events are remembered and learned by bearded dragons. They can identify and differentiate between various individuals and animals in their daily lives. Although you probably won’t have much luck teaching them tricks, you might be able to use positive reinforcement to teach them how to handle and go pee.
FAQs
Are bearded dragons affectionate?
Bearded dragons, when properly socialized, are swift, curious, and often incredibly pleasant—or rather, charming—at grabbing people’s attention. at least once per day, trim your beard.
Do bearded dragons get attached to their owners?
Bearded dragons do have feelings.
Bonds between bearded dragons and their owners, as well as maybe other pets, are common. Many pet owners may still remember how much they loved to cuddle and pet their bearded dragon. How to carry bearded dragons in your arms article
Do bearded dragons like being petted?
In general, bearded dragons like to have some areas of their bodies massaged. One such location is in the region above the eyes. To pet their beards or the spikes behind their eyes is an additional option.
How do beardies express their love?
Natural climbers, and bearded dragons often like being in high locations. However, it is a fantastic indication that they want to be with you and shows a great deal of trust in their owner to be placed on the shoulder. Since spending quality time is their primary means of expressing affection, many will even attempt to ascend there.
Do bearded dragons have a brain?
The thalamus, the optic nerve, the optic tectum, the lateral ventricles, the medulla, the telencephalon, the tectal ventricle, the cerebellum, and the olfactory lobe and stalk were among the nine anatomical features the researchers found in the bearded dragon brain.
