4 Bearded dragon myths that need busted!

If there's one thing I’d like you to know about bearded dragons, it’s that the picture you have in mind may not be right.

Continuing on with our series on bearded dragons, we’re going to dig into some common misconceptions surrounding our little lizard pals. I often have the opportunity to connect with people outside of the reptile community and hear their thoughts on reptiles, particularly bearded dragons. And there are a surprising amount of misconceptions. So today, let’s unravel the mysteries and debunk the myths together.

Let’s dig in!

Myth #1 - Bearded Dragons are Lazy

How many videos or pictures have you seen floating around on social media of a beardie lying around under a basking bulb? Or have you ever heard others say just how lazy they can be? This idea is often perpetuated in the media that bearded dragons are these lazy little potatoes that sit around doing nothing all day. 

This is not true.

Of course, like any animal, bearded dragons are going to have downtime to chill or rest in their hammock or live their best life. But in my experience, bearded dragons are inquisitive and like to run around, climb, and explore. And while they are often marketed as lazy loungers, they’re not. They take advantage of activities that provide enrichment, which is why it’s so important to provide these resources.

And watching them is a blast!

Myth #2 - Bearded Dragons are Great Eaters

Hahaha!

No.

If you’re a bearded dragon owner, you already know this.

Bearded dragons are a lot like toddlers. They like what they like and they don’t like what they don’t like. Sometimes, what they don’t like is often the things that they have never tried. They love eating their bugs. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beardie that turned away a bug (as long as it was a healthy dragon).

But when it comes to the greens and the salads, it doesn’t matter what sort of gourmet, Gordon Ramsay-esque dish you’ve prepared— they’re probably going to turn their nose up at it. Unless you’re one of the lucky few who has a garbage disposal of a dragon that devours anything, you’re going to experience pickiness when it comes to feeding. 

See? Just a scaley toddler. Actually, no, that sounds horrifying. Let’s just gloss over that scarring mental image and move on.

Your dragon has its own likes and dislikes, just like you and I do. You have to trial and error things to figure out what tickles their fancy. And sometimes, when even that’s not enough, you may have to get a little bit sneaky about getting them to eat. (Psst, guess what? I’ll be covering that in a future post in just a couple of weeks so stay tuned)

Myth #3 - Bearded Dragons Love Everybody 

Another thing I hear is that beardies love everyone and tolerate being handled by anybody, doesn’t matter who. For the most part, this is pretty true. But this does not apply to every bearded dragon. 

Here’s the best part, though: because bearded dragons can be pretty intelligent, they know the difference between you and another owner or another person. A good example of this is Bumble. If you’ve been around for a while, you’ve met Bumble plenty of times but if not, welcome! Bumble is my beloved beardie, and we’re often seen together with her riding along on my shirt as I work. She’s very chill with me—and only me.

She allows my kids to pet and feed her but will not relax the way she does me. She’ll go right to sleep on me whereas if the kids are petting her, she’s very much on alert. 

Same with my husband. She knows he is safe and she can trust him, but not so much that she will let her guard down. But take her to the vet and we’ve got a Jekyll/Hyde situation. She turns into a literal dragon—well, she believes she does—complete with hissing and threatening and *1black bearding. 

And when you think about it, that’s to be expected considering her rough start in life. (If you want to learn more about her story, you can check out her video here.) Expected, yes, very much so. But I’ve met bearded dragons that have come from healthy, even spoiled environments and have gone into it thinking, “I’m familiar enough with reptiles that I can go in and hold the little guy/gal.”

Ho-ho, not so. They immediately hated me. 

Because beardies are these little creatures that have their own unique personalities and decide who they like and don’t like.

While bearded dragons aren’t necessarily aggressive or defensive animals, they don’t necessarily like everybody. And that’s okay! It’s all just part of their personality.

Myth #4 - Bearded Dragons are Cuddly

Running a rescue, I’ve met plenty of people who are looking to adopt bearded dragons because of how cuddly they are. 

Beardies can definitely be snuggly. But because they’re such intuitive, curious creatures, they don’t always want to be held or carried around or cuddled. They want to explore and learn about life, just as we discussed in myth #1.

The major takeaway here is that you’re going to get from your reptile what you put into it. We’ve discussed taming and bonding with your reptile, and as long as you do the hard work and invest time and energy into your reptile, you have a much higher chance of having a very loyal, cuddly beardie. 

That’s not a guarantee; not every bearded dragon is going to be super tolerant of handling. But we love them exactly as they are because they’re amazing little creatures!

Just like every other animal on the earth, there’s a ton of misinformation out there about bearded dragons, and some of them are not as harmless as the myths we’ve discussed today. Some of them are detrimental. You can read all about that here where I share a few reasons why bearded dragons are not actually easy reptiles.

What are some of the myths you’ve heard about bearded dragons? Were you surprised by any of the ones you learned about today? Comment below and let’s chat! I’m always looking for a reason to talk about all things reptiles ;)