Asked on the Lizard Forum by KIMMNRAY on 12/31/02, 11:40 am

Q: BLACK BEARD

HI MY GERMAN GIANT HAS BEEN OCCASIONALY FLARING HIS BREAD WHICH IS BLACK WHEN FLARED BUT MORE SKIN COLORED NORMALY HE IS FULL GROWN & I'M SURE HE HAS BEEN BREED B 4 I GOT HIM, IS HE LONGING FOR A MATE OR JUST LETTING ME KNOW HE'S THE KING OF HIS CASTLE OR JUST A NORMAL ACT.

Answered by amphibianboy on 12/31/02, 11:58 am

A: BLACK BEARD

Normal acts from males ; )

Answered by morti on 12/31/02, 12:34 pm

A: BLACK BEARD

I agree with amphibianboy and just to add a bit more info:

They will do this in any of a wide variety of stimulation.. If they feel threatened, they will puff up their beard to make them selves look big and mean. They also do that as a social test when encountering other male beardeds something like "I'm a big mean spikey dragon... are you bigger and meaner than me?"

They can also do it as a courting act if they are encountering females. They will poof out their beard and head bob at a potential mate.. She will in turn wave her front legs and shake her head back at him.

All of this is completely normal behaviour and as someone on here pointed out the other day, when they learn a new "trick" like poofing out their beard, they tend to do it over and over and over.... :-)

-Your Sick Uncle Morti.

Answered by gothicGEX on 1/1/03, 8:00 pm

A: BLACK BEARD

I have a male german giant bearded dragon too. Beard puffing is a territorial/anger thing. When they are mad, and want to let you know who's boss, puffing out their beard is their first choice, biting is second!