They’re Regulating Their Temperature

Bearded dragons with an opened mouth are quite common, and it’s typically due to the first reason that we have listed. When bearded dragons keep their mouth wide, they’re doing so to control their body’s temperature. This behavior is so widespread that it’s even got its own name, “gaps.

It is common to see your beardie smiling when they’re enjoying a tan. Once a beardie is at its ideal temperature, it will be able to open its mouths (where heat can escape) to avoid becoming too hot.

If you spot your lizard in the sun’s light and they are holding their mouths open, it is probably normal, and there’s no reason to worry. Bearded dragons open their mouths to cool themselves down in the same way that humans sweat in order to regulate body temperature.

It is essential for you to control the temperatures inside the enclosure for your beardie and also make sure you have the right lighting setup.

If it’s excessively hot inside the tank, the bearded dragon will struggle to regulate its body’s temperature. Apart from giving your beardie a place to relax, you should give them a cool area to chill after they’ve reached their ideal body temperature. If your beardie is often hiding and is unable to take a bath, this could be an indication that their tank is overheated.

Your bearded dragon needs different temperatures depending on their age as well as the time of the day. The ideal temperature for the basking area is 100-110°F for infant bears and 96-100 for adults and juniors. The place is ideal for them to warm up and then either take a break or open their mouths when they’re ready to cool down.

The cool spot for your bearded dragon should be between 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit in the infant stage and 75-80 degrees when they are a teenager or an older adult. The temperature should be between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for bearded dragons of any age during the night.

They’re Stretching Their Beard

All animals require stretching their muscles after having not been exercising for a period of time. Humans tend to stretch first in the morning, following having sat in the car for an extended drive or after attending the meeting.

Bearded dragon’s faces are not any different. They require stretching their muscles just like humans do. It is possible to see your bearded dragon’s mouth open to extending their beard. If your bearded dragon is stretching out their facial hair, you’ll typically see them opening its mouth for a brief duration.

Stretching your beard is a common sight as your beardie gets ready to shed. It is also possible to see your lizard puffing out their beards during the shed time. The puffing and stretching help your bearded friend loosen up the skin surrounding their head and beard to shed it.

Bearded dragons generally stretching their mouths in order to grow their beards is a common routine (even when your lizard isn’t about to shed). It’s something you’ll be able to recognize in time!

It’s A Sign of Aggression

Bearded dragons tend to be gentle and calm. Lizards are generally calm and docile. If they feel scared or are angry or scared, they could make their mouths open as part of a threatening stance.

If an animal is feeling fearful or frightened or scared, it may go into a fight or flight reaction. A bearded dragon face will make their chest puffy and raise their beard and then open their mouths to make them appear bigger and more intimidating. Beardies can be able to hiss, flaunt an unnatural black beard, take an upright posture and swiftly move their head when they are feeling threatened.

If your bearded friend seems particularly hostile, they could bite you if trying to control them. A bite from a bearded dragon can cause pain, but it shouldn’t cause any serious injuries. Although your bearded dragon actually releases venom, it’s not poisonous and will not harm the person who is eating it.

There are many situations in the event that your pet becomes hostile. The lizard might feel threatened by a pet that is within your home, like an animal or cat. If they feel threatened then, they’ll adopt a defensive posture, with their mouth wide.

If your pet’s mouth is open occasionally, its mouth when your dog or cat are in the space, there’s nothing to fret about. If, however, your beardie has a habit of opening its mouth each time your pet or cat is within the same room, it is likely that you have to do something to ensure that your beardie is secure. Stress can be harmful to any pet, not just bearded dragons.

Two options you can do when a bigger pet is causing trouble for your bearded dragon and they are unable to keep their mouths wide:

In the beginning, you could consider keeping your pet away from the area the beardie is in. This can be difficult if your pet is located in the living or dining area or in a small space.

In the second, you can transfer your beardie’s tank to the room that your larger pet is more likely to be in. If, for instance, you have a guest room and you want to relocate your beardie to that space. Your pet or cat may not spend as long periods of time in the guest room since it’s usually not occupied by family members.

The tank of your beardies pet is close to a window is beneficial for their brains as the outdoors can provide them with stimulation. Beardies may enjoy watching the trees rustle in the wind or watch the clouds flutter across the sky. But, the animals out in the open, like cats and birds, can cause your bearded dragon to feel at risk.

If the tank of your lizard is located near a window, it is possible to notice them open their mouths as part of their aggressive posture in response to wildlife outside. However, if you notice this type of behavior frequently, it is best to move the tank of your beardie far away from the windows.

It may sound strange; however, small objects could make your lizard be afraid. They could be items like toys, clothing, as well as ornaments, or ornaments. If you think your pet is stressed due to a small object within the space they are in, you can move the object away from the area.

They’re Responding To Another Bearded Dragon

Another reason that your bearded dragon may open their mouths is to react to another dragon.

Bearded dragons are single-minded creatures. If you attempt to keep two of them in one tank, there are likely to be problems to happen.

In general, when you attempt to keep two dragons, one will seek to dominate the other. The dominant dragon will use their mouths to signal to the other they are superior. The beardie that is less dominant may get very overwhelmed, stop eating, and may not be allowed to sit close to the lizard that is dominant.

If you are seeing this, it is important to divide your bears into two tanks. You might even have to place your tanks into separate areas as when your bears can view each other, and the fight for supremacy could continue even if they are separated in tanks.

Dragons with bearded faces are territorial. If you have two of them close, the stronger dragon might keep its mouth wide (this isn’t the norm often, however) and guard certain areas in the tank. These include caves, hiding places, and the basking area.

At certain seasons the lizard may be affected by a change in hormones. In the time of the mating season, your beardie can be aggressive when the pets or you at home try to be near their tank.

It’s normal, and there’s no way to stop it. After the mating season is over, your beardie’s hormones will go back to normal levels, and they’ll be your sweet lizard!

They Have A Respiratory Infection

Most of the time, when your lizard’s mouth remains open for a prolonged amount of time, they’re doing it because of heating, but it could also be an indication of respiratory disease. Other symptoms of respiratory disease include a decrease in enthusiasm or appetite, a buildup of mucus around the nose or eyes, as well as wheezing, coughing, or crackling noises when breathing.

Respiratory infections are triggered when the humidity of the tank of your lizard is greater than 40% for a long time. This is because bearded dragons are accustomed to living in dry, hot climates.

If your dragon’s bearded has its mouth wide and showing other signs, it’s recommended to take your pet to the veterinarian. They’ll be able to evaluate what’s causing the illness and offer a treatment plan to help them become back to normal.

Here’s how you can prevent this from happening:

It is recommended to use a hygrometer on the tank of your lizard to determine the level of humidity in the aquarium. If you find that your tank’s humidity level is over 40 percent, then you may take a few steps to reduce it.

If you are using water bowls that are small, choose a small one and keep it from the lizard’s favorite spot for basking.

Avoid using bark or moss inside your tank for your bearded dragon, as both of them hold moisture. It is also possible to add an additional vent into the tank of your bearded dragon to reduce the humidity.

If the methods you’ve tried aren’t decreasing the humidity in the tank to a sufficient degree, then you should consider purchasing an air dehumidifier to place in the space where the bearded dragon lives.

Final Thoughts

As you can observe, the bearded dragon’s behavior of keeping its mouth wide is generally not a problem. The majority of the time, this happens when the dragon is enjoying (aka gaping), and you’ll observe this pattern of behavior often throughout the decades. However, there are occasions when it could be a sign of something else.

If your bearded dragon suffers from an open mouth due to stress or a respiratory infection, you have to find the root of the issue. If they’re sick, take their pet for a vet visit. If a change needs for their condition, make it happen as quickly as you can! After you’ve got everything sorted out, the open mouth isn’t an issue again.