Do Bearded Dragons Make Noise?

Clearly, our pets can’t speak our language. So, it’s the sound or noise, they use to communicate with us. But we can relate this more to our dogs and cats. After all, it’s easy for us to understand them that way. But what about bearded dragons? Do they make noise too?

Bearded dragons have the ability to produce noise. But they lack vocal cords. So, instead of using them, they utilize body language to convey meaning. Some of the common noises they usually make include hissing, chirping, and clucking. Lots of the owners, breeders, and vets even consider signs of displeasure, enthusiasm, or territoriality.

But what else do they usually try to express with those sounds, and under what circumstances? Well, it’s time to find that out.

Key Takeaways

• Bearded dragons usually make hissing, purring, chirping, squeaking, rasping/wheezing, huffing, whistling, and burping sounds.
• Beardies make sounds for expressing emotions, responding to threats, signaling mating interest, establishing dominance, indicating discomfort, and navigating space. 
• Along with sounds, beardies use other forms of communication like head bobbing and arm waving.

What Are The Different Noises Bearded Dragons Make?

If you’re a fan of quiet animals, we bet you’re going to love (or already loving) the bearded dragons. But there are certain sounds or noises they make to express themselves, and the most common ones are –

1. Hissing

Most of the bearded dragons, especially the younger ones, have a tendency to hiss often. Thanks to anxiety and stress for triggering such behavior. And guess what? Even if you’re putting it in an unknown atmosphere that they find chaotic, they’ll still hiss.

So, if you’re seeing your beardie hissing, puffing up, or anyhow telling it’s irritated, there’s a high chance of it feeling threatened and ready to land a bite. And do you know when it might hiss even on you? When it’s shedding. They simply hate being handled at that time. So, if you’re not confident about how to handle it, don’t do it. Try it gradually under a professional’s advice.

By the way, they also hiss when they’re in pain. In such times it’s quite normal for them to bite you or smack you with their tail. The best thing you can do in such a situation is try to find out what’s bothering it in the first place.

2. Chirping

Beardies know well how to utilize chirping as a means of communication between themselves and their humans. Chirping can be an indicator of excitement and territorial behavior or aggression. Male bearded dragons, for instance, can chirp as a means of asserting their authority or luring a potential mate.

During mating season, females can chirp as well. Not only these, but they use chirping to express their emotions like stress and threat. And unlike some of the sounds we’ve mentioned before, this sound doesn’t indicate any alarming situation.

3. Purring

We know the first thing that came to your mind right after reading this is a cat. But guess what? Bearded dragons too can occasionally emit such a sound. But cats do that when they’re relaxed or calm. Beardies are a different story. They do that when they’re not in good health.

If your beardie is making the purring sound often, then probably it’s dealing with some serious respiratory issues or nasal problems. While seeing this in your lizard, make no delay in taking to a herp vet.

4. Burping

Once your lizard is done with its meal,  hearing a little burp sound from it is nothing unusual. Initially, you might feel like it’s trying to throw up. But the thing is, it’s trying to get the gas out of its system, which is very natural.

But if it keeps doing it, then something surely is there to be worried about. Usually, too much burping is one of the most common signs of impaction. But how to sure about this?

Well, check out if you see the burping is accompanied by other indicators of impaction, such as hard breathing. Don’t take this lightly, as the impaction can literally kill your pet. So, once you notice something like that, let the vet handle it.

5. Squeaking

Usually, this kind of noise isn’t something that comes from a beardie’s within. They can make it while walking close to the glass of the enclosure and by rubbing their claws against it.

But what if it’s coming from the lizard? Well, if you notice that your pet is making a squeaking sound, this can be an indication of a respiratory issue. In such cases, immediate medical attention is highly suggested.

6. Huffing

Looking for another sound connected with eating made by bearded dragons? Well, it’s the huffing sound we were thinking about. Feel free to count this as totally normal, as they make it while chewing their food. All that breathing in and out is just your pet’s natural response to the act of eating.

But there’s another sound that you might mix up with huffing. Yes, we’re talking about the sound of coughing. After all, sometimes they sound so similar. So, if you’re feeling like your lizard is coughing, not huffing, it’s best to consult a vet.

7. Whistling

How to know that your beardie is roaming with something stuck in its nostrils? Well, hearing its whistle should be enough. The majority of the time, they do it due to something being lodged in their nostril. The source of the noise can be anything like a piece of substrate or something small enough to get stuck there.

And yes, it can be something like a flap of skin covering part of the nostril. Thankfully, in most of the cases, gently flushing the nose with warm water is enough to clear it all up. But if anything is stuck further down in the nasal passage, a trip to the vet will be a wiser move.

By the way, under worse circumstances, open-mouthed breathing and extra mucus can pop up as signs of a respiratory illness, which sometimes trigger a whistling sound. So, if you’re seeing something like this, rust to the vet asap.

8. Rasping/Wheezing

Thinking about the most alarming sound that can come out of a beardie? Well, count this one in. Usually, it’s parasites, respiratory infections, and yellow fungal disease works as the culprits behind rasping. But if you’re keeping the enclosure clean, keeping the temperature ideal, and so is the humidity, averting these problems shouldn’t be a problem.

Sound Table Of Bearded Dragons

Well, let’s call it a more convenient way to understand what the different sounds of a bearded dragon stand for. Sometimes they make sounds as a part of their communication. But sometimes, it’s nothing but an indication of underlying health issues. So, what is what? Well, this table is all about clearing that up.

Sound	Reasons
Hissing	Fear Stress Defensiveness Displeasure Protest Warning of potential attack
Purring	Respiratory infection Nose issue
Chirping	Establishing territory Courting females Signaling dominance Warning rivals
Squeaking	Nail scraping Respiratory problem
Rasping/Wheezing	Parasite infestation Respiratory infection Yellow fungus disease
Huffing	Inhaling & exhaling during eating
Whistling	Lodged nose Respiratory infection
Burping	Gas release Impaction

When Bearded Dragons Make Sounds?

There are certain reasons that make beardies make sounds. But what exactly are they? Well, our research says they usually do that for –

1. Expressing Emotions

Like humans, bearded dragons use their vocalization, from hissing to humming, mostly to express a wide range of emotions. When someone or something makes them feel intimidated or cornered, it’s their hissing that they use to express their rage or disgust.

On the other side, if they’re humming, it might mean that they’re happy or at peace. These sounds allow them to convey their emotions and states of mind to other dragons and their surroundings.

2. Responding To Threats

Meeting a rival once in a while is nothing new for bearded dragons, and the same goes for predators. In such situations, it’s their sound that they rely on to send warning signals.

On the other hand, when it comes to chirping, they use it to warn off potential predators. Not only that, but they use it for other bearded dragons as well, who have claimed the area or their personal space

3. Signaling Mating Interest

As part of their courting rituals, male beardies often make loud noises like roaring and chirping. There are usually two focuses of these sounds – attracting ladies and announcing one’s sexual availability. These vocalizations provide a communication function, allowing the beardies to signal to one another whether or not they are ready for mating.

4. Establishing Dominance

Bearded dragon groups use vocal communication (grunts and chirps) to establish dominant relationships among members., Or you can simply call it an effort to establish a social hierarchy. To make communication more effective, they might even use gestures like head nodding and puffing out the body.

5. Indicating Discomfort

Squeaks or hisses from a bearded dragon often work as indicators of pain, disease, or discomfort. So, it’s usually seen that they try to communicate with their carers or with other dragons through these sounds when they’re feeling ill. Understanding this earlier might even make it easier for you to track potential health hazards.

6. Navigating Space

One of the interesting things about bearded dragons is they know how to use clicks to navigate their surroundings. When they are scouting out a new area or looking for something, they frequently make these clicking noises. They probably use it in the form of echolocation to better gauge distances and understand the surroundings better.

How Bearded Dragons Communicate?

It’s true that beardies aren’t as vocal as most of the traditional pets out there. But that hasn’t stopped them from developing non-vocal and vocal behaviors, which ultimately help them in communicating with their species and owners. We already know which sounds they use. But what are their other modes of communication? Well, let’s start with –

1. Head Bobbing

Bearded dragons’ signature activity, known as “head bobbing,” is a kind of non-verbal communication. It involves a series of repetitive head nods and bobs and is frequently accompanied by a pumping up of the neck and the beard. According to the surroundings, this action might signify a variety of things.

In the context of males fighting for territory or mates, rapid head bobbing can be an indicator of dominance or hostility. This show is made much more ‘worth watching’ when accompanied by a hissing noise.

2. Arm Waving

Among the non-vocal communication behaviors of beardies, arm waving is quite common. When a dependent dragon meets a dominant dragon, the submissive dragon generally responds in this manner. It’s basically the act of slowly raising one front leg and waving it. This motion is mostly seen as a submissive act.

3. Puffing Up And Hissing

Beardies have their own way of handling predators and intruders. Usually, it starts with hissing and puffing up, which is all about showcasing its stress or warning off a possible predator. The hissing acts as an auditory warning, while the inflated appearance of the dragon discourages potential assailants.

4. Vocalizations

Although bearded dragons are not commonly thought of as very talkative reptiles, they are capable of making a number of different sounds as a part of their communication. You already know the sounds, as we’ve discussed them earlier, which can range from chirping and clicking to a deep growling.

Some of these sounds are their natural sounds, and some are nothing but indicators of their health issues. But no matter, all these sounds help the owner a lot in understanding what the lizard is going through.

Before We Go…

Okay, you know which sounds says that your lizard is sick. But what’s after you hear any of them? Well, we guess the next person you’ll miss is the vet. Now the problem is not all the vets are good enough to handle the health issues of bearded dragons. So, what to do then?

Well, confusion hits real hard at those times. So, we thought of making things a bit easier for you with our blog – Where Can I Take My Bearded Dragon To The Vet? All you need to is just hit the click and check out which herp vet is waiting close by you.