Bearded Dragon Laying Flat : (3 Clear Reasons From Vet!)

When you have bearded dragons, of course, there are still many behaviors that you don’t know. One of them is the bearded dragon laying flat. If bearded dragons do this, many pet owners still don’t know what to do.

Why do bearded dragons flatten out? There are three reasons for the bearded dragon flattening body: Fear, Illness, and temperature regulation.

To find out for sure about dragon laying down and what to do when your bearded dragons are doing that, let’s dive deeper into the causes of our bearded dragons while laying flat.

Why Do Bearded Dragons Flatten Out?

One of them is because bearded dragons want to increase their body temperature. They will do bearded dragon laying flat due to not having enough heat and air in the dragon’s tank.

This is because most bearded dragons won’t do well in a cold climate unless they are very small and kept indoors. You must keep the temperature of the beardie’s enclosure warm during the winter months to ensure he is healthy.

It is best to use a heating system that is specifically designed for bearded dragons during the summer. During the winter, your beard should have a heating system that stays on all day long to keep its temperature warm.

Sometimes a bearded dragon may get bit by another pet or human and sustain head trauma. If you notice your beardie flattening out, then the head trauma may have caused it to do this.

It is very important to get your bearded dragons checked out by a vet right away if you think he might have had head trauma or an illness.

Why Does My Bearded Dragon Lay Flat On My Hand?

When my bearded dragon was lying flat on me, I was confused about what to do because it had never been like that before. My bearded dragon grew so quickly that he is now occupying the full palm. He was silent for a while before returning to his activities and leaving my hands.

After several times bearded dragon laying flat on my hand, I know that bearded dragons do that because they are afraid of something.

Although most of the bearded dragons will do it in the ground to make it look bigger and stronger, sometimes they also do it in the owner’s hands to feel more secure.

A bearded dragon flattening body is one way to avoid conflict with other bearded dragons or something that scares them.

Why Is My Bearded Dragon Laying On The Ground?

Your bearded dragon laying flat was unable to keep himself warm, so for the time being, he must lay down on the ground until he is warm enough to move. Also, sometimes your bearded dragon will just get too tired and lay down for a while.

If your bearded dragon laying down is displaying any signs of an illness such as fever, weakness, or anorexia, you should isolate him from the rest of the dragon family until the symptoms subside.

If you handle your bearded dragon, you need to have him on a regular medication regimen.

Why Is My Baby Bearded Dragon Laying Flat?

The reason you may be asking baby dragon laying down is because of the unusual behavior that you or your baby beardie might have witnessed. It all boils down to a few things. One is the fact that bearded dragons are cold-blooded animals.

The warmth generated when a bearded dragon’s body is heated allows him to “breathe” much more than an unheated human does.

Another reason why do bearded dragons flatten out is that he is sick. Bearded dragons are seriously ill when winter sets in, so make sure you check him for parasites before the cold weather sets in.

If you are still worried about your baby beardie, then you may want to bring him to a vet and have your pet examined so that you can learn how to best care for your bearded dragon when he is sick.

Why Is My Baby Bearded Dragon Laying Flat All Day?

If your bearded dragon laying flat and you feel that their temperature is abnormal throughout the day, immediately take them to the vet for a medical examination.

The bearded dragon body, especially the belly, will feel different if they are sick. Apart from showing black, they will also be less active and less responsive.

Try giving them their favorite food. If the bearded dragons also don’t react when you give them food, then immediately take them to the vet because it could be that your bearded dragons are seriously ill.

What Does Bearded Dragon Pancake Means?

Bearded dragon pancaking is a behavior that flattens out their body to get body heat when basking. Bearded dragons do this to absorb the heat from the surface area faster.

Bearded dragon pancake is also often done by bearded dragons in captivity until they finish basking. It’s not just basking to absorb heat by flattening out their body because bearded dragons can do this when they feel their body temperature isn’t right.

Don’t be confused if pet owners explain about bearded dragon pancake, and most importantly, don’t get confused with real pancakes. Bearded dragon pancaking can also be accompanied with bearded dragon turning black and mouth open behavior.

What To Do When Bearded Dragon Pancake?

There’s nothing to do when bearded dragon pancake because bearded dragons do that to absorb more heat so that their bodies produce hormones and stabilize their metabolism.

Avid keepers make the term bearded dragon pancake because their bodies are flattened out like pancakes with a lizard on top. You will often see this behavior when bearded dragons basking or when colder weather begins to be felt by them.

Not all bearded dragon laying flat is bad because it is a behavior they do to get more light and benefits when they are basking. You also need to adjust the UV light in their room to suit their needs, and bearded dragons can live a healthier life.

Bearded Dragon Flattening Body

If you see a bearded dragon laying flat on stomach, not when they are basking, there are two possibilities left, because they are afraid or because they are sick.

It won’t be a problem if you can find something that scares the bearded dragon because they will return to their original body position after the scary thing is gone.

If your bearded dragons do this behavior when they are in a new environment, it’s their way of being careful with their environment until they can adapt. They will gradually get used to it and will act normal to you too.

Bearded Dragon Puffed Up Belly

Sometimes some equate bearded dragon laying flat on belly with bearded dragon laying flat. Although almost the same, puffed belly is more often seen if bearded dragons want to eat more because they are hungry.

When they are hungry, they puff their belly to make room in their stomach to store food in case they don’t get to eat later. This is more common in the wild than in captivity.

If you notice this behavior after you have fed it, try feeding it less for the next meal. If your bearded dragon doesn’t puff their belly anymore, then the portion you give is just right because they keep what they ate before.

But if they are still puffing their belly, then feed them more because maybe they want to increase their portion, but don’t overfeed.

Bearded Dragon Laying Flat With Head Down

If you see your baby bearded dragon laying flat with its head down or head up to the light, it is a state of calm or relaxation to get the full benefits of basking.

If they don’t do that in the basking area, pay attention to what they think they want, whether they are hungry, afraid of something, or are sick.

Bearded dragons laying flat with their faces facing down can be less of a concern if they don’t do that very often, and you know that behavior is done when the bearded dragon is only in certain places.

Don’t worry too much if your bearded dragons do that. As long as they look relaxed, then there’s nothing to worry about.

Bearded Dragon Tired After Laying Eggs

After the bearded dragons lay their eggs, they will limp, and the bearded dragon flattening body until their energy returns.

Why do bearded dragons flatten out after laying an egg? Because they are exhausted and need an hour to relax and adjust their body.

If you want to help them, you can clean their heads and bodies, so they feel fresher after expending a lot of energy during egg-laying.

Let the bearded dragon laying flat under the light so they can rest while stretching their bodies after doing something strenuous.

Bearded Dragon Laying On Back

A bearded dragon can lay its belly out when it’s sick, suffering from dehydration, infections, or otherwise under attack from its enemies.

Unfortunately, Bearded Dragons who are sick often refuse to lay down on a flat surface. However, take your dragons laying down to the veterinarian when you first notice it laying down on the back frequently.

In most cases, the vet will prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection and may even advise you to let your bearded dragon lay down on a soft surface, like your bedding at night.

While antibiotics can effectively treat bacterial infections and other health threats in bearded dragon pets, they can also be quite toxic to reptiles. Make sure to also take care of Bearded dragon teeth in the morning.

Bearded Dragons who take a long time to heal and are kept in stressful conditions can weaken their immune systems enough to make them more susceptible to infections.

Remember that when your bearded dragon is laying down on the back, it may not be completely comfortable with that position. As a result, you may find your bearded dragon moving his head and body back and forth in an attempt to position himself better.

This is completely normal and is simply trying to get the blood flowing and to keep his senses active. It’s just something that he will probably be doing during the day, so don’t worry too much about it.

Bearded Dragon Laying In Corner

When a bearded dragon playing in the corner of your home, it may seem like they’re just sleeping. Why is my bearded dragon laying flat? You have to understand that they are actively seeking food and warmth. Their natural habitat is the moist caves and rocks of the woods in which they live.

Bearded dragon pancake may appear to be sleeping but instead are just basking their body in the sun. If you have noticed your bearded dragon on a blanket, bed, pillow, etc., while you were away, it is because he is trying to warm up.

You may also find him snuggling into a ball or a small ball of fur. Again, this is an indication that he’s trying to stay warm, and you may want to leave him alone if you find him doing this.

Bearded Dragon Laying Flat After Eating

When you see your bearded dragon laying flat, it means they have eaten enough food and are satisfied. This also means that he/she is resting comfortably at the proper temperature.

If you are unsure whether your bearded dragon is ready for another meal or snack and bearded dragon laying flat after eating, don’t feed them during this time. Instead, remove him from his cage and place him in a warm, clean towel for ten to fifteen minutes.

Bearded Dragon Laying Flat Not Eating

Your bearded dragon is basking in the sun in the wintertime, getting lots of vitamin D, plus he is basking in the warmth of the sun, which is making him very happy.

Why do bearded dragons flatten out? He decides to take a nap on the flat or grassy surface of his tank, and your hard tiled floors can provide that special cozy feeling for him too.

If you find that your bearded dragon laying flat not eating, or a bearded dragon laying with legs straight back, it is likely that he is feeling sick. In this case, you should head to the vet. Make sure you know what type of sickness your bearded dragon is suffering from.

Bearded Dragon Laying Flat With Legs Straight Back

If your bearded dragon laying flat with legs straight back, it’s a sign they want to sleep more relaxed, and sometimes they hide a little in cooler places.

Many pet owners think that a bearded dragon laying with legs straight back will hurt them because doing splits for humans is also not possible and tends to be painful.

If you see a bearded dragon laying flat in this position, don’t worry because they just want to stretch and relax while resting.

Bearded Dragon Laying Upside Down

Many think that bearded dragon laying flat in an upside-down position is dangerous for bearded dragons because there are signs of calcium deficiency.

Because calcium is very important for bearded dragons, a lack of calcium can cause several things below.

If your dragon lying down, don’t let them experience calcium deficiency and be late for treatment so they don’t get into a serious condition. There is also a bearded dragon laying flat with eyes closed, and of course, you want to know why that happens.

Bearded Dragon Laying Flat With Eyes Closed

If you see signs of a bearded dragon laying flat with eyes closed, they could be feeling sick or having an infection. Even though they doing bearded dragon laying flat may just want to spend time alone and still don’t believe in you, you also need to go to the vet for a medical examination.

Bearded dragon laying flat with eyes closed if it continues for a long time, it may indeed be an illness. But if it’s only temporary, then it’s nothing to worry about.

Bearded Dragon Laying Flat At Night

You also need to pay attention if the bearded dragon laying flat at night and seems to be limp without energy. Make sure by providing additional food, even though not as much as the usual meal portion. If they go to the food, then they do bearded dragon laying flat behavior because of hunger.

Because they don’t have enough energy to move, they either flatten out their body until they fall asleep, or there is food they can eat. If you don’t see this behavior every night, only for a certain time bearded dragons flatten their bodies because of hunger.

Final Verdict On Bearded Dragon Laying Flat

There are three most common reasons why bearded dragons flat their bodies. First because of illness, second because of temperature regulation, third because of fear.

You need to pay attention to these three behaviors. If your bearded dragons are sick, immediately take them to the vet to find the disease.

Other possibilities, such as pancakes, flatten their body because they want to absorb more heat when basking, or they take a break after they run out of laying eggs.

Some of these behaviors are nothing to worry about, as long as the bearded dragons are in good health and not done all day long. If they do that for more than a day, then there is a good chance they are sick or have an infection.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️