Bearded dragons are intelligent creatures. They remember their human keepers, learn to solve problems, imitate others of their kind, and display other abilities you’d never expect from a reptile.
But these animals have more surprises up their proverbial sleeve. For example, did you know that bearded dragons can enjoy music?
In fact, these lizards are extremely sensitive to auditory stimuli and have been observed to favor some music genres – specifically the soft, relaxing harmonies of jazz, the blues, and classical music – over others.
As every animal is different, however, what one bearded dragon appreciates, another may not. So expose your scaly pet to various musical styles to determine which ones it likes best!
Are Bearded Dragons Sensitive to Sound?
It may not look like the bearded dragon has ears, but if you peer closely at the sides of its head, you’ll notice small holes. Those are its ears, thanks to which this animal can respond to anything that makes noise.
To understand just how powerful the bearded dragon’s ears are, we must first talk about human hearing and hearing in general.
We humans can hear sound frequencies between 20 and 20,000 hertz. When we’re exposed to sounds beyond this acoustic range, we perceive them as uncomfortable, potentially painful noises.
In contrast, bearded dragons have an acoustic range between 500 and 4,000 hertz. This means any sound beyond 4,000 hertz can cause it distress.
In other words, humans can tolerate higher sound frequencies than bearded dragons, so a beardie can experience pain upon hearing a sound that we humans take for granted. And if a specific sound causes a human anguish, it’s even far worse for a bearded dragon. Sudden loud explosions or shouts are particularly agonizing, for they can startle and frighten them.
Thus, you have to exercise caution when subjecting your pet to various sounds – and that includes music.
So, what types of music do bearded dragons respond positively to? Let’s find out!
Do Bearded Dragons Like Music? What Genres Do They Prefer?
Because bearded dragons’ ears are extremely sensitive to sound, they’re also extremely sensitive to music. It thus makes sense for them to have musical preferences, which we’ll discuss below.
Loud music
We humans have varied musical tastes, and many among us take pleasure in the extremely loud, grating stuff – from the abrasive crunch of heavy metal guitars to the booming bass beats of hip hop tunes.
Unfortunately, our reptilian friends may not appreciate such loud music as much.
To a human being, any sound beyond our acoustic range is uncomfortable noise. Well, it’s the same for bearded dragons, so any noise that a human finds intolerable will cause a bearded dragon even more suffering. It’s no wonder loud music is so distasteful for these creatures.
Music that features sudden eruptions of noise may also remind beardies of predators that are trying to ambush them, which explains why they generally loathe loud music.
Soft, calm music
Music that lacks abrupt shifts in volume and that boasts soothing, peaceful melodies are more likely to be received positively by bearded dragons. In other words, these lizards typically favor soft, calm, and relaxing music.
There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests these reptiles like such music. For instance, instead of moving away and hiding from the source of the sounds, one would stay in place and turn its head toward it.
Of course, a beardie’s personality can also influence what it likes. An individual that’s typically confident and easygoing will probably enjoy some light music playing in the background. However, a tense, anxiety-prone one may prefer a quieter, more laid-back environment.
4 Ways to Tell if a Bearded Dragon Likes the Music You’re Playing?
Like most animals, bearded dragons communicate what they’re feeling and thinking through body language. As a pet keeper, it’s therefore your responsibility to examine your beardie’s nonverbal cues to figure out whether or not it enjoys the music you subject it to.
Below are some common signs that a bearded dragon appreciates the music you’re playing.
1. It stays in place and turns toward the sound source
Let’s say you turn on a radio that’s a few feet from your beardie. Does it walk away from the radio and or even try to find someplace to hide? Or does it stay put and lay down? If your pet doesn’t create some distance between itself and the sound source, then that’s an indication the music isn’t bothering it. And if your pet turns its head toward the music source, then there’s a good chance the sounds have a positive effect on it.
2. It approaches the sound source
What if your beardie does the opposite of running away from the radio? What if it gets closer to it instead? Remember, bearded dragons don’t normally go toward whatever is causing them grief, so if your pet approaches the sound source or even climbs onto the device, then it’s highly likely it finds the music pleasant.
3. It appears relaxed and comfortable
A comfortable and relaxed bearded dragon displays overt signs of its positive emotional state. For example, it may gently bob its head, swing its tail, yawn, close its eyes, or allow you to hold it. If your pet behaves in such ways while your favorite music is playing, then there’s a good chance it likes the music. A beardie that’s enjoying itself may even become playful!
However, if your beardie starts fluffing its beard, hissing, bobbing its head rapidly, opening its mouth wide, frantically clawing at surfaces, and/or showing other signs of aggression, then it most probably hates what it’s hearing. Turn off the radio before your pet loses it and bites you!
4. It displays happy colors
Bearded dragons are among those incredible reptiles that can change their colors depending on their emotional state.
When a beardie is in a good mood, its scales turn a lighter, brighter shade, such as a vibrant yellow or orange. Does your pet display such colors when the radio plays your favorite music? Then it probably has the same taste in music as you!
If your pet’s scales turn dark, however, the music is probably putting it in a foul mood. Try switching to another genre to see if it’ll respond more favorably!
Why Should You Play Music for Your Bearded Dragon?
If you’ve discovered that your bearded dragon likes the music you listen to, then it’s a good idea to play that music for it, especially whenever you’re nearby.
The reason for this is simple: if your beardie hears its favorite music every time you’re around, then it’ll end up associating the music with you. In other words, it’ll learn that you’re the bringer of happiness, which will make it think and feel more favorably of you. In the same way music creates bonds between people, it can also strengthen human-reptile relationships!
Of course, exposing your bearded dragon to stimuli that it enjoys can also improve its mood. So if you keep letting your pet listen to its favorite music, then you’ll help it stay happy and relaxed – and such positive emotional states are good for the health of any animal.
How long should you play music for your bearded dragon?
So we’ve established that it’s good for your bearded dragon to listen to its favorite music. But how long should you expose it to these sounds? And how long is too long?
If your pet is listening to these strange sounds for the first time, we recommend only playing the music for a few minutes. Between 15 and 20 minutes should suffice. However, make sure you stop or change the music the moment your beardie shows signs of stress.
Once you’ve observed that your bearded dragon likes what it’s hearing, you can increase the duration gradually. Make sure to lower the volume or turn off the music altogether if your pet grows unhappy. Additionally, avoid exposing it to loud, startling sounds.
3 Ways to Calm Down a Bearded Dragon That’s Stressed Due to Loud Music
So you’ve just subjected your bearded dragon to a YouTube video of Yoko Ono “singing,” and now it’s hissing like it’s dealing with a demon from the ninth circle of hell. What can you do to soothe the nerves of a bearded dragon that’s become stressed by loud music?
Try out the following steps!
1. Remove or change the music
If the music is upsetting your beardie, then the simplest thing you can do is to turn off the device that’s playing it. Alternatively, you can change the music to something calmer and quieter.
Once you’ve taken either step, wait for your pet to stop exhibiting signs of aggression.
2. Stroke your bearded dragon
Like dogs, bearded dragons love it when their owners stroke them. They especially enjoy our touch when they’re stressed.
Of course, you should wait a bit for your beardie to calm down before touching it. Otherwise, you risk getting bitten.
Once your pet is no longer aggressive, gently stroke its back or the top of its head. You can even hold it and pick it up while doing so – just make sure not to make any sudden movements that may startle it.
3. Distract your bearded dragon
Pleasant experiences can distract your bearded dragon from its source of stress, helping it calm down and return to a more positive mood.
Why not give your beardie a nice bath? A splash in warm water can relieve a bearded dragon of stress and any other uncomfortable emotions.
Or how about giving your pet some of its favorite treats? Just make sure not to overfeed it, as this can also stress it out.
You can even take it out for a walk!
Conclusion
Thanks to their lower auditory range, bearded dragons are highly sensitive to noise. This means that there are certain genres of music they won’t enjoy.
In general, beardies aren’t fond of loud, harsh music, as it puts a strain on their ears and may even remind them of the sounds predators make. However, some of these creatures enjoy soothing, soft music.
Whatever type of music you subject your scaly friend to, monitor it for signs of stress. If it appears happy and relaxed, then it most probably enjoys the sounds. If it exhibits indications that it’s in a bad mood, then stop or change the music.
If your pet loves the music you listen to, then great! Listening to your favorite sounds together is wonderful for bonding. If the music upsets it, however, do your best to calm it down, and make sure to avoid exposing it to anything that causes it distress again.