*Stress marks on adult beardie*

Hi there,
My bearded dragon Dumbledore is about to turn two years old. I've had him for nearly 6 months since I adopted him from another home.

I've noticed recently that he often has dark stress marks on his belly, especially when he's basking. Usually when I take him out they disappear fairly quickly. His beard never goes black and he doesn't show any other signs of stress...?
I don't leave the feeders in his cage overnight, his temperatures are right and he always has food available. he was never taught to drink from a water dish, so I make sure to feed him extra water-packed veggies and give him extra baths to keep him hydrated (although he still is slightly dehydrated). He is always handled gently and properly and has no fears of anything (not even the dog).

I thought that perhaps he was looking at his own reflection and that was scaring him, so I put some paper on the glass to block and reflection but the marks are still there.
Is it just him trying to soak up heat? I know that their backs darken to soak up heat, but I wasn't sure about their bellies... and everything I've googled have just said that whenever there are marks on the belly, they are stressed...???

I would appreciate any thoughts or advice!
Thanks!

If it's happening during basking and goes away when you pick him up, he's likely just trying to maximize the light/heat he is able to absorb. It shouldn't be cause for concern. I'd double check his surface temps and UVB light distance though just to be sure he is able to get what he needs. He may want things a few degrees warmer in the basking area.

CooperDragon":1ehqt2na said:

If it's happening during basking and goes away when you pick him up, he's likely just trying to maximize the light/heat he is able to absorb. It shouldn't be cause for concern. I'd double check his surface temps and UVB light distance though just to be sure he is able to get what he needs. He may want things a few degrees warmer in the basking area.

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Thank you, that's what I thought. I knew that they turned dark when they were basking, however I couldn't find any information about their bellies, all I could find was that whenever their bellies were dark, they were stressed, which confused me, because that doesn't really make sense. So thank you for confirming! I feel better now :lol:

Nah they have the pigment changes all over their bodies. The belly pigments tend to lighten as they get older but their bellies can still get dark. A better indicator of mood is the color of their beard combined with their activity levels.