"It doesn't exist because my eyes are closed"

Does anyone else notice that their bearded dragon closes their eyes when you offer them food they don't like? Do they think that's how the universe works? Should we learn from this wisdom and from now on just close our eyes and give off stink-eye energy 24/7 when something isn't to our liking?

No seriously, it's annoying because she'll LOVE kale one day, and so I pick her a big handful from my garden the next day, and she'll just close her eyes and swat at it like "Get this out of my face! Ew!" XD I can't wait for the summer crops to start coming in, she is just now starting to like vegetables, but she's in denial. XD

Yep. They definitely close their eye when annoyed by something (usually me harassing them). It's a mild form of "go away". Followed by the head twitch and then the leg kick. Beard flaring and mouth opening is the more extreme warning :lol:

I have read conflicting things; I've read if they close their eyes when you're holding them or petting them, it means they are scared. Also read it means they are comfortable. I would like to think its the latter; but I'm not sure if we will ever know the real answer because well, we can't ask a dragon lol

lol yeah it does come down to we can't just ask them, unfortunately. It's a matter of interpreting their body language by observation over time. It's possible it means relaxed. I see the same behavior if I get close to my dragon and he doesn't want to be bothered. He will close one eye for a bit, open it again to see if I'm still there, and close it again if I am. That's why I interpret it as mild annoyance. It's possible the behavior doesn't have universal meaning too. What is relaxation to one may be mild annoyance to another. :dontknow:

I compare mine to toddlers sometimes when it comes to eating. As noted one day it may be their favorite, but the next day they decide they don't want it. I try to offer rotating veggies, but I do so with a mix of a couple each day and change up the mix. In most cases while trying to pick out what they want they will end up getting some of the others.

The closing of the may be impossible to prove one way or another, but from my experience (all opinion based on mine) closing the eyes does show a level of trust. In the example of holding and petting, simply closed eyes may mean they like it, or that they are just tolerating it. I go by any stress marks on the belly as a further indicator of their mood.

I would also say that if you are petting the top of the head to the neck it could even just be closing the eye because something is close to it and a reaction, as i see this often where only the eye closest to your hand is closing.

Oh this gave me a chuckle. Sooo true! Reminds me when my kids were little and they thought they were invisible by closing their eyes when in trouble :lol: Gotta love the added tilting the head up and turning away almost as if they were saying " Get this thing outa my SIGHT! " :lol: