baby beardie always seeing himself in reflection?

[moby666]

hello! this is my first post on here i've been lurking awhile but i haven't seen anyone answer this question:

ive had my ~3 month old moby for almost a month and sometimes i catch him staring at himself in the reflection of his glass enclosure. sometimes he'll fight it, (not intense, he's like a dog pawing at a window lol!) but for the most part he just gets close to the glass and stares at himself. he doesn't have stressmarks/blackbeard so i don't think it bothers him too much. will he ever get used to his reflection? maybe when he gets a little older? i keep him in a 40 gal tank and he's only ~5 inches, so i don't think the glass surfing is him trying to escape. he's doing fine otherwise! eating well, pooping everyday, etc. does anyone know anything about this?

thanks!

 

[MrSpectrum]

My best guess is that at this age/stage, he''s trying to figure out if it is another dragon--either potential competition or prospective mate.

i haven't seen anyone answer this question:

Perhaps you haven't been looking in the right place(s)?
If you google: bearded dragon reflection you'll find a lot about it.
If you scroll down a bit in that link, or check the archives, or scroll down this page to Similar Topics (below the ads), you'll also find this discussed on this forum. :wink:

 

[KarrieRee]

If its stressing him out you can put up some sort of background like wall paper newspaper wrapping paper etc---- put it on the outside of his tank --
Karrie

 

[MrSpectrum]

If its stressing him out you can put up some sort of background like wall paper newspaper wrapping paper etc---- put it on the outside of his tank --
Karrie

I recommend a lighter, busy patterned background rather than a dark solid one. Dark solids reflect images better--more like a real mirror, while light busy patterns/pictures break reflections up, making them harder to see (Try it in a window :wink: )