only thing that sucks about a BD..

[GlueStick]

...If I ever look down at saphira and she grins and winks at me I'll prolly shart myself and quit drinking. :shock:

LOL

 

[spikeithard]

ya, i agree when I pet Orion and he closes his eye(s) I cant tell if its because its loving it or because its affraid to get something stuck in there

 

[blue11]

Well said glue stick! I usually watch how mine is acting rather then her " expression"
our little dragons just don't have the part of a brain that produces emotions. If I ever look down at saphira and she grins and winks at me I'll prolly shart myself and quit drinking. :shock:

omg that is hilarious!!! teeeheheheheeee. hee. :laughhard:

 

[Jess]

For the most part, us saying look into their eyes is yet another issue of a human anthropomorphizing an animal. We don't actually have a clear way to tell what the reptile is thinking or feeling, as the expressions are truly alien to us, being a completely different species. I've noticed that the best way (or what I feel is the best way) to tell the reptiles mood is to watch their body language.

When mine is startled, his movements are abrupt and he keeps one eye fixed... I attribute that to being startled and cautious, though it could be something completely different. Closing their eyes could be them protecting their eyes from harm.

Either way, thats part of the fun... guessing what sort of primitive thoughts are going through their reptillian brain. So long as the Beardie has everything it needs to survive and be at peek health, I imagine it's quite content, and it does seem to learn when food is around, so it has some cognitive abilities.

I agree.

I can always tell what type of person a customer is when they stroke the head of a lizard and the lizard closes their eyes. The response is either "oh, he must enjoy this!," or "oh, he mustn't want his eyes hurt - or - mustn't like it." In my opinion, its a toleration response while they can figure out how to escape the issue. You'll notice they usually keep one eye open as a result. Its all body language.

While 'reading their eyes' may help in concluding some of their body language, they are not 'expressive' like we tend to see and think by human and chimpanzee standards. On that note, I have never seen them 'narrow their brow or eye'. I think that this is just imaginative thinking =P

-Glue

I think that closing/opening their eyes counts as an expression! When Dud is really annoyed with me, he shuts his eyes like he is trying to block me out.

But yeah, body language is the best way to tell what they are thinking. I don't think that they have blank-looking eyes though.

 

[DesertIsis]

While I know that animals do not share the same emtions as us (I'm just finishing a course in animal behavior) I do like to anthropomorphize my animals a bit because it helps me to connect with them more and understand their personality better. That being said, I do pay very close attention to body language, and generally match up the behavior my pet is doing with a probable human emotion equivalent. Isis racing for a cricket or leaf = hunger or eagerness or both for example.

 

[GlueStick]

I think that what we mean here are complex, conceptual traits, such as love, regret, vanity, vengeance, awareness of time and space, etc. that reptiles cannot otherwise feel or express. They can feel curiosity, hunger, eagerness, anxiety, pain, fear, anger, etc.

-Glue

 

[beardie parents]

Beardies may not love the way humans do but they do have love for us, at least the ones we've had do love us, especially Miss O. She was the most loving beardie we've ever had. No one will convince me otherwise, she was happier with us when she realized we loved her. I believe it is because they know we love them by how we take care of them and hold them when they need the love and attention.

 

[Zenchee]

As far as I'm concerned, my beardie doesn't love me, it's just tolerant of me because it knows my scent and realizes when that scent is near that it's time for food. Often when I walk by in front of his tank, I don't attribute the jumping off his stick and pacing back and forth watching me as anything than more than recognizing the blurry image that typically moves in front of it before crickets fall from the sky.

Doesn't change the fact that I personally love my lizard and let it get used to my scent so I can pick him up without getting bitten. Lizards are cool even if they seem to return the affection or not.

 

[tgolden]

Beardies may not love the way humans do but they do have love for us, at least the ones we've had do love us, especially Miss O. She was the most loving beardie we've ever had. No one will convince me otherwise, she was happier with us when she realized we loved her. I believe it is because they know we love them by how we take care of them and hold them when they need the love and attention.

How knows maybe you have that one dragon who has made a evolutionary jump and has developed a cerebral cortex which is the part of the brain that produces emotions. Does you dragon talk to? :roll: Sorry i don't buy it bd parents. reptiles in general don't have brains like we do. They don't love, hate, get angry or sad. That is fact. They just don't have that kind of brain but if believing your reptile loves you helps you enjoy your pet more, good for you !! No one will convince me otherwise or pull me into a delusion.

 

[fresnowitte]

Call me delusional! :laughhard: Or the dragon whisper! :lol:
I believe that the eyes can tell you much about a beardie. However you must be open and observant of what different looks, head tilts, and behaviors mean from your beardie. They can not communicate in the same way as us this does not mean they can not communicate to us the way they are feeling.

 

[tgolden]

Y'all are to funny. Would you mind whispering to mine and tell her to use the toilet instead of her basking log? Lol

 

[beardie parents]

Barbara has her beardies trained to go in their bath in the morning.

 

[TheDeac]

Fear and Caution are still emotions saying they cant feel emotions is like saying they dont breathe every animal can experience fear and they learn how to aviod it their perception of emotions is probably not as advanced as us but Stubble comes when he's called free roams the house and climbs into my lap wether for body temp or affection he comes to me of his own free will also the best way i can figure his mood is by color when he's in a "good" mood he's almost the color of a lemon if he's ticked off brown

 

[GlueStick]

Now now, be nice. Everyone here is entitled to their own opinion, so no need to get hot headed up there! =P

However, yes, they CAN feel emotions, just like every living thing animal on this planet, which makes them unique to every other living thing in that respect. They CANNOT feel human emotions related to envy, love, resentment, speak an oral language, have culture or religious beliefs, awareness of space and time, etc.

You CAN read the intentions and overall disposition of a reptile through body language, such as the eyes, overall body posture, mouth, head disposition, tail orientation, etc... but these are guesses based off previously examined and experienced behaviors, which are accurate in most respects. These behaviors determine if the animal is comfortable, upset, hungry, etc. These are not however relations that display love, resentment, or that tomorrow is Monday and the next day Tuesday, etc. It is such that makes them independent animals and 'wild'.

This does not mean however you cannot have a relationship with your reptile, which is why they have remained (for one primary reason) in the pet trade for so many years, especially in respects to bearded dragons who have been known to have a unique interest to those who care for them. I LOVE Aussie and Calypso and, I'm pretty sure that in my mind while I feel a self accomplishment and appreciation for all of the care I've given Aussie in particular who has been to the vet nearly 13+ times and cost me nearly $1200, that he is unable to comprehend and appreciate the same respect. But it doesn't matter. I love him =) even if he doesn't 'love' me back in the same manner. His 'love' however is represented in the fact that he is still living and behaving like a normal, semi tamed reptile- heck, he's lived 4 years through several dozen diagnoses, needles, syringes, etc where most would have surely perished. Their wild and exotic behavior is what should be appreciated. The fact that you, as a human being, can be a part of that and appreciate what they represent to you is all that you need. Obviously, this website represents that. And through human imagination, which is much appreciated and welcomed, bearded dragons have become the most popular and loved exotic pet.

=}

-Glue

 

[bambichik39]

Y'all are to funny. Would you mind whispering to mine and tell her to use the toilet instead of her basking log? Lol

Actually my beardie poops in his bath now and not in his cage, which I guess would kind of be like training them huh? Have you ever owned a leopard gecko before? They only poop in one little corner of their tank, and they choose to do that on their own. Animals are not as stupid as you may think, they do have natural behaviors. And as far as not being able to get angry, have you never seen a black bearding beardie with its mouth open? I wouldn't take that behavior as anything but them being angry.... I'm not going to say I know my lizard loves me and knows his name, but I will say hes smart enough to associate tongs with feeding, bath with pooping, and me with getting out of his tank. If they didn't each have small behaviors (or as I call them, personalities) why would anyone want one? I would save myself some money and buy a fish.