Stressed and not stressed.

[KeiraD]

So, I was told that the black markings under a bearded dragons jaw, or on his "beard" are a sign of stress. now he doesn't puff out or hiss or anything like that. But most of the time when he is in his tank, he has those marks and his back gets darker as well. The only way I can get him to lighten up is when I'm holding him or he is eating.

Is there something in his tank that's bothering him, or is he just naturally grumpy?

 

[jayce82]

does he have any hides in his tank? how many sides of tank don't have a cover or background? I noticed mine was stressed in tank until I put a background on the back and both sides

 

[allusiontoanillusion]

"Stress marks" have gotten a bad name but, really, they're more like a sign that your dragon is reacting to some sort of stimuli. They can mean anything from "I'm super stressed and angry!" to "This is exciting!" so don't freak out whenever you see them. If your beardie is young, it's actually extremely common for them to have those marks frequently and it dissipates with age.

Getting darker is often a sign that they're trying to absorb more heat. What are your temps? They might not be as high as they need to be and so your little pal is getting darker in an effort to take in the heat he needs.