Why do Bearded dragons lick things?

[lisa2713]

Hi. I have a bearded dragon nemed Fred. He is about 4 monthes old.
He usaully goes areund his tank, and starts to like things, like his log, his rock, and other decoration.
I know that it isn't bad if he licks things and it's because they "explore" or they like to taste things, but why else do they do it?
He also always looks at his reflection and attacks it, and sort of plays with it. (It's sort of cute!) But when will he learn that it is not a real bearded dragon, just his reflection?
Thanks

 

[SilverMoon]

Hi. I have a bearded dragon nemed Fred. He is about 4 monthes old.
He usaully goes areund his tank, and starts to like things, like his log, his rock, and other decoration.
I know that it isn't bad if he licks things and it's because they "explore" or they like to taste things, but why else do they do it?
He also always looks at his reflection and attacks it, and sort of plays with it. (It's sort of cute!) But when will he learn that it is not a real bearded dragon, just his reflection?
Thanks

Bearded dragons lick to learn about their environment and learn what stuff is. Similar to how snakes smell the air with their tongue. It's perfectly normal.

My baby Lelu, plays with her reflection as well. As long as their home has all the correct conditions (heat/light etc) it's probably nothing to worry about. Lelu will start attacking the glass when she defecates in her tank, she hates the smell lol so it's my queue to get it out. She also freaked out when I melted some of the plastic on her tank with a heat bulb. If you see him doing it, just check out the tank, make sure nothing is wrong-feces, no water, wrong heat temps, etc etc. I've never had any adult beardie so I don't know if they grow out of it but I think he will. Beardies tend to "calm down" when they get older.

 

[Fuzzyviper]

As the other poster said, he is "smelling" things much like a snake. Bearded dragons have a Jacobson's organ in the roof of their mouth and they lick with their tongue then the forked tips touch the organ in their mouth. It is an efficient way to have a very good sense of smell without having a huge nose.

As for him seeing his reflection, most animals do not recognize their reflections as themselves. Dolphins, humans, elephants, and most of the large apes have passed the "mirror test" to determine if they know the image in the mirror is themselves. Most other animals do not have the mental "self" that these animals have and it is usually linked to high intelligence and living in large groups where they must recognize individuals. You can always place some paper on the glass to stop your beardie from attacking the glass if he becomes obsessive with it but every once in a while is not a problem.