why do beardies cuddle?

[Spencer]

I know in the wild beardies are solitary and older beardies will even eat babies so why do they like or allow us to cuddle? I know my beardie likes it because she scoots up to me and snuggles up and falls asleep but you'd think they would be really uneasy around us big animals

 

[Spencer]

oh i guess this would be for the behavior forum actually

 

[bunnyrut]

you know, i can't explain that.

scientific peoples will probably go on about our body heat and stuff like that.

but Mr Dargon has actually sought me out to cuddle when he could have climbed onto the heater for better heat.

even my betta fish had been receptive to me.

people can go on about how animals have small brains and can't 'feel emotion like us', but i don't think those people have ever had a connection with any animal that is truly companionship.

 

[Spencer]

you know, i can't explain that.

scientific peoples will probably go on about our body heat and stuff like that.

but Mr Dargon has actually sought me out to cuddle when he could have climbed onto the heater for better heat.

even my betta fish had been receptive to me.

people can go on about how animals have small brains and can't 'feel emotion like us', but i don't think those people have ever had a connection with any animal that is truly companionship.

My bettas do that too! They follow my finger one eats out of my hand and the other lets me pet him (i don't anymore cause I know now that it's bad for his slime coat)

 

[Glitch]

I know that scientifically speaking, they can't feel "love" like a person does, however, I'm sure that, as they may enjoy a certain food, or place, be comfortable and happy, they can enjoy us, and understand that, unlike a warm heater, they can use their slave that protects them and pets them as a cozier, warm place to snuggle and be happy.

 

[Lurhstaap]

Well, as a science-oriented person, this is the very trait which addicts me to beardies and fascinates me about them. They are -not- truly social animals with regard to their own kind, but they -are- unequivocally social when it comes to humans! Their behavior, when interpreted in the light of Occam's razor, must be interpreted as fond, if not necessarily 'loving' in a human or mammalian sense.

Basically, my personal hypothesis is that beardies have a partly developed social capacity which may be more developed in some individual dragons than in others -- which is why some of them get along better with other dragons than others do -- but it's that rudimentary social capacity which allows them to bond with us. They're intelligent enough to recognize that we are not predators, because we don't act the way they expect predators to act. I also think their capacity to distinguish different individual humans from each other helps a LOT. Not all animals can do that, and those which can't are the ones which don't seem to 'bond' with a human owner in my experience. Beardies can, though, and I think that is what allows them to become fond of us. Other animals may be able to recognize, generally, that humans bring food, and that their home near humans is a safe place. But a beardie can perceive and remember that this SPECIFIC human always brings food, gives me warm baths, keeps me safe, etc. As such, they recognize us as the source of many of their pleasures in life, and thereby become fond of us, in much the same way that humans become fond of things like cars and boats, because they bring us happiness.

In particular I think the cuddling reflects a sense of protection and safety. We are certainly large enough to drive off most any predator that a beardie would fear. So while our body warmth may be a small factor, I think it's more likely that they see us as a very safe place to hang out and go to sleep. They feel it is unlikely that they will be attacked by a predator while sleeping on our bodies -- and you have to admit, if that is what's going through their little heads when they do that, they're right!

Overall, while I do not think beardies are capable of "love" in a human sense, they unquestionably have their own set of emotions and feelings which are not all that different from ours. Less complex, their social potential being less realized, but fundamentally very similar.

 

[Spencer]

That was a really good answer! I like it!

 

[Lurhstaap]

Thinking about this more, I think what happens is something along these lines. They recognize, first, that we are not predators. Then we begin to interact with them. By default that activates their social circuitry. So they begin applying what social paradigms they have to us. But we're far, far too big to try to dominate in their usual manner. Since they are highly intelligent, this doesn't just make them lock up in panic like it might a less flexible animal. Instead, they analyze the situation and react each in their own way according to their personalities. (The presence of a clearly detectable individual personality, by the way, is a hallmark of a highly developed and complex brain. With that said, it is remarkable how common the trait of individuality is in the animal kingdom if one looks around objectively... ) Some of them, the more aggressive and self-confident I imagine, head-bob at us and try to slot us into a typical beardie dominance order. Others arm-wave and submit to us as if we were larger, stronger beardies. But overall, because we do not fit neatly into the beardie social programming, they end up developing a unique way of interacting with us over time through repeated experiences with us. Hence their ability to bond socially with humans on a more complex level than with each other.

 

[RelentlessChaos]

I know that scientifically speaking, they can't feel "love" like a person does, however, I'm sure that, as they may enjoy a certain food, or place, be comfortable and happy, they can enjoy us, and understand that, unlike a warm heater, they can use their slave that protects them and pets them as a cozier, warm place to snuggle and be happy.

I'd like to say something similar to this, something within this range. They don't understand "love" or what knot. That's just a human emotion but I do believe over time that you care for your dragon, your dragon catches onto it & soon understand that you provide food & will not hurt it. That's all I got. Which is why my Reptar doesn't run for me at 100MPH anymore as when I first got him, & yes, he does "snug/cuddle" at night time & fall asleep.