Do Bearded Dragons Sleep During the Day?

Bearded dragons are diurnal. This means that their sleep pattern is similar to us humans. Their sleeping behavior is largely influenced by lighting and heating.

That said, bearded dragons do sleep during the night and awake during the day. But this sleep pattern may be arbitrary depending on the situations and on the bearded dragon itself.

So, do bearded dragons sleep during the day?

There are some bearded dragons that sleep pretty much often during the day. As mentioned, the sleep pattern in beardies may be different from one beardie to another.

Sleeping during the day is healthy in many cases. As long as your reptile gets everything he/she needs (e.g. food, lighting, etc.) sleeping during the day is not an issue.

However, there are instances where sleeping during the day is indicative of health issues in bearded dragons. So you need to be careful and always keep an eye on your reptile’s sleep pattern changes.

Also read: Do Bearded Dragons Pee? Facts You Should Know

Why Bearded Dragon Sleeping All Day?

Although sleeping during the day is healthy for bearded dragons, too much sleeping may be indicative of problems. There are times when a beardie sleeps all day and seems to not care about the surrounding.

Well, there are potential reasons why this happens. In this section, let’s talk about potential causes.

1. A Bearded Dragon is Starting Brumation

Bearded dragons have unique behaviors that we don’t see in other pets. One of which is brumation. Brumation is a natural process that adult beardies undergo. Beardies in brumation are normally physically inactive and eat less.

If your bearded dragon is 12-18 months old, then he/she may be starting brumation that’s why she/he sleeps all day.

Check for the signs of brumation such as the following:

• A bearded dragon eats less and seems to lose appetite
• Hiding a lot most of the time
• Does not care the bright light

Brumation usually happens in winter. But do not worry. Brumation is a normal and natural process that all beardies undergo. So do not stop it.

As mentioned, your reptile will lose appetite and will not eat. It is okay. You don’t need to feed your beardie either. This is because the food might only rot inside due to the lack of basking. So don’t bother just let your beardie brumate and sleep for weeks.

2. The Bearded Dragon’s Tank is Cold

Another reason why beardies sleep too much during the day is the low temperature in the enclosure. Cold temperature restraints beardies from basking which will result in the inability to digest food. When this condition lingers, beardies will develop health issues.

Remember that the ideal temperatures in the tank are about 92-110 degrees Fahrenheit on the hot side. While the cool side is about 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Inappropriate Lighting Setup

Another reason why a bearded dragon is sleeping all day is inappropriate lighting setup. The lack of UVB exposure for instance could cause a problem. One of the common problems associated with this is calcium deficiency.

As you know, the lack of calcium could potentially result in metabolic bone disease a serious and dangerous condition in bearded dragons.

The key here is making sure that your beardies get the appropriate amount of lighting setup. Ideally, beardies should have 8-12 hours of UVB exposure every day. So make sure they get what they need.

4. The Bearded Dragon is Sick

Another potential reason why a bearded dragon is sleeping all day is sickness. You need to be careful here because the symptoms are pretty similar to brumation.

The only difference is that, when a bearded dragon is sick, he/she is losing weight, has soft bones, closes its eyes most of the time, and have sunken eyes.

If these symptoms are showing up in your young beardies below 10-12 months old, it is not brumation. Something wrong is going on. This is because young bearded dragons do not brumate.

If you notice these symptoms, I suggest that you bring your bearded dragon to a vet immediately. Something must have to cause the problem. A licensed vet will be able to diagnose the sickness correctly and give your reptile correct intervention.

5. Relocation

Relocation can have a negative impact on your bearded dragon’s sleeping behavior. As you know, relocation can cause stress which will in turn cause sleep difficulty. It takes a few days to recover and get accustomed to its new environment.

During the recovery process, you normally see your beardie as not active, do not eat or bask regularly, and seem to feel threatened by its new surroundings. For safety purposes, have your reptile checked by a vet if possible to make sure that everything is okay,

6. Stress

Stress can also potentially change the sleeping pattern of your bearded dragon. There are many factors that cause stress in bearded dragons. One reason is relocation.

But beardies can also get stressed when they are housed in one tank, or if there are crickets that bite them. This happens when live crickets had escaped and remained in the tank unnoticed.

High temperatures, bright light, small tank, lack of hides in the tank can all cause stress. If these factors are present for a considerable period of time, your bearded dragon will be more likely to be stressed.

Also read: Bearded Dragon Turning Black Not Moving: Here’s Why

Final Thoughts on Do Bearded Dragons Sleep During the Day

Bearded dragons do sleep during the day. Although they are diurnal animals, their sleeping behavior may vary from one bearded dragon to another. It is normal and nothing to worry about it.

However, in some instances though, sleeping too much during the day may be indicative of health issues in bearded dragons. Stress is one of the leading causes of it. So it is very important to keep an eye on your beardie’s behavior so that you’ll be able to detect problems easily.

I hope this helps. Thank you for reading.

Related Questions