It is completely normal for your bearded dragon to stand up on their two legs at the back while running. When they increase their speed, their body mass shifts due to gravity, and they rise on their two legs and reach their maximum possible speed. It also helps the cool air to get to the entire body on the downside, too, and hence, helps to regulate their body temperature.
Reason Why Your Bearded Dragon Running On its Two Legs
There is science involved in this type of behavior of your bearded dragons. Initially, many people who owned a bearded dragon like you and even scientists believed that these lovely little pets run or walk on their two legs instead of four because they could run faster like that.
Well, these scientists and pet owners were right that a bearded dragon could run much faster if it runs on its two legs, but physics has explained why.
When your bearded dragon is running or walking at its highest possible speed, the concentration of the mass of its body shifts to its center due to gravitational forces causing it to rise on its two legs while it’s running.
Once they have gained momentum while running at their maximum speed, they may come back on all four of their legs and stop whenever they want to. Another advantage of them running on two legs instead of four is their ability to change the direction they are going in quickly.
Another reason why your bearded dragon is running on two legs instead of four is by running on two of its legs, the cool air from the environment could hit its entire body and help to regulate your bearded dragon’s temperature and keep them cool.
You can watch this video of a bearded dragon running around on two legs.
What is The Speed At Which The Bearded Dragons Can Run On its Two Legs?
Usually, the speed at which your bearded dragon can run depends on many factors. Firstly their age affects their rate of running. Like humans, your bearded dragon’s speed and activeness depend significantly on age.
Juvenile dragons run much faster than adult or aged bearded dragons.
Generally, your bearded dragon runs at an average speed of 9 miles per hour if it is of the appropriate age, eats well, and has proper lighting and temperature inside its captivity.
Fun Fact: Bearded dragons can jump, there are various reasons why they might jump, but the main reason comes down to feeling threatened or stressed.
When Can You Expect Your Bearded Dragon To Run On Its Two Legs?
Below are scenarios when your bearded dragon will run on its two legs.
- When They Are In The Wild
When your bearded dragon is out there in the wild, it’s all about adventure hunting and getting hunted by predators. While helping themselves survive in the wild from all the predators, they certainly have to feed upon some insects.
When bearded dragons fear that they are being hunted around or there are many predators in the wild where they are roaming in, they tend to get scared. They run as fast as they can and ride on two legs from four to reach their maximum possible speed.
On the other hand, if they are also hunting or preying on an insect, to hunt them successfully, they have to be quick and thus run fast, which is possible if they rise on their two legs.
- In Their Captivity Or Any Garden That You Have
Your bearded dragon is one of the most cheerful and active reptiles if they feel safe in the space they are kept in. If you have a garden at your house, it is the best place for your bearded dragon to be cheerful and playful.
They can also exercise well when out with you in an open safe space and will be an excellent opportunity for you to bond with your lovely little pet. So, to play, they like to run around and speed up a little for fun and adventure and eventually might ride on their two legs.
On the other hand, if you have another pet in your house, such as a dog or a cat, your bearded dragon will be scared of them. They are one of the main predators who like to feed upon bearded dragons. So, you can take them out of their tank and leave them open in the garden.
They might run around in fear of getting hunted by any other pet you have in your garden or at your house.
You should be very careful when you get your bearded dragon in the garden or any open space, as it tends to run so fast that you might lose track of them and lose them if they run very fast.
Try to make them familiar with your voice so that you find them whenever you call out to them, and you might also consider putting them on a leash.
- They May Feel Frightened From Any Family Member
When you initially get a bearded dragon, they take time to get used to living with you. They are one of the most harmless pets you can get for yourself, but they take time to accept you as their family and adjust to your presence every time.
So, when you try to take your bearded dragon out of its captivity or tank in an open space to play with them, give them exercise or mental stimulation, they might run at a very high speed to get away from you.
They feel stressed and frightened, so they will try to escape you by running fast on two of their legs.
On the other hand, even if they have become comfortable with being with you all the time but are scared of any other family members in the house, they might also start running in fear that the other family member may hurt them.
You should handle your bearded dragon very calmly in situations like this, as once they are traumatized or scared of you or any family member, this fear may last till they reach adulthood.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it is normal for your bearded dragon to run on two legs instead of all four. This is all because of the gravitational forces involved. However, watching them when running around in your garden or the house would be best so you don’t lose them.
They need to exercise, and running is the best way. There are many other reasons apart from their exercise because of which you might see them running. Some of them are; to save their lives from predators in the wild to prey and feed upon insects, etc.
FAQs
- How Can You Ensure That Your Bearded Dragon Is Stress-Free?
Your bearded dragon will seem stressed initially when you get them. They might not be as active and may oppose all your actions to bond with them. But you can relax about it.
You should ensure they have proper lighting, temperature, and hideouts in their captivity. You should feed them their favorite meals and give them time to exercise sometimes.
- Is It Okay If Your Bearded Dragon Is Running A lot And Speeding Up Regularly?
Letting your bearded dragon speed up and run around regularly is not good. These bearded dragons are very small in size and get lost very easily. So, if you let them run around without keeping an eye on them, you might lose them, or they might run out the main door.
If you have any other pet in your house, you should also stop your bearded dragon from running around, as the other pet might hunt them before you even notice. You can let them go around the house but with proper precautions and attention.
