Why Is My Bearded Dragon Not Moving or Lethargic? 22 Reasons

Bearded dragons are active lizards and they spend their days walking around the tank, eating or hunting for food, climbing, basking and generally exploring. But sometimes, your bearded dragon might become lethargic due to different reasons. In this post, we will discuss the issue when a bearded dragon won’t move or is very lazy and lethargic, it’s reasons, differences and solutions.

Let’s start off by saying that there is a difference between your bearded dragon being lazy and lethargic. While it can be normal for your bearded dragon to be lazy and slow, it can also be a sign of a problem.

Before you can understand the problem with your bearded dragon and why it’s lethargic/lazy, we will need to reassess its living condition and diet.

That can help answer many questions and improve, helping your dragon become more active. And after that, we will talk about other possible reasons of this behavior. Remember, sometimes it can be a combination of disorders that lead to your bearded dragon being lethargic.

Below, you will find a list of 22 questions. Answer them and then compare your answers with the answers that you will find below. This might help you find an answer to your question.

Why is my bearded dragon not moving and lazy?

1. How long have you had your bearded dragon for?
2. What is your bearded dragon’s gender?
3. Which type of lighting do you use for your bearded dragon? Coiled, full-spectrum, mercury vapor etc.? And do you have UVB lighting?
4. How close is the bulb to your bearded dragon?
5. What are temperatures inside the tank during the day and night? Do you have a hot and cold side in your bearded dragon’s tank and what are the temperatures?
6. How many thermometers do you have in the tank?
7. How long do you have the light on and off for (photoperiod)?
8. What was the last time you have changed the bulbs in bearded dragon’s tank?
9. How old is your bearded dragon?
10. Does your bearded dragon live alone in the terrarium?
11. What substrate do you use in bearded dragon’s tank?
12. How big is your bearded dragon’s enclosure?
13. What is the bearded dragon’s diet?
14. How often do you feed your bearded dragon?
15. Do you gut-load and supplement bearded dragon’s food?
16. How often do you bathe your bearded dragon? And do you mist it?
17. When was the last time you have visited a vet and have he/she performed a fecal test?
18. What time of the year is it?
19. Are there any hideouts in your bearded dragon’s habitat?
20. Does your bearded dragon exercise? Are there any climbing branches, ramps and other accessories in the tank?
21. How often do you clean your bearded dragon’s tank?
22. Are you careful when handling your bearded dragon and how often do you do it?

And now, let’s answer the questions. From the answers, you might find out what you have been doing wrong and can fix it as soon as possible. Some problems take few months to start showing, so you need to fix the diet or anything with the setup as soon as you find out about it.

Answers to the questions above:

• If you have just brought a new bearded dragon home, it might act shy and reserved. New bearded dragon is very likely to be in a corner or hideout and refuse food. Give your bearded dragon a week or two for acclimatization.
• A female bearded dragon might become gravid (pregnant) even if she hasn’t been with a male. Most female bearded dragons reach a sexual maturity by the age of 15 months, but it can be earlier. During the first year, she can lay 2-3 clutches per season. Gravid bearded dragons tend to get lethargic and refuse food, especially towards the end of the pregnancy. You must create a laying box for your gravid dragon, or she can retain the eggs and become egg-bound. She will also need a good diet to restore her supplies. Read more about bearded dragon pregnancy and egg laying in this post.

• Your bearded dragon requires UVB lighting, and this is a must. If you don’t place a UVB lighting in your bearded dragon’s terrarium, it will develop vitamin D3 and then calcium deficiency, which will lead to MBD, or Metabolic Bone Disease. Make sure to have a full-spectrum ReptiSun with 10.00 UVB. Any light that you choose, make sure it has at least 10-12% UVB light exposure, which helps produce vitamin D3 and absorb calcium.

• Make sure these are not plant lights, and even full-spectrum plant lights don’t emit UVB. Read everything on buying and setting up lighting in bearded dragon’s tank in this post.

• The fixture or the bulb that is too high from the top of the tank will interfere with vitamin D3 production and heat transfer. Make sure that the full-spectrum fixture is not higher than 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) from the top basking spot in the tank. Light bulbs of 50w shouldn’t be positioned higher than 6-8 inches, and 100w – 8-10 inches.

• The temperature inside the tank during the day should be around 92-110 degrees F (33-43 Celsius) under the hot spot, and 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit (23.8-26.6 Celsius) in the cool spot. Make sure there is a gradient, so that your dragon can move to a cool spot when it’s hot. During the night, the temperature should be around 65 F (18.3 Celsius).

• Higher temperature is not recommended. But same goes with lower temperature. If temperatures are lower than this, invest in a ceramic infrared heat emitting bulb that doesn’t produce light and will not bother your dragon. Low temperatures will make your dragon lazy and lethargic, and cause poor appetite and indigestion. Very high temperatures will make your dragon confused and lethargic, too. Read everything about heating bearded dragon’s tank in this post.

• Ideally, you will need to place two thermometers in the tank. One should go in the hot spot, and one – in the cool spot. This way you will know exact temperatures on each side. You can also use an infrared gun thermometer to check temperatures in any spot.

• Never have light on for 24 hours. That disturbs the photoperiod, and your bearded dragon won’t be able to sleep if it doesn’t know whether it’s a day or night. You need to have the light for 12-14 hours a day, and have them off for rest. The best way to automate the light cycle is to connect them to a timer, or this Zilla power center. This way you won’t forget about hours or miss turning the lights on/off.

• You must replace bulbs that produce UVB spectrum lighting, because you can’t tell if it’s still producing any UVB. Aim replacing full-spectrum fixtures every 6 months. Mercury vapor bulbs last a bit longer – around 12-20 months before you need to replace them. The lights that are too old will stop producing UVB without you knowing, causing vitamin D3 and calcium deficiencies.

• Bearded dragons become slower in their movements as they grow older. By the age of 6-7, bearded dragons enter an old age and females stop producing any eggs. Old bearded dragons will eat less and less, and move less and less. It’s better to have a quiet and relaxed atmosphere for your dragon at this stage and feed it less food which will mainly consist of greens and veggies.

• If you bring a new bearded dragon home, you must quarantine it for 3-6 months, separately from other bearded dragons that you might have. While on quarantine, you must take your bearded dragon’s stool for fecal test. If your new dragon has intestinal parasites, you need to treat your dragon and clean its tank thoroughly to prevent reinfection. Read all about bearded dragon diseases in this post.

• Always use safe substrate. But if you are using any loose substrate, watch your bearded dragon and if you notice that it ingests any, swap to a safer option. To minimize impaction, feed with tongs or place food in bowls. Impaction causes your bearded dragon to refuse food and become lethargic, and leads to death if untreated.
• The safest substrates include carpet and newspaper. If you are using sand or alfalfa, be very careful. Not recommended substrates include pebbles, coconut fiber, chipped bark or synthetic carpets. Read everything about bearded dragon substrates and bedding in this post.
• Your adult bearded dragon will need a terrarium that is at least 55 gallons. But don’t only look at number 55 – width, length and height also play a big role. Anything less than 36 inches wide is not suitable. Minimum dimensions for a suitable terrarium are 36 inches wide, 18 inches deep and 18-24 inches high.

• Bearded dragons are semi-arid, so they need more space on the floor. But they also like some climbing, and this is how you will arrange branches, hammocks and other accessories for your bearded dragon to enjoy. This Exo Terra Large Tall terrarium is suitable for an adult bearded dragon. If the terrarium is too small, your bearded dragon will become depressed and won’t be moving around much. Read everything about choosing a suitable terrarium for your baby, juvenile or adult bearded dragon in this post.

• Diet plays a crucial role in bearded dragon’s life. You must offer your bearded dragon live (sometimes can be freeze dried) gut-loaded crickets. Gut-loaded insects = ones fed a highly nutritious diet. You also need to dust the feeder insects with calcium and other supplements. Other than that, you need to offer your dragon salads and some fruits.

• But be careful, not all vegetables are suitable and some contain substances that interfere with calcium and iodine absorption (oxalic and goitrogenic foods). Some vegetables and salads might also be poor in nutrients. What is very important too, is the size of feeder insects, as large insects can cause impaction and paralysis.

• Read all about bearded dragon’s diet in this post. You can also read about importance of supplements here. Poor diet can cause calcium and other mineral deficiency (even without weight loss), which will lead to lethargy and other health issues. And don’t forget, that light and heat is needed to digest food, or your bearded dragon will have indigestion and will be laying in one corner, lethargic.

• You need to feed hatchlings and babies 2-3 times a day, juveniles -2 times a day and adults – once a day. Generally, you will need to offer as many insects as your bearded dragon can eat in 15 minutes. Younger bearded dragons need more live insects, but mature dragons need more salads – 70-85% of plants vs. 15-30% live food. Read about feeding guidelines in this post. Underfeeding or overfeeding can lead to weight loss/weight gain, which can also cause lazy/lethargic behavior.

• As mentioned above, you will need to gut-load and dust live feeder insects. If you are feeding complete diet food occasionally, such as Repashy, you can skip supplementation as it’s balanced. Dust both gut-loaded live and freeze dried insects. You won’t need to supplement food every day for adult dragons, to avoid oversupplementation. Read about supplement choosing and supplementation frequencies in this post.
• Even though bearded dragons live in hot conditions, you need to give them baths. Otherwise, it might become dehydrated (leading to lethargic condition). Bathe your bearded dragon 2-3 times a week, for 15-20 minutes, to provide extra moisture. Even though bearded dragons are good swimmers, keep the water up to its knees and elbows and don’t use any soap (unless you need to use reptile shedding aid to help with shed).

• You don’t need to mist your bearded dragon – it will increase humidity in the tank, which is not suitable at all. It can also cause respiratory infections if you spray too much and too often. Provide your bearded dragon with a water dish at all times, and you will notice it soaking in there. Water intake and salads will also help with hydration. Read about giving your bearded dragon a bath in this post.

• When you bring your bearded dragon home, you must take its refrigerated stool (not frozen) to a vet for a fecal examination (it’s a part of a quarantine). But if you also suspect any other issues, you need to take your bearded dragon to the vet for examination and to start a professional treatment if necessary. Parasites can cause lethargy and other symptoms.

• Bearded dragons start brumating (usually after their first year), and can become very lethargic and slow during these months. Some bearded dragons don’t brumate at all, while others sleep most of the time. Brumation lasts for 2-3 months, and should end by February. You will need to adjust temperatures and humidity levels at the start and end of the brumation period and provide a hide box.

• Brumation is normal and that’s what bearded dragons do in the wild to survive lack of food and heat in winter. Your bearded dragon will take some time to wake up and become active again after brumating (eating little and inactivity), so be patient. Read about brumation in bearded dragons and adjustments in this post.

• You need to provide at least 1 hideout for each bearded dragon in the tank. Hideouts help your bearded dragon hide and relax when it feels stressed or threatened, and to simply rest. Without a hide box, your bearded dragon can become stressed. Read about choosing or making hideouts for your dragon in this post.

• Your bearded dragon needs to exercise. To encourage your bearded dragon to move around, you will need to get a tank that is big enough (read a point number 12). After that, you will need to get branches, ramps, tunnels and other accessories so that your dragon moves around. You can also play games and get it toys to encourage interest. Read our post about fun activities and games with your dragon in this post. You can also find a guide on furniture, accessories and branches for your dragon here.

• Cleaning and disinfecting your bearded dragon’s tank is crucial to prevent parasitic infections. You will need to create a cleaning schedule that will consist of daily, weekly and monthly tasks. Read about cleaning your bearded dragon’s cage and disinfection in this post.

• Careless and very frequent handling can cause stress and anxiety to your bearded dragon. This is especially true if you just got your dragon, or if you changed its tank/setup. Watch others when they handle your dragon (especially children or those who are scared). Don’t change your dragon’s setup (completely) too often, allow 4-6 months, as it can cause stress. Start handling sessions gradually. Once your bearded dragon is comfortable with you, handling and being outside its tank for few hours at a time can be feasible. Read about handling a bearded dragon in this post.

Anything wrong with the setup or diet that was mentioned above can cause stress, malnutrition, infections and dehydration, leading to lethargic/lazy behavior. Be sure to go through these points and make sure to correct anything that is wrong at the moment. You can find care sheets on different topics on the provided pages.

Let’s discuss other possible cases that can cause your bearded dragon not to move particular parts of the body.

Can bearded dragons brumate in summer?

It’s not usual for bearded dragons to brumate in summer. If your bearded dragon has brumated through the winter and is brumating again, then there can be something wrong. Make sure you have UVB lighting (10-12%), proper temperature and humidity.

Some people might even confuse brumation with parasitic infections. If your bearded dragon doesn’t come out of ‘brumating state’ in few days, start checking its feces. But note, not all parasites are visible to the naked eye.

You must regulate temperatures at the start of brumation (lower temperatures slightly), and increase back again after it finished.

If the weather in your surroundings has changed suddenly in summer, and temperatures dropped and humidity has increased, your bearded dragon can sense these changes and start brumating. Make sure to control these settings in the tank if you don’t want your dragon to start brumating.

Why is my bearded dragon not moving one or two of its front or back legs?

• Injury due to a fall or fight with cage mates
• Paralysis due to impaction
• Retained shed
• Calcium/vitamin D3 deficiency, and MBD
• Other diseases, such as infectious atadenovirus (adenovirus or ADV), or a neurological disorder.

There can be few reasons why your bearded dragon is not moving either one front leg, or both front legs. First of all, exclude any possibility of MBD, or Metabolic Bone Disease. Make sure that the lighting and diet is proper. Few of the signs of MBD include swollen limbs, limited movements, shaking and soft jaw.

MBD in a bearded dragon

One of the other reasons can be that your bearded dragon has fallen from the top structure and injured or broken its leg(s). Take a look at its leg(s) – do they look crooked or dislocated? Visit your vet for an X-Ray if your suspect a broken leg and limit any movements for some time.

Sometimes, broken bone might not be visibly crooked. Paralysis from a fall usually causes inability to move back legs, but front legs can also be injured.

Is your bearded dragon housed with another dragon? Your dragons could fight, causing injuries and broken limbs.

Dislocated and injured limb

Another possible reason why your bearded dragon is not moving its front or back legs is because of impaction. Your bearded dragon might become impacted with food (feeder insects or salad pieces that are too large), substrate (loose substrate such as sand, pebbles, coco fiber, shells) and other small objects.

Never feed insects that are larger than the width between your dragon’s eyes and don’t use loose substrate.

Even Calci-sand that many people believe is safe, can cause impaction. Impaction causes paralysis to back legs, but it can then move to front legs, too. Impacted bearded dragon might look full in the belly, will poop less and be paralyzed in legs.

As soon as you suspect the impaction, give your bearded dragon a warm bath and massage its belly, moving your finger towards the vent area. Many bearded dragons get relaxed in a warm bath, and poop.

If your dragon can pass whatever was stuck, you might prevent impaction. But if nothing is working, take your dragon to the vet.

Retained shed can also limit the movements of any limbs. Check if there is any stuck skin that could be preventing your dragon from moving the limb properly.

ADV, or atadenovirus, is a highly infectious disease that can affect bearded dragons. Bearded dragons that are infected become weak, lose weight, develop serious complications.

They also develop seizures and their neck arches up. If you suspect any infection, take your dragon to the vet for the blood and fecal tests to be performed.

Why is my bearded dragon not moving much, with eyes closed?

If your bearded dragon is not moving a lot and often has its eyes closed, there might be issues with lighting. Does your bearded dragon open its eyes when out of the tank? Are you using colored bulbs during the day and night?

Bearded dragons that are new to your home might become irritated with red or blue light bulbs, as they can see these colors. Switching to a full-spectrum or other suitable light during the day and to ceramic heat emitting bulb or under tank heater will make a big difference.

Bearded dragons also close their eyes when sleeping, or brumating. What is more, if you are using loose substrate such as sand, it can get in bearded dragon’s eyes and irritate them.

If your bearded dragon is suffering from diseases as well, such as parasites and MBD, your bearded dragon might be dying. See a vet for tests and advice.

If you have any serious issues with your dragon, you can ask a reptile expert about your problems on this page. Thank you for reading this article, and make sure to read other articles to learn more on bearded dragon care!