Bearded Dragon Flattening Out?!

Why do bearded dragons flatten their bodies?

A bearded dragon can flatten its body to make itself look bigger. This is a sign of aggression/passive that is displayed when threatened or if they want to be away from everyone and everything. If they are bathing they may do this to absorb the heat, or if the water is too deep they will puff themselves full of air to stay afloat.

When a bearded dragon is older they will use this behavior to collect more heat from the sun or lamp they have and this will help them raise their body heat, but if they do this constantly it means your heat source is too cool and that you have to make the basking spot hotter or bring the lamp/bulb closer. You can also increase the watt of your lamp/bulb. When their bodies reach the ideal temperature they will go to the cooler side of the cage to cool down.

Dragons will also flatten, inflate and rotate their body when exposed to another dragon and then they will circle each other with their bodies flattened, inflated, and rotated. This is when they are getting ready to fight for their territory. Bearded dragons will first try and scare each other off with other behaviors before revolving to a fight, seeing as fighting can lead to grave injuries or to their death.