We have had inquiries in reference to nip toes and tails in Bearded Dragons.
Balance and co-ordination is not affected by nips. Bearded Dragons can still cling to a shirt or cloth and climb without any problem since it is extremely rare to have all toe nails and toes missing. After awhile the person that purchases a nipped dragon doesn’t notice the missing piece since the personality overcomes the defect.
As a very long time breeder and caregiver of Bearded Dragons it is not uncommon for nips to occur in sibling groups. There are faceted reasons for this.
In many instances competition is the issue. There is the concern that another sibling will get to the item or see the insect first.
Dragons do not have the ability to easily focus when there are dozens of the same things in mass. This focusing ability is not easy for them as it is with us. So they simply mistake a tail end or toe as the insect.
Feeding small superworms to a group of siblings is another reason that nips occur. Again it is the lack of being able to focus clearly and a small superworm looks a lot like a tail when a dragon is in a hurry. We feed only small/medium or ¼ inch crickets to hatchlings and very small dragons
Sorry to say the Dunner dragon has a bad tendency to nip their siblings. We do not know why that is and perhaps some day we will discover the reason.
Another problem is sometimes there is one baby dragon in a group, just one, that will go after almost every sibling and nip for no reason. Once we discover the culprit that one is isolated until he/she reaches 8 inches or so then that desire seems to disappear.
Lastly, lack of enough food. We feed our babies protein, (insects) twice daily making sure there are at least a few crickets in the enclosure until bed time.
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