juvenile bearded dragon

Question
My bearded dragon is around 7 months old. He is very active, friendly, and
has a great appetite. I handle him 2-3 times a day for 10 - 15 minutes a
time, sometimes longer letting him lounge on me. The past day or two i have
noticed that under his chin is getting a little darker that its almost a darker
grey colour. Is this just the colour morph or is he  try telling me something
such as being stressed out, not wanting to be handled so much, or just being
upset? And can there be too much handling of a bearded dragon?

Thank You, Alex

Answer
Hi Alex, I don't think you have anything to worry about. He sounds healthy and well adjusted to being handled. I suspect that the darkening beard is more likely due to his approaching sexual maturity. He is exactly the right age. Mature males often have a more prominent and darker beard then the females.
I think too much handling is when it obviously stresses the bearded or seriously disrupts his need to bask and regulate his body temperature. Your beardy sounds fine and your handling sessions are quite reasonable. Try to give him a few uninterrupted hours just after he has eaten, that is when it is most critical that he maintain a higher body temperature.