Taming my dragon

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Ladyhawk42

Hatchling Member
Hello everyone!

My dragon is now a little over 7 inches. The Bearded Dragon Manual says I should wait until he's about eight before I handle him much.

Despite the books' advice :oops: I have been handling him and he seems less than enthusiastic about it much of the time. Sometimes he stays calm. The other day he escaped and nearly made it behind the hot water heater. Yipes! When I finally caught him, he bearded at me and really, really wanted to bite. It was both funny and terrifying because I don't know how I would have got him out from behind the water heater or under the fridge. Crikey, he's quick!

He'll eat and drink from my hand (I have a catheter-tipped syringe I use for watering), but when we've had a "failed" session of handling, he seems more nervous.

Should I wait until he's eight inches? Should I buy a harness that eliminates the escape problem?

What's a gentle, safe way to tame Grover?
 

Spencer

Hatchling Member
i handled my dragon as soon as i got her (5") they need to be tamed as early as possible idk why that book says 8 inches.
handle him every day. dont miss a day! what is around you guys? My dragon will act like that if the ceiling fan is on cause she thinks its a bird so i always turn it off first. pet him and talk nice when hes out dont jump around.
 

LLLReptile

Juvie Member
They can be handled as babies, but over handling or handling that lacks confidence can make them much more nervous. You do not necessarily need to handle them daily, but you do want handling sessions to be as positive as possible. Pick him up, hold him flat in your hand, and try not to grab - you'll want to angle your hand so that your palm is up and your fingers pointing upwards, so your arm is a straight line pointing gently upwards from the elbow. Let the little guy sit there, and if he's calm and quiet, put him back after a minute or two. If he walks, just put your other hand in front of him and let him "treadmill" from one hand to the next. Again, once he's calm and quiet for a bit, put him back! Being put back in the cage is what he wants right now, so going back to his cage can be considered his "reward" for being good. Don't try and pet him or do much with him besides just letting him sit on you for now. Once he gets older and seems more used to you and to being handled, you can start petting him and doing more with him, but for now the goal is to get him to realize that you're not the bad guy. :)

Best of luck!

-Jen
 

Dreamwritten

Juvie Member
This sounds like exactly what I'm going through. Slim tried to run into the small space between my bed and wall today! Mine is about 8.5 inches, and I read the same thing in the same book, but I don't think size makes much of a difference. He's just as skittish as yours, if not more. :banghead:

Thankfully, I haven't gotten the beard yet.

I'm trying to avoid over-handling mine, myself. Sometimes I have to chase him around, and I think that does more bad for him than it does good. I think until he gets to know me more, I'll tone it down and limit it to some in-tank petting and only picking him up to feed him. Maybe that would be beneficial for you, as well?
 

WolfMama

Hatchling Member
Hi, ladyhawk :)

I don't know anything about the book. I asked some people here a while back about how much handling was too much. I was told by several that as long as they get their 2 hours basking before eating and 2 hours after each meal, it was fine to handle them in-between. I've had our baby out for up to 4 or 5 hours at times, walking about and sitting on my lap - he was only 4-5". He loves to be held, and he loves to explore.

If they seem to get cold, then you'll want to put them back in the viv. Our beardie loves to snuggle. We actually rock him to sleep now (and my hubby gets such a kick out of this, too :) As my hubby says, when he's ready to go to sleep he'll "do a little dig, and go wiggle, wiggle in [his] hand and then out like a light." :) So cute!

Oh, you may not want to make that a routine habit if you don't want to continue to do. :D There's a thread here somewhere in which I describe how it began with our beardie :)

When you say he's less enthusiastic, does it seem that he wants to run around? Our baby beardie does that, too. He loves to explore :) And when he tuckers from that, he loves to cuddle up :) He won't even want to go in his viv, he'll crawl back up our arm (of which I am more then happy to accomodate as often as possible :) ).

Bath time is nice, also. Somewhere in one of the threads here I shared a pic of how he sleeps in my hand during a bath :)

LOL. Yes they are VERY quick! And I think a lot smarter then some people give them credit for. LOL.

If you can bar off the rooms you don't want him to go into, or creat a safe area when you take him out, that might help. I've had our beardie dart off on me as well. I find he enjoys climbing the stairs, now :)

A lot of people, I've seen, recommend a leash. I was actually going to make a gentle one out of cloth, but haven't as of yet. I'm either going to buy one or make one. I know of 2 sites I've seen recommended by some of the people here:

http://www.beardeddragon.co/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=168 (leash for an adult beardie)

http://oglerpets.com/lizard-leashes.php (I see they have harnesses for beardies as small as 6 - 11 inch long beardies. (I get a kick out of the pic with the guy in the harness. LOL.)

From what I've read, the most important thing when getting a leash is to be sure it's a proper fit.

I keep him in areas as best I can, and I'll go down on the floor with him :) I have some cute video clips I'll have to share one of these days :) But, as I said, he loves to explore :) so I want to have a leash so he can do that as I, too, worry what he can get into.

I actually got bit by our beardie for the first time last week. I was shocked! It wasnt his fault :) He darted behind a couple of plant pots, and when I reached to get him he must have gotten scared. It was dark and he didn't realize it was me :( I'm guessing that is what happened to your beardie, too. Dont take it as failed socializtion :) They are prey critters, so it's natural for them to become frightened. As much as our beardie is out and about, if there is a sudden unexpected movement or loud sound, he will freeze or dart. He's 2.5 months old :)
 

Ladyhawk42

Hatchling Member
Original Poster
A lot of good ideas here folks. I think the key is for him to be handled and not freak out. Maybe the harness would allow him to explore without my fearing he'll head someplace I can't find him. Or maybe I should make a "safe place" where he can explore.

I would definitely call his little escape the other day a "failed" handling, as he didn't calm down for quite awhile and seemed more nervous even in his viv.

Good signs = he'll eat out and drink out of my hand. I need him to be confident I will not hurt or chase him. If I end up having to chase him, of course he'll freak out.

Right now he's trying to shed his head. He likes baths, but I can't find his bathing container (which he is outgrowing). If he feels confident, he'll rest in my hand in warm water. Gonna need a bigger container. :D

Anyway, I'll let you know what I decide. I'll re-read this whole thread and perhaps make a safe area or create a safe area with a harness.

Thanks a lot, peeps.
 
Hey! I got my bathing container for Beastie from a dollar store. It's just a rectangular basin you'd use to, perhaps, wash dishes if you were camping, or soak your feet in. Mine fits perfectly inside my kitchen sink so I fill it and bathe him there. He's 18" long and he fits in it just fine. With regard to handling, trying to get a skittish beardie into a leash may actually impede your attempts to socialize and calm him... Just keep talking to him as you walk his tank, putting your hand in FROM HIS SIDE--NOT FROM OVER HIM while you talk to him calmly, and feed him different things from your hand. Also, if you have a T-shirt you've worn, put it in the tank. He'll crawl around on it, get accustomed to its feel and your smell, and this really does help them attach to you. Good luck and keep at it. Remember to move slowly and always call his name before or as you touch him/pick him up, and always do so from the side and not from the top. Before you know it, he'll be running up to the glass and wanting you to take him out every time he sees you walk by!

Annie
 
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