Dragon Sitting

Hello everyone! First time posting.

I'm dragon- sitting for some friends for two weeks. He's an adult dragon, little over a year old. I didn't know much about them before my friends got him and I met and held him once before they dropped him off. I've had him since Friday night. I've pet him a few times and talked to him through his tank to make him more comfortable and I've gotten tons of tips and info from this site, so thank you! His beard only turn black once and I think it was because I closed our door when he was staring out of the storm door. I'm ready to handle him and let him roam the downstairs area now that he seems a lot more comfortable. Have I waited too long? He's very nice and only bit his owner once when he was baby and taking food from his owner's hand but hasn't done it again since. Any and all tips and advice is welcome. Thank you!

Not at all. Beardies all seem to have their own quirks, but as long as they have been socialized with people, they are normally pretty accepting of our company. They also like a good run around the house and he may even grace you with a "beardie snuggle" if you have him on you around his normal sleep time. I would just recommend that you pick up anything he might eat- coins, paper, paper clips, dog food, etc., and make sure he can't get behind anything like a fridge or bookshelf. They tend to be a bit indiscriminate in what they'll try to eat and have a tendency to find dark corners to sleep in.

Did the owner leave any particular instructions for care & feeding? Since you're here, it might be helpful to just review his care to make sure he's getting the best he can. Beardies have very particular requirements, and it's easy to mess up (I learned a TON on this site).

The Adventure Begins...

Umm... maybe not rush the handling; it depends on the individual beardie. You have not waited too long. Some take to it rather quickly; others may take a few days or more. I'd suggest googling: bearded dragon signs of stress (if you haven't already) and maybe bearded dragon body language to learn how to "read" him.

Before letting him "free range" around your house, it's advisable to make sure he's "empty" first, if you catch my drift. If he's not predictably regular, you can stimulate him with a warm (NOT HOT) bath (he'll do it in the bath). There are plenty of videos on this, usually under "training a bearded dragon". Wash hands thoroughly afterward, and disinfect whatever you give him a bath in. BDs can carry some nasty diseases that you can catch by contact with/exposure to feces. No need to freak out--just prudent practices. :wink:

Good Luck!

When you let him out to roam around be sure to keep an eye on him and make sure there isn't any loose material laying around that could be dangerous if he eats it. Also, if you have any other larger pet in the house, dog or cat, don't trust them with the dragon. Keep them separated. Any dog or cat could have their predatory instinct kick in at any second, no matter how calm they are. Even if they only intend it as play, it will end badly. That's why whenever I take my dragon downstairs to show my nieces and nephews, I watch her and my mom's dogs like a hawk.

If I bring Lyrica downstairs, one dog will stare at her like she's food and the other will stare at her like she's a toy to play with. So I always keep my dragon close to me and never let her roam on the couch for more than a second or two. On top of that, my mom is usually in the room helping me make sure the dogs don't go near my dragon.

The only place I let Lyrica roam freely is my room. And even then, I watch her closely. I mostly let her walk around on my bed and desks, which are fairly close to each other. I make sure the room is clean and there's nothing on the floor for her to eat. And whenever she wants to go to another desk, she waits for me to hold out my arm as a bridge to the other side.

Beardies like to taste their surroundings so I don't want her to lick up dirt or hair. It's also a good idea to make sure there aren't any places the dragon can get stuck. If there is, make sure they don't go near those spots. You don't want him to crawl under a couch to take a nap.

Lastly, make sure the room isn't too cold. Average room temperature is fine for an hour or two of playtime. Some people will give their dragons a place to bask while they're roaming around to let them warm up but you don't have to do that.

RarestDragon":3frcoxpk said:

If I bring Lyrica downstairs,

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You named your dragon after an anti-seizure medication? :shock: :lol:
(Not that there's anything wrong with that--it's just... unexpected.)

Beardies like to taste their surroundings so I don't want her to lick up dirt or hair.

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Well, in that respect they're like dogs!

Aaradimian":1lkfn2yg said:

Not at all. Beardies all seem to have their own quirks, but as long as they have been socialized with people, they are normally pretty accepting of our company. They also like a good run around the house and he may even grace you with a "beardie snuggle" if you have him on you around his normal sleep time. I would just recommend that you pick up anything he might eat- coins, paper, paper clips, dog food, etc., and make sure he can't get behind anything like a fridge or bookshelf. They tend to be a bit indiscriminate in what they'll try to eat and have a tendency to find dark corners to sleep in.

Did the owner leave any particular instructions for care & feeding? Since you're here, it might be helpful to just review his care to make sure he's getting the best he can. Beardies have very particular requirements, and it's easy to mess up (I learned a TON on this site).

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Omg once when Mari was a baby, I had her in my basement while I was cleaning up a mess, and I just saw her tongue go out, and as it retracted back into her mouth, I saw a very blurry green LEGO stud adhered to the tip of it, and I moved so fast to grab her, and accidentally sent her flying backwards, but the force made her drop the LEGO stud and she was only angry about me swatting her across the room for like 5 days. ? I’d rather swat a beardie across a carpeted room and have them be a little stunned and grumpy about it than have one die from impaction, though.