New bearded dragon not getting use to me?

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gemini0619

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I recently bought a juvenile bearded dragon for my birthday, maybe about 20 days ago. I thought i was ready but i really wasn’t and reading stuff on here i’ve been doing so much wrong. I didn’t get a proper uvb light until a week ago. He was in a ten gallon tank for about 18 days, and two days ago i put him in a 4x2x2 tank which is huge. His cool side is normally about 75 degrees and his hot side is usually 95 and higher. He has a reptisun 10.0 uvb long tube bulb thing lol… and a 100 watt basking bulb. I also use reptile carpet because i heard loose substrate isn’t good for them. He won’t eat much either!! He sometimes eats a small amount of veggies but i know for a fact it’s not enough. Also have been feeding him Live meal worms.. which I KNOW a lot of people think they can’t digest properly and i didn’t realize that but i haven’t seen any issues with that because he’s been having normal bowel movements… But I have dubai roaches, wax worms, small hornworms and black soldier fly larvae ordered but won’t come in until next week. He will not eat any type of crickets. I occasionally see him eating the meal worms i put in there but like i said i know it’s not enough for him. When i come near him i can see he has dark stress lines but i’m pretty sure when i’m not near him they fade. He never shows any signs of aggression toward me, but he runs away and i can tell he’s definitely scared of me. I honestly feel like such a bad pet owner, i’m new to the reptile community like i only own cats and they’re so low maintenance… i’m trying everything and i’ve put so much money into his home and i care about his well being so much but i feel like i’m doing everything wrong.
 

Gail

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While mealies aren't the best, if he is eating and pooping fine, then don't feel bad about feeding them.
I've raised multiple dragons, including my current one on mealies. He is on supers now and healthy as can be.

How are you interacting with him? You have to put in the effort to tame a baby. You are huge and scary, slow gentle interactions are needed on a daily basis.
You don't have to pick him up but touching is important.

Sit by the cage and talk to him, reach in periodically to touch his chin or side. Don't reach for his head or tail. Do this for a few minutes everyday.
Hand feed if possible, he needs to learn that hands aren't scary. You can use tongs to feed if he won't take from your fingers or open palm.

Do you have him in a high traffic area or in a bedroom? If a dragon sits in a quite room away from activity, they are more prone to being skittish.

It took mine 2 months to really get used to me and he still tends to run when I open the cage. Once he realizes that I'm not there to eat him, he calms down.
He is still young and wants to get down and run, its normal for babies. Luckily he finally got big enough for a leash.

Reptiles are completely different then any mammal pet. They don't bond like a cat or dog does. They do learn you are safe and will often run to a trusted owner for safety. Just give it time, all their instincts tell them to run from you.
 

gemini0619

New member
Original Poster
Gail":3qlya7wv said:
While mealies aren't the best, if he is eating and pooping fine, then don't feel bad about feeding them.
I've raised multiple dragons, including my current one on mealies. He is on supers now and healthy as can be.

How are you interacting with him? You have to put in the effort to tame a baby. You are huge and scary, slow gentle interactions are needed on a daily basis.
You don't have to pick him up but touching is important.

Sit by the cage and talk to him, reach in periodically to touch his chin or side. Don't reach for his head or tail. Do this for a few minutes everyday.
Hand feed if possible, he needs to learn that hands aren't scary. You can use tongs to feed if he won't take from your fingers or open palm.

Do you have him in a high traffic area or in a bedroom? If a dragon sits in a quite room away from activity, they are more prone to being skittish.

It took mine 2 months to really get used to me and he still tends to run when I open the cage. Once he realizes that I'm not there to eat him, he calms down.
He is still young and wants to get down and run, its normal for babies. Luckily he finally got big enough for a leash.

Reptiles are completely different then any mammal pet. They don't bond like a cat or dog does. They do learn you are safe and will often run to a trusted owner for safety. Just give it time, all their instincts tell them to run from you.

I live in a small town, so traffic is always quit. i’m at work when he is sleeping so it’s pure silence then.. the only time he hears loud noise is when my music is playing or im watching something but he runs and hides when he hears it so i usually keep it super quiet so he doesn’t get too scared. Good news!! I got some of my bugs in, the wax worms, black solider fly larvae and hornworms.. For some reason they didn’t include my dubia roaches but it’s not big deal… Anyways, he is finally eating!! once he saw them crawling he got really interested and went crazy lol.. a few times i had to pick them up and show them to gemini (my beardie) and he ate them. He is petrified of my hand, but i just realized i probably move in way too fast.. so i’ll definitely just take my time. but when i do get ahold of him he freaks and tries to run so i have to put him down so i don’t grip to hard… But hopefully this is the first step into getting him to trust me:) Thank you for replying by the way, you made me realize it takes time and i’m not alone. I really appreciate you:)
 

Gail

BD.org Addict
By traffic, I meant movement in the house. Is he out where he can see you moving around, watching tv, see other people/pets in the house?
They need stimulation, mine is in the living room, he sees everyone and the TV.
Its good to be quite at night while he is sleeping but during the day, try to keep something going for him. If you are away a lot, leave a tv going so he can see it or position the cage so he can see outside.
He might be freaked out by sounds but he won't get over it if you continue trying to keep it so quite.

My dragon was kept in near complete silence before I got him, he was so scared he was beginning to attack his owner when he did see her and he was just a tiny little guy.
Luckily I got him before too much damage was done but he may always be a bit skittish.

If you try to pick him up and he wiggles away, try really hard to hang on. You don't want to squish him but you don't want him to learn that bad behavior makes you go away. This is especially important if he ever bites or acts threatening.
Once he settles down, give a couple pets, take him to look out a window, walk around the house, just something to stimulate his little brain. Hang on to him though, they have no concept of falling and will happily leap to their death.

Great that he is eating better. Dragons definitely have preferences for food. Mine won't eat a soldiers fly grub if his life depended on it, crickets and red runners are ok once in awhile. He likes dubia but I'm severely allergic so superworms it is.
 
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