Story time!
So I had my beardie for about 4 months now. He isn't a baby, but he isn't full grown either. I would say he is about 9 inches from the tip of his tail to his head, a 'teen'. Ziggy squirms so much when I try to hold him. I've been trying very hard to hold him as often as I can so he gets used to the feeling. I always pet him before I try to pick him up and I try to scoop him up from the side rather than the top.
Today, I needed to clean his tank out, and since I am the only one that will hold him (my husband is scared to touch him) I have to put him in a Tuperware box with log in it and lock it in the bathroom so my cats won't mess with him. After I was done cleaning out the tank I decided I would put him on the towel and take him outside. In the process of moving him from the bucket to the blanket, my cat took a swat at him and smacked him right on the back (he has no claws, thank God).
I eventually got him outside. This seems like the only time he won't squirm and try to get away; when he is outside in the sun. I always try to take him outside on sunny days because I know he must like this if he can stay still for 15+ minutes. And as soon as I take him back inside he squirms again.
So I took him outside and sat on my pouch with him in the towel. He loved it! He didn't move and did didn't try to squirm UNTIL some car pulled up to the neighbors house. When he heard the car door shut he did jump a little, but didn't try to run. Two kids came out of the car, about 14 years old, and started heading over towards me. It even startled me some because they parked at the neighbors and I didn't know who they were. They came over and Ziggy started to squirm. I stood up to try to get a better hold on him and told the kids to hold on so I could try to get him in a safe position. This kids didn't understand and kept coming towards me and Ziggy moved quickly up my arm before jumping off of me and landing on the porch. He started running away! I completely ignored the kids as they watched me try to catch this runaway lizard on my porch. The kids started asking me if they could cut our grass.
Without looking at them and keeping my eyes on Ziggy, I said, "My husband cuts it. Thank you, though." They ran off and Ziggy stopped under a swing that we have on our porch. I quickly grabbed his tail (I know this is horrible but I couldn't reach him any other way) and wrapped him up in the blanket. I took him inside and put him back in his tank. I gave him a wax worm as an apology. :|
No wonder I can't have him trust me. If I was him, I would be the same way. I try so hard to get him to get used to me and trust me, then something like this happens and I feel like I have to start all over.
He looks fine from the fall. I did make a harness for him, but every time I try to put it on him he either squirms away too fast for me to put it on or he'll bite me.
I'll keep trying, though. Maybe when he gets older he'll get a little slower and calm down because right now he so quick it is hard to catch him when he does run off.
So I had my beardie for about 4 months now. He isn't a baby, but he isn't full grown either. I would say he is about 9 inches from the tip of his tail to his head, a 'teen'. Ziggy squirms so much when I try to hold him. I've been trying very hard to hold him as often as I can so he gets used to the feeling. I always pet him before I try to pick him up and I try to scoop him up from the side rather than the top.
Today, I needed to clean his tank out, and since I am the only one that will hold him (my husband is scared to touch him) I have to put him in a Tuperware box with log in it and lock it in the bathroom so my cats won't mess with him. After I was done cleaning out the tank I decided I would put him on the towel and take him outside. In the process of moving him from the bucket to the blanket, my cat took a swat at him and smacked him right on the back (he has no claws, thank God).
I eventually got him outside. This seems like the only time he won't squirm and try to get away; when he is outside in the sun. I always try to take him outside on sunny days because I know he must like this if he can stay still for 15+ minutes. And as soon as I take him back inside he squirms again.
So I took him outside and sat on my pouch with him in the towel. He loved it! He didn't move and did didn't try to squirm UNTIL some car pulled up to the neighbors house. When he heard the car door shut he did jump a little, but didn't try to run. Two kids came out of the car, about 14 years old, and started heading over towards me. It even startled me some because they parked at the neighbors and I didn't know who they were. They came over and Ziggy started to squirm. I stood up to try to get a better hold on him and told the kids to hold on so I could try to get him in a safe position. This kids didn't understand and kept coming towards me and Ziggy moved quickly up my arm before jumping off of me and landing on the porch. He started running away! I completely ignored the kids as they watched me try to catch this runaway lizard on my porch. The kids started asking me if they could cut our grass.
Without looking at them and keeping my eyes on Ziggy, I said, "My husband cuts it. Thank you, though." They ran off and Ziggy stopped under a swing that we have on our porch. I quickly grabbed his tail (I know this is horrible but I couldn't reach him any other way) and wrapped him up in the blanket. I took him inside and put him back in his tank. I gave him a wax worm as an apology. :| No wonder I can't have him trust me. If I was him, I would be the same way. I try so hard to get him to get used to me and trust me, then something like this happens and I feel like I have to start all over.
He looks fine from the fall. I did make a harness for him, but every time I try to put it on him he either squirms away too fast for me to put it on or he'll bite me.
I'll keep trying, though. Maybe when he gets older he'll get a little slower and calm down because right now he so quick it is hard to catch him when he does run off.
