I have a 4-5 month old Bearded Dragon that is acting aggressively. He is in a 20gal long currently where temps stay around 80-90 degrees. When ever I approach the enclosure to feed him or give him water, he gets slightly darker and just stares at me. And today after I gave him crickets and meal worms, he puffed up and showed my is beard, although not black. He won’t let me hold him (he either runs away or jumps from my hand) and he will not eat from my hand. I’ve tried just petting him and talking to him, and just leaving him alone for a couple days. He is very jumpy and skittish. I know he’s just a baby but I dont want him to grow up to be aggressive. Any advice? Thanks in advance!
Aggressive Baby Bearded Dragon
- Thread starter Lucifan17
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Is this a sudden change in behavior or has he been like this for as long as you've had him?
Does he have a good gradient of temps across the tank? How are you measuring the temperatures? What do you have in place for a UVB light? Perhaps something is off in his setup that has him unhappy. I can help you sort it all out if you can provide some further detail and photos of your setup. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.
Does he have a good gradient of temps across the tank? How are you measuring the temperatures? What do you have in place for a UVB light? Perhaps something is off in his setup that has him unhappy. I can help you sort it all out if you can provide some further detail and photos of your setup. You can upload photos here https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ and post them to your thread using the XIMG button.
Thank you for replying,
His behavior has been pretty steady but has gotten worse over the couple of months I’ve had him. He’s always been really jumpy, I figured it was because he was so young. Yes one side is slightly warmer, although he chooses to stay on the warmer side perched on top of his rock. I have a dual head heat lamp with a heat bulb and 10.0 Reptisun UVB Light and a red heat lamp on the other side.
His behavior has been pretty steady but has gotten worse over the couple of months I’ve had him. He’s always been really jumpy, I figured it was because he was so young. Yes one side is slightly warmer, although he chooses to stay on the warmer side perched on top of his rock. I have a dual head heat lamp with a heat bulb and 10.0 Reptisun UVB Light and a red heat lamp on the other side.
The red light I was using as his permanent heat source until I was able to afford a ceramic bulb. He sits on the opposite side of the tank, I’ve tried switching things around but he still likes to sit on the same side. I could try simply switching the hooks the lights are on to see if that makes a difference.
A ceramic heat emitter is OK for overnight use if needed (if the tank goes below 65 or so overnight) but during the day you want a bright heat source that looks as close to sunlight as possible. I've had good luck using PAR38 halogen flood lights from the hardware store. A 70/75w outdoor version should work well in most cases and you can set it up to a lamp dimmer to fine tune the power (or hang it from an adjustable lamp stand to adjust the height/temperatures). That combined with a good UVB light source should do the trick nicely.
So day I went in to simply pick up some feces out of the viv and he got really stressed out. He was running frantically around the tank, scratching on the walls, and puffed up with a full black beard. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I turned off the red light and moved the basking light and UVB light to the other side in which he normal sits. I want to do more with him, like more baths and take him into a "beardie proof" room and let him just explore, but every time I walk up to the viv or open it to do something he freaks out. Even as I type, he is still freaking out and trying to run up the walls. I'm no where near the viv. I don't know what to do! 
I'm trying everything I know how to do with a bearded dragon and he is still extremely stressed.
I'm trying everything I know how to do with a bearded dragon and he is still extremely stressed.
The changes won't necessarily happen quickly. Sometimes something startles them or they just get in a mood. It's not necessarily anything specific you did. Just give him time to settle and adjust to the changes made. Try some treats. Maybe a black soldier fly larva or small silkworm offered from your hand will begin to get him to associate you with good. Keep in mind he is still very small compared to you so you may be somewhat terrifying for a little while.
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