Tamming a real aggressor

Status
Not open for further replies.

cedwa

Member
Hey All,
You can check my pass post and see that the last time we spoke it was about how worried I was for my little one. Well...he/she has grown up and is a big stinker. I try to remove from couple times a week to "try" to get him accustom. But, nothing I am doing is working. I've tried hand feeding, bathing, resting on my shoulders. For the most part, he is either trying to literally bite me, black beard me, or run away. There are some times he shows aggression when trying to retrieve him, and then calms down, but then as soon as my hand comes near him again, he starts to freak out again.
Anything I can do, or am I at a helpless point where hes getting too old to worry about it.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
How old do you think he is ?
Are you his first human carer ?

Only reason for a nasty beardie wrt humans is he's never learn to trust them and maybe he's been teased or hurt by / abused by a human .

If I can turn a totally wild adult dragon or skink into a ubertame and affectionate and very laid back pet in under a month , you can tame your dragon even if he's been terrorised or hurt by people in the past.

You are just gonna have to hang in there and give him space when he wants it , and always be gentle and kind to him , including lots of hanging out near his tanks where he can see and hear you and while you are chilling, studying, doing craft stuff, watching TV, listening to music etc, and to always offer him treats when ever you trying to pick him up.

NEVER EVER chase him in his tank - it's his territory and some (like your's) are very territorial and don't suffer intrusions into their territory lightly.

You need to slowly develop a trusting relationship with him , and this might take several months. The fact that he lets you handle him at all is a good start.
 

Taterbug

BD.org Addict
Positive reinforcment and species appropriate interaction is the way to go. Keep in mind individuals have personalities too and not al reptiles will "tame" to the same degree. He may never actively want to spend time with/on/around you.

Also. He looks like a healthy guy, and still young enough that he may find you threatening.

What is your cage like? Is it front or top opening?

Activities you may want to engage in may not be enjoyable to him or may even be unpleasant. Baths are not always enjoyable for them and interacting with a potential preditor is probably scarey. Try things he may find rewarding/positive experience like coming it to sit (on his own) to look out a window. Lizard proof a room and sit in it with him while he is free to explore. Food rewards for being calm. Let him run away from you (this is why you need a safe space) - chasing and forcing him to sit with you is renforcing a negative experience. Pay attention to his body language to learn when he is relaxed/alert vs when he is scared and interact appropriately. It is not likely he will find human interaction soothing but you can avoid being threatening if you notice he is on alert/nervous.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
It's true that some will not tame as well as others, but they will tame to a degree as was mentioned. Having raised dragons for over 20 years, I can tell you what works. You simply put a glove + long sleeve shirt [ in case he claws at you or tries to bite ] and you pick him right up. This is done gently, but you dive right in + do it every day. You remain calm, hold him to your chest and he has no other choice but to hang out with you. Not sitting on your shoulder where he can peer around + decide if he wants to jump off + run, just against your chest. Sit + talk with him about 10-20 minutes every day. After a while he will see that there is no harm being done . You might see if he wants his meal [ a fave food item ] once you put him back in the tank.

After you have taken him out like this for a couple of weeks [ may be more, may be less ] then do this in a small lizard safe room and let him sit on your leg, explore the floor, etc. Everything done in a calm but firm way. Just like with a child throwing a tantrum you have to get the upper hand, same with beardie. But the approach of just sitting near the tank, not touching unless he allows it, etc sounds good in theory but does not usually work. You need to pick him right up in a secure way + he'll soon learn this is O.K and might begin to enjoy it Keep in mind that some reptiles never become the calm, hangout buddy that we all want.
 

cedwa

Member
Original Poster
Currently today I have a tank where he has to be reach from above. I don't care for that, as that seems to be when he goes on the defense. I would like to find something that opens from the front.
Here is his tank right now, I've made him some "rocks" to climb on.
https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/45953/full

I know I am the first person to care for him, because I bought him at Petsmart. I still remember the day when he gave the employee a good bite while he was trying to get him out. I picked this one even though I was warned that he was more aggressive than the others. I thought at the moment that it was fine because I doubt they really ever interact, and at minimum this one was actively moving around versus the others. But, now I seeing this behavior more and more. I don't know his age, I measured him the other day and he was around 12". Hard to measure with him not wanting me around, so it was a quick estimate. I do know that I have owned him since July of '16. So, maybe 6-7 months?

I will say one thing the longer I leave him alone the less I see the behavior. But one I get comfortable and try to start getting him out more. This is will when he starts acting up, like he was used to me not handling. I have his cage in our living room and has been there since we got him. Currently, as of today I have been getting him out and everytime he opens his mouth to try to scare me, I put in some greens. Thats the other thing. I still think he is quite young because he hasn't really shown interest in greens yet. I try to give them to him every other day, but they always end up wilting and he only seats his worms.

Thanks for all of the advice, I'll try to put together a small area that he can run around and investigate. At the moment all of my rooms are taken, but I may be able to do this in a bathroom.
 
My dragon got mites a while back, and I had to disinfect his tank. He had to be out of it for the entire day. Since I did not have another tank to put him in, I basically held him the entire day. He wasn't very tame at the time, but by the end of the day, he had stopped fighting me trying to get away. In fact, he actually fell asleep in my lap. He had never done that before. It was like breaking a horse. Ever since that day, he has been so tame. He is like a new lizard!
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
That's the way to do it, you just take them out and hold them, period. Usually after a very short time they realize there is no threat and that you the owner are a pleasant experience, or at least not a scary experience.
 

Zombiepanda

Juvie Member
Maggie went through an aggressive spurt also. Ran, turned black, and bit me on several occasions. I have a video of her actively attacking me while I was trying to get her out from under the bed. I just kept getting her out every single day, sometimes twice per day. Sometimes I would just hold her and pet her head a few minutes and other times I would let her run around. When she started hissing I would put a grape sliver or wax worm in her mouth. Every chance I get I walk by and give her a little pet and not mess with her any more than that. I also started hand feeding her. All of this over a couple weeks and she was pretty much ok with me. Fast forward a few months later and she'll actually follow me around the house now.

Side note: I've read and heard that if your temps are too high(even just a tiny bit) it can cause aggression.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
cedwa":2uhqbim0 said:
Currently today I have a tank where he has to be reach from above. I don't care for that, as that seems to be when he goes on the defense. I would like to find something that opens from the front.
Here is his tank right now, I've made him some "rocks" to climb on.
https://www.beardeddragon.org/media/45953/full

I know I am the first person to care for him, because I bought him at Petsmart. I still remember the day when he gave the employee a good bite while he was trying to get him out. I picked this one even though I was warned that he was more aggressive than the others. I thought at the moment that it was fine because I doubt they really ever interact, and at minimum this one was actively moving around versus the others. But, now I seeing this behavior more and more. I don't know his age, I measured him the other day and he was around 12". Hard to measure with him not wanting me around, so it was a quick estimate. I do know that I have owned him since July of '16. So, maybe 6-7 months?

I will say one thing the longer I leave him alone the less I see the behavior. But one I get comfortable and try to start getting him out more. This is will when he starts acting up, like he was used to me not handling. I have his cage in our living room and has been there since we got him. Currently, as of today I have been getting him out and everytime he opens his mouth to try to scare me, I put in some greens. Thats the other thing. I still think he is quite young because he hasn't really shown interest in greens yet. I try to give them to him every other day, but they always end up wilting and he only seats his worms.

Thanks for all of the advice, I'll try to put together a small area that he can run around and investigate. At the moment all of my rooms are taken, but I may be able to do this in a bathroom.

if NONE of the pet shops sell front opening (sliding glass doors) on their tank , and you are handy with tools and know some basic woodwork, build your own , lots here do that.
 

JessPets

Gray-bearded Member
This is off topic, but I see in your photo that you are using stick on thermometers, correct? If so, YOU NEED TO GET NEW ONES! This is very important- get an IR temp gun from Amazon for about $15.
 

Rankins

Gray-bearded Member
Some dragons are mainly for observing. Depends on personality and how stressful they are to handling. Most calm down...
All my reptiles are observation animals and I don't even try to tame them. I don't care if they are mean unless they bite me. Most of my reptiles are venomous, so I don't handle them unless I have to ;)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,680
Members
75,965
Latest member
williamyoung
Top Bottom