My husband thinks we should rename him "Black Beard"....

So, I've had my rescue Beardie, Buddy, for a month or so, now. He's a full grown male, normal phase fellow, and he and I get along great. However, we have problems with his behavior around my husband, whom he seems to hate.

Buddy swells up his beard, and turns it black every time he sees my husband, and then he charges at him from his side of the glass. I mean, he REALLY seems stressed by my husband, and for no good reason I can see, except for one issue, which I suspect is the cause:

Buddy is terrified of my little dogs, and goes all black beard and aggressive whenever he sees them through the glass. They are fascinated with him, and climb up onto my husband's lap to look at him up close and personal. My husband sits in his recliner, which is right next to Buddy's cage, and the dogs think it's a perfect viewing spot. They're only toy breeds, but they're still large compared to a Dragon, and I don't blame him for being afraid of them.

So, to hopefully alleviate this problem until we can find a better, quieter place to situate Buddy's home, we've temporarily covered 3 sides of the glass with opaque paper so that the dogs can't see Buddy and he can't see them. It's through this pane, and through the top, that my husband and I "visit" with and feed Buddy, or remove him for cage cleaning and outdoor (on a harness) time. Because of the dogs, Buddy never gets to wander around our house, so outdoor time is special time for him.

Despite now never being seen with a dog anywhere near him, Buddy still goes all Blackbeard and aggressive on my husband, and I'm not really sure if he just plain doesn't like him, or he associates Hubby with the dogs, even though he's no longer seen with them, now.

Buddy has never had any problem with me. I can handle him, harness him, hand feed him, clean his cage, bathe him (he tends to drag his tail through his poop if I don't see it in time and clean it up), and sit and snuggle with him w/out ever getting the blackbeard thing. I can also calm him when he's in that state from seeing my husband by picking him up gently and taking him into the bathtub, where I pour about 1/2 inch of lukewarm water, and he just sits there, looking serene. Before long, the black beard goes down, and he's his normal, sweet self.

So, any insight beyond what I've mentioned, above (please read this whole post, first, so you don't have to repeat advice or questions about what I've already mentioned :lol: )? Besides covering 3/4 of his glass until I can move the habitat to a better, less dog-filled spot in the house (good luck with that, I'm thinking), can you think of another way to help keep Buddy calm? And do you think he dislikes my husband so much, now, that their relationship is beyond repair? Rehoming the dogs is absolutely NOT an option! If it can be avoided, I don't want to rehome Buddy, either.

Just FYI, if it helps, Buddy lives in a 40 gallon breeder tank, with a full-length Arcadia 13% UVB bulb running the length of his habitat and a 75 watt basking bulb. The thermostat is set to turn the light off temporarily when the temp reaches 105 F. Coolest end of the tank reads between 80 and 85 F. We have a digital thermometer/hygrometer in the viv, and we use our IR temp reading gun for spot checks. He eats loads of "salad", plus a couple of dubias and a half dozen superworms, etc., given, one or 2 at a time out over the course of his 14 hour day.

Thanks in advance for any (polite, non-repetitive) advice or insight you may have for this issue.

Does your husband happen to have a dark coloured beard ?

Someone else had exactly the same problem, hubby had a big black bushy beard , and their dragon was bbing back and not liking being handled by him but loved being handled by her.
I was suggested (by me) that he cover his beard or shave it off, he opted to cover it, problem solved.

This might be the issue with your husband. Or perhaps it's his BO your boy is reacting to. I think if he does more handling of your boy and the more he does for him (especially giving food and treats) the better the situation will become as your boy will eventually become comfortable around your hubby.

kingofnobbys":3qp4khpf said:

Does your husband happen to have a dark coloured beard ?

Someone else had exactly the same problem, hubby had a big black bushy beard , and their dragon was bbing back and not liking being handled by him but loved being handled by her.
I was suggested (by me) that he cover his beard or shave it off, he opted to cover it, problem solved.

This might be the issue with your husband. Or perhaps it's his BO your boy is reacting to. I think if he does more handling of your boy and the more he does for him (especially giving food and treats) the better the situation will become as your boy will eventually become comfortable around your hubby.

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As a matter of fact, my husband DOES have a dark beard. Usually it's very small and kept trimmed very short, but at the moment, he hasn't shaved in ages, and although the beard isn't particularly long (maybe 1 1/2"-2"), it's thick, and combined with his shoulder-length hair (beard and hair are brown), he looks like a lion with a mane. Guess who's going to shave and trim that beard short again, tomorrow?

And, because he doesn't wear antiperspirant, even when he isn't doing particularly heavy work, he stinks if he lifts his arms. I've talked to him about this many times, but it hasn't convinced him to wear antiperspirant after 18 years of requesting him to. So, yeah, if I'm offended by his smell (when he lifts his arms or sleeps with his arms over his head), I wouldn't be at all surprised if Buddy isn't, too. Not sure there's any way to convince hubby to start doing what he's been reluctant to do for almost 2 decades of marriage to me, though!

Since Buddy's favorite treat is superworms, I'll have my husband take over handing them out as treats 2 or 3 times a day, in hopes that will help their relationship. Here's hoping!

lol ....

I hate shaving too , if I had my way i'd have a big bushy beard like those dwarfs in LOR , I did when I was in yrs 11 and 12 @ highschool , and everyone including the teachers called me "The Caveman" or simply "Caveman" , while all my mates called "The Professor" or "Prof" or "Robbo" . My dad thought I looked like a welsh farmer , I had the 'Upside down head' look tending towards the
'The Gandalf' look going .

I had to loose the beard when I became a trainee industrial chemist , can't get a good seal around breathing gear full face masks if your face is hairy.
Now when my whiskers get long enough to comb , they are more grey than dark brown, so my beardies aren't worried by the whiskers unless they get up their noses or tickle their faces when snuggling.