I have had Pooka since August 2017. She is about 9 months old. I have picked up her pretty regularly, but unfortunately I fear this has done more to convince her that I am a scary UFO monster than anything else.
Some background: My boyfriend and I recently moved to a new place. In the process, one of the sliding glass doors to Pooka's tank was shattered (while she was in it, poor thing!). Up until a week ago the tank was jury-rigged with a piece of slate covering the entrance, and I was manually changing out her regular heat light and a black ceramic bulb - it got too cold at night otherwise. The new apartment also has lots of new sounds for her to get used to.
Even before this, she was inclined to spend all of her time hiding in her log or under her branch. Once I actually got her out of the tank, she wasn't fussy. I worry that I misinterpreted her being quiet for being calm, and that I was actually conditioning her to be scared of me.
But now she will literally hide all day long in her log.
Yes, this image is adorable, but I worry she's not getting enough UVB because she will literally spend all day in her log hide. If I take out the log hide, she'll find a way to hide under the branch. She won't immediately run away when she sees me, but if I turn away she'll find some corner to hide in.
In short: What can I do to make her more comfortable, both in general and with handling? She's hiding so much that I worry she's not getting enough UVB. For now, I have ceased picking her up. I try to sit for about an hour a day near her tank with my hand inside. I also have been hand-feeding her greens and dubias.
Other relevant info:
-Pooka's basking area is about 100 (goes up to 125 directly underneath the light), and the cool side is around 85. Not that she's been using the basking area :roll:
-She was seen by the vet about six weeks ago, and was treated for mild coccidia. Vet thought she looked otherwise healthy, but wanted to treat it since it was a positive.
-She uses a Reptisun 10.0 bulb, which was recently replaced. Her tank is 60 gallons.
I know there are a lot of threads like this one, but any input would be greatly appreciated. I worry that despite my best intentions, we got off to a bad start. I do want her to be comfortable around me as an adult.
Some background: My boyfriend and I recently moved to a new place. In the process, one of the sliding glass doors to Pooka's tank was shattered (while she was in it, poor thing!). Up until a week ago the tank was jury-rigged with a piece of slate covering the entrance, and I was manually changing out her regular heat light and a black ceramic bulb - it got too cold at night otherwise. The new apartment also has lots of new sounds for her to get used to.
Even before this, she was inclined to spend all of her time hiding in her log or under her branch. Once I actually got her out of the tank, she wasn't fussy. I worry that I misinterpreted her being quiet for being calm, and that I was actually conditioning her to be scared of me.
But now she will literally hide all day long in her log.
Yes, this image is adorable, but I worry she's not getting enough UVB because she will literally spend all day in her log hide. If I take out the log hide, she'll find a way to hide under the branch. She won't immediately run away when she sees me, but if I turn away she'll find some corner to hide in.
In short: What can I do to make her more comfortable, both in general and with handling? She's hiding so much that I worry she's not getting enough UVB. For now, I have ceased picking her up. I try to sit for about an hour a day near her tank with my hand inside. I also have been hand-feeding her greens and dubias.
Other relevant info:
-Pooka's basking area is about 100 (goes up to 125 directly underneath the light), and the cool side is around 85. Not that she's been using the basking area :roll:
-She was seen by the vet about six weeks ago, and was treated for mild coccidia. Vet thought she looked otherwise healthy, but wanted to treat it since it was a positive.
-She uses a Reptisun 10.0 bulb, which was recently replaced. Her tank is 60 gallons.
I know there are a lot of threads like this one, but any input would be greatly appreciated. I worry that despite my best intentions, we got off to a bad start. I do want her to be comfortable around me as an adult.