Easier to Handle as They Get Older?

I'm just wondering... do beardies get easier to handle as they get older? 3-4 month old Figment really resists my attempts to scoop or pick him up; once I've got him, he'll sit on my hand for 30-45 seconds, maybe a full minute, or so before starting to try to get away. He'll scoot up to my shoulder and often hop to the back of the chair, but today he went down to my lap then took a flying leap to the floor (scared the heck out of me) which of course then diverged into a chase so he wouldn't wind up under some bookshelf where I couldn't reach him...

At any rate, I'm looking for a Handling 101 tutorial for newbies (would love to see that added to the care sheets and articles). I've been going on the assumption that more frequent bouts of handling for a shorter duration is better than trying to hold him for a longer time and stressing him out; he hasn't hissed, gaped, or black-bearded at me yet, and I don't want him to start. I know the trick of leaving something with my scent on it in the hab - it doesn't seem to be working much, or it is and he's just young and active. I just want to establish a good relationship with Figment; he'll eat from my fingers, and tolerates being stroked a bit, he just doesn't seem to like being picked up.

Advice?

Hi there,

It tends to be that way it seems. However adults that were never handled can be very nasty themselves! So just keep up with it and things will keep progressing

IMO it's more so that Adults aren't as energetic or frantic as younger ones. So tame adults seem to be calmer than tame youngin's

-Brandon

ComicBookMama":21akg9vs said:

At any rate, I'm looking for a Handling 101 tutorial for newbies (would love to see that added to the care sheets and articles).

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, and this is a good idea! It will be passed on and added to our list of article ideas

-Brandon

claudiusx":33niohmf said:

Hi there,

It tends to be that way it seems. However adults that were never handled can be very nasty themselves! So just keep up with it and things will keep progressing

Click to expand...

I can see how that would be true. I'll keep going with short, frequent handlings, putting him back in his hab before he can get wiggly - I don't want him to associate starting to try to escape with me putting him back in his tank, if they're smart enough to make that connection. I just wish I could find a way to make him associate being picked up with something good, though I know his instincts scream negative things when he's lifted up - "OMIGAWD, SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!!!!!!" :lol:

claudiusx":33niohmf said:

IMO it's more so that Adults aren't as energetic or frantic as younger ones. So tame adults seem to be calmer than tame youngin's

Click to expand...

Yes, all the adults I've ever met have been very calm about being picked up and held. I guess I'll just have to wait out the energetic, frantic stage! Thanks for the input.

Yes , they become more laid back and settled as they get bigger.

Some hatchlings are very much into snuggles and being petted from the get go ,others are livewires and more interested in everything they can see around them than sitting still , it can take 6 months for these live wires to calm down and become smoogers.

I can also tell you that wild adult bearded dragons are very chill when handled too, I've been lucky enough to have a wild caught pet eastern bearded dragon as a younger teenager, it never bit me, never puffed up at me, and never displayed at me, and within a few days was happily taking live insects from my fingers.
I've also encountered wild bearded dragons ( centrals, easterns, rankins, westerns ) several times in my travels ( as a grey nomad , and when I was working a consulting engineer and on contract in N Qld, the Pilbara and in SA ) , very easy to walk up and pick up from dead stumps, farm fence posts, termite mounds, and by the track side (while they were basking ) , takes a lot to get a bearded dragon to threaten / display , they'd rather just up and run away.
( of cause a lot of these dragons that I encountered probably never saw a human before so had no fear of me , and were as curious about me as I was about them , these have been encounters in very isolated and remote locations accessable only by 4x4 . )

claudiusx":1oj57a7y said:

Hi there,

It tends to be that way it seems. However adults that were never handled can be very nasty themselves! So just keep up with it and things will keep progressing

IMO it's more so that Adults aren't as energetic or frantic as younger ones. So tame adults seem to be calmer than tame youngin's

-Brandon

Click to expand...

My baby loves to be held and it actually reduces his stress because I take him out of the cage with some stress marks and then they go away

kingofnobbys":3pa9k1f6 said:

I can also tell you that wild adult bearded dragons are very chill when handled too, I've been lucky enough to have a wild caught pet eastern bearded dragon as a younger teenager, it never bit me, never puffed up at me, and never displayed at me, and within a few days was happily taking live insects from my fingers.
I've also encountered wild bearded dragons ( centrals, easterns, rankins, westerns ) several times in my travels ( as a grey nomad , and when I was working a consulting engineer and on contract in N Qld, the Pilbara and in SA ) , very easy to walk up and pick up from dead stumps, farm fence posts, termite mounds, and by the track side (while they were basking ) , takes a lot to get a bearded dragon to threaten / display , they'd rather just up and run away.
( of cause a lot of these dragons that I encountered probably never saw a human before so had no fear of me , and were as curious about me as I was about them , these have been encounters in very isolated and remote locations accessable only by 4x4 . )

Click to expand...

Wow! What a great experience- to get up close to beardies in the wild! My husband would love the chance to do that. I can definitely see how they'd rather run away; that seems to be the first choice of the herps my hubby comes across and catches. But being able to interact with dragons who have never seen a person before? That's special!

BeardedDragonSteve":1l1k1eel said:

My baby loves to be held and it actually reduces his stress because I take him out of the cage with some stress marks and then they go away

Click to expand...

He sounds like a very special little dragon!

ComicBookMama":2neou85t said:

At any rate, I'm looking for a Handling 101 tutorial for newbies

Click to expand...

Thee are quite a few vids on the subject: bearded dragon handling

kingofnobbys":4i03gtre said:

Yes , they become more laid back and settled as they get bigger.

Some hatchlings are very much into snuggles and being petted from the get go ,others are livewires and more interested in everything they can see around them than sitting still , it can take 6 months for these live wires to calm down and become smoogers.

I can also tell you that wild adult bearded dragons are very chill when handled too, I've been lucky enough to have a wild caught pet eastern bearded dragon as a younger teenager, it never bit me, never puffed up at me, and never displayed at me, and within a few days was happily taking live insects from my fingers.
I've also encountered wild bearded dragons ( centrals, easterns, rankins, westerns ) several times in my travels ( as a grey nomad , and when I was working a consulting engineer and on contract in N Qld, the Pilbara and in SA ) , very easy to walk up and pick up from dead stumps, farm fence posts, termite mounds, and by the track side (while they were basking ) , takes a lot to get a bearded dragon to threaten / display , they'd rather just up and run away.
( of cause a lot of these dragons that I encountered probably never saw a human before so had no fear of me , and were as curious about me as I was about them , these have been encounters in very isolated and remote locations accessable only by 4x4 . )

Click to expand...

My family knows some friends in Australia and I always thought I could go their and go herping they live in Adelaide I have been to Sydney though and stayed in Wollongong and took the train to Sydney I really like the public transportation there compared to some parts of America.

I would suggest you handle your beardie in the evenings when they are ready to sleep. My Gizmo loved being wrapped up like a burrito when she was small. I held her very frequently as a little bitty dragon & she is now the sweetest thing & loves human interaction & being held. When I first got her she was more interested in running about the room & exploring. The key was holding her nightly at bed time. She now loves to snuggle under my chin or up on my shoulder under my hair or right in the middle of my chest between the mellons.

Here's Gizmo on my chest. Sorry I couldn't get the one pic to rotate.

GizmosGrammie":2ri7xgnz said:

I would suggest you handle your beardie in the evenings when they are ready to sleep. My Gizmo loved being wrapped up like a burrito when she was small. I held her very frequently as a little bitty dragon & she is now the sweetest thing & loves human interaction & being held. When I first got her she was more interested in running about the room & exploring. The key was holding her nightly at bed time. She now loves to snuggle under my chin or up on my shoulder under my hair or right in the middle of my chest between the mellons.

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I'll give that a try! Figment is definitely more interested in exploring and running around loose; I'd heard about that "beardie burrito" thing, but wasn't sure it would work with him, but I'm willing to give just about anything a go. I'll see what I can find to wrap him up in, or just go buy a remnant of fleece at the local fabric store.

Just out of curiosity... how can you tell Gizmo loved being wrapped up like a burrito, and that she now loves human interaction and being held? I don't doubt you in the least, I'm just new to beardies and haven't quite figured out Figment's "tells" so I can know when he's happy, or really happy, with something. Except for eating. That, I pretty much figure he loves.

Well she never squirmed or tried to escape her little burito. Her head was always a little exposed & I'd lay the burrito on my chest & caress the top of her head & up and around her eye/ear area. But otherwise I tried not to bother or over stimulate her too much, otherwise she would wake up & adventure about. I did this every night for weeks, probably more like months. Now that she's older (4 yrs) I just lay her on my chest and she will burrow/flatten herself in & I just cover her with a blanket. I bought cheap $2-3 fleece blankets from Big Lots & cut them into 4's to create blankets for her. But even when she was at that squirmy run around age I tried to hold her in my hands as long as she tolerated it. I also fed her outside of her habitat in a big tote. I hand fed her a lot too and I think over time that just builds trust. As to how do I know she loves human attention. She will run to the side of her habitat and scratch at the glass to let me know she wants out and or glass surfs where she runs up and down the length of her tank pressed up to the glass when I'm in her room. Her way of saying "here I am please let me out and hold me." As a side note I was a newbie to beardies prior to Gizmo, she was that had to have Christmas present my son wanted & bought with his Xmas money & the passion lasted all of a couple days. So mom ended up w/a beautiful beardie. The best gift I never knew I wanted

GizmosGrammie":zivx8d01 said:

Sorry I couldn't get the one pic to rotate.

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Try rotating it and saving it under another filename again before uploading it. :wink: