Okay, I really need someone to step in here and help me out because I'm panicking.
Literally the entire day today, she has been completely on edge. Every time someone walked by the room, into the room, walked around upstairs, made any noise at all, she would panic and run or hide. Not even near her enclosure, just in general.
She ate one single cricket at breakfast and spent a lot of time hidden. When she finally came out to bask, I reached in to get the extra crickets out and decided to scratch her chin. She was very open to it and seemed to enjoy it so I pushed my luck and tried to hold her. Bad idea. She immediately black-bearded and squirmed to get away. I put her down right away.
I went out for about an hour and came back into the room and saw she was basking. I walked out of the room for three seconds and turned around and she was hidden again. I wasn't within 15 feet of the tank.
Later in the day, I dropped some crickets in and she FINALLY ate. I left about a dozen in there for an hour and she got about 10 of them. I was thrilled. Finally eating.
I let her bask for hours and didn't move a muscle off the couch next to the tank. When my fiancé came home, I told her to walk in slowly and carefully. We sat on the couch for a while and as soon as she got up, the dragon panicked and made a run for her hide. All she did was stand up!
I decided it was bedtime and cleaned out her tank of the veggies she didn't touch and her poop. My fiancé talked me into trying to give her water via syringe drips on the nose even though I KNEW she was stressed. I did it anyway and she black-bearded and got very defensive in posture. I shut off the lights and got in bed.
WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! Her temps are perfect, she's finally eating and she's so on edge it's unbelievable. We have a loud house, she HAS to get used to it. I'm not walking on eggshells around my house because of this behavior. I am not enjoying my first four days of dragon ownership at all.
The only thing I can think of is getting her tank off the floor. Maybe if she was elevated she wouldn't always be looking up at us and assuming we're threats?
Does anyone have any advice? I'm having serious doubts about this whole thing.
Literally the entire day today, she has been completely on edge. Every time someone walked by the room, into the room, walked around upstairs, made any noise at all, she would panic and run or hide. Not even near her enclosure, just in general.
She ate one single cricket at breakfast and spent a lot of time hidden. When she finally came out to bask, I reached in to get the extra crickets out and decided to scratch her chin. She was very open to it and seemed to enjoy it so I pushed my luck and tried to hold her. Bad idea. She immediately black-bearded and squirmed to get away. I put her down right away.
I went out for about an hour and came back into the room and saw she was basking. I walked out of the room for three seconds and turned around and she was hidden again. I wasn't within 15 feet of the tank.
Later in the day, I dropped some crickets in and she FINALLY ate. I left about a dozen in there for an hour and she got about 10 of them. I was thrilled. Finally eating.
I let her bask for hours and didn't move a muscle off the couch next to the tank. When my fiancé came home, I told her to walk in slowly and carefully. We sat on the couch for a while and as soon as she got up, the dragon panicked and made a run for her hide. All she did was stand up!
I decided it was bedtime and cleaned out her tank of the veggies she didn't touch and her poop. My fiancé talked me into trying to give her water via syringe drips on the nose even though I KNEW she was stressed. I did it anyway and she black-bearded and got very defensive in posture. I shut off the lights and got in bed.
WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! Her temps are perfect, she's finally eating and she's so on edge it's unbelievable. We have a loud house, she HAS to get used to it. I'm not walking on eggshells around my house because of this behavior. I am not enjoying my first four days of dragon ownership at all.
The only thing I can think of is getting her tank off the floor. Maybe if she was elevated she wouldn't always be looking up at us and assuming we're threats?
Does anyone have any advice? I'm having serious doubts about this whole thing.