Taming Strategy?

Hello, I got my beardie about a month ago (he's around 3 months old now) and he is comfortable with me hand feeding him and even sits on my hand when i have food for him. But I really want to tame him down before he gets too old to be tamed or held and starts getting aggressive.

My issue is many say to slowly introduce pets and the process, but that hasn't been working. He won't let me touch him, but I can put my finger close to him with no issue.

Others say to grab a tub and give him a little push into the taming process to get him used to pets and handling, which is a little more aggressive but I can see how it would work if I did that a couple times a week.

I don't know if there's a right way to do this, I have all the patience in the world but I'm starting to get worried and so I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if I should start to switch up my taming.

I gave him a bath yesterday and he hated me. I pet him and he stopped moving, probably out of fear, but he ate on my hand today so I guess that didn't traumatize him too much.

Should I keep up the slow process and hope he comes around or should I start trying to push it? I've been putting my finger next to him for 2 weeks with no progress, maybe even a little backtracking. Maybe I can keep up the slowness and if it doesn't work in a few more weeks I can try being a little more forceful or whatnot with it. (I'll be gentle, of course.) I just don't want to stress or traumatize him too much to where he won't let me go near him again.

Hi,

I didn't have too much trouble with mine & he sat in my wife's hand on the ride home. Guess we were lucky that way. Maybe when he walks on your hand, you could slowly pick him up out of his cage and set him against your chest? They also say you can put something that smells like you in their cage so they get used to your scent. Another thing I did with mine is I'd let him run around next to a screen door, which he'd inevitably climb. Once he was around head height, I'd come up next to him & just look outside with him. Once he knew I wasn't a threat, he'd sometimes climb onto my shoulder or hand with a little coaxing.

bump?

it's been many more weeks now. still not there, but is a slight bit more comfortable.

You will find pet lizards like skinks and dragons become much more calm and settled and relaxed and unflappable as they grow bigger and become adults.

Just keep up the gentle handling and spending lots of time with the dragon and it will become ubertame as it learns it can trust you.

And please , no shoulder surfing for your dragon unless
you are sitting on the bed, lounge, carpet, grass
you are supporting him at all times with your hand .
They can and often do fall off and a big fall onto a hard surface will injure them.

I'll keep it up. Just, sometimes I feel like it's too late to tame him down, lol!! thank you