Why is my Beardie so Cranky?

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Birdy

Hatchling Member
Hello all,
I want to ask you all some questions on Lyra.
For the last several months she has been well skittish and aggressive, I thought it was because of all her infertile egg laying but she hasn't laid eggs in quite a while and she's still being aggressive and skittish all the time. It makes me not want to handle her. I can barely handle her without getting bit, and I prefer to wear gloves, that's for sure. I haven't gotten bit yet and I'd like to keep it that way. But why? Why does she act like I'm the predator? How do I get her to calm down? Is there something I can do to get her back to how she used to be? In or out of the cage Lyra has displayed aggression towards me. Every time I put my hands in the cage to work in there she puffs out her beard slightly at me and if I get too close or bump her she turns flat and turns side- ways and opens her mouth. What am I, the person of doom? I just want to get her out and play with her without worrying she'll bite me or run away or whatever.
Here are the behaviors I've witnessed from most common to least common :
Puffing Beard,
Flattening and turning Side-ways,
Running away,
Trying to bite me,
A little bit of black-bearding while trying to look scary sometimes,
If this continues and doesn't stop I'm seriously considering re-homing her. I would do everything to make sure she went to a good home if that ended up happening. But I really hope I don't end up having to do that.
Thanks all in advance!
Birdy
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
We need husbandry information -- post a pic of the tank and lighting please --
https://www.beardeddragon.org/useruploads/ click on XIMG at top of message box
What are your basking temps in the tank and how are you taking them? Sometimes if there is too much heat in the tank it will make them aggressive
Karrie
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Placid / gentle tame dragons don't suddenly become aggressive / defensive for no reason , it's usually down to
>> someone abusing the dragon (tormenting her when you are not present) , this is fixable.
>> she smells another animal or person on you who she is terrified of , needs to be investigated.
>> someone has hurt her and she has lost her trust in humans , this is fixable with time and patience and lots of TLC and snuggles from you.
>> she's injured and being picked up hurts , needs to be addressed and fixed.
>> shes developed a painful health issue and she's in constant pain or being handled hurts ( egg bound ? maybe ) , likely needs to treated and provided pain relief for while she's healing.

Is she perhaps suffering from a painful health issue ?

I'd be considering getting a competent local reptile vet to examine her and perhaps do some blood tests and radiology to check her.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi Birdy,

I saw you were on the other day. How is Lyra doing lately?

This is VERY common and is definitely NOT a sign that you've done anything wrong, or that there is anything wrong with Lyra.
Birdy":34q8qqvx said:
Every time I put my hands in the cage to work in there she puffs out her beard slightly at me and if I get too close or bump her she turns flat and turns side- ways and opens her mouth.
Here are the behaviors I've witnessed from most common to least common :
Puffing Beard,
Flattening and turning Side-ways,
Running away,
Trying to bite me,
A little bit of black-bearding while trying to look scary sometimes,
Every single thing you listed there is just a dragon feeling intimidated or scared! Very Simple. Don't be worried and feel you need to spend hundreds of dollars on vet bills and tests for very obvious behaviour signs.

Sometimes as they get older and hit that hormone stage, things can change. But, it just takes a bit extra work to get them back to where they were.

Tombo was the exact same way as Lyra. Very nice, although a bit timid. Once he got a bit bigger he would display literally every single behaviour that you listed. Down to the T. But, I kept working with him and now he's back to being a nice normal beardie (who tries to eat my fingers sometimes when I open his tank... out of hunger not fear or anger LOL)

Remember, all those behaviours you mentioned are normal, and it's part of their nature to act like that when they feel threatened. So just keep working with Lyra, and build the trust back up.

I know things will work out if you try :)
Don't get discouraged. :)

-Brandon
 

Gormagon

Extreme Poster
I am curious as well. How is he doing?
Leave no stone unturned, as has been stated, it can be something simple and, easily fixed or, it could be complicated like a pain issue. Just be sure to cover all of your bases.

Side note: How long have you been using gloves? If this is new to her, stop using them.
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi kelly,

Great I'm glad Lyra is doing better.
Thank you for coming back and updating us :)

-Brandon
 
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