Lizmum77":8jdtmz0l said:
Thanks for replying! We have screen doors on the front if the Viv. I did come from the side but he did notice me opening the door to grab him from the side and he ran and turned to my hand and opened his mouth. Is there a way to calm him down? Do I just close the door and then wait for another day? & he won't be scared forever right?? oh & I'm not sure how old he is, we forgot to ask when we got him, but he is a baby if that makes sense! (Still don't know his gender because he's that small) haha!
Maybe give him a bit more time to settle in? It's hard to say, because they're all individuals - some take about a week to settle in, some take longer. It's good that you can come and him from the side and below; that will definitely make things easier. As for age, if you got him from a pet store, he's probably very young, more a baby than a juvie... about how long is he, tip to tip?
No, he won't be scared forever, but you're right that you need to start hand taming once he's settled in. Start by hand-feeding him some treat worms, like waxworms or BSFL, or even bits of greens to get him to understand that your hand isn't the big, scary thing he thinks it is... remember, a beardie's instincts don't jive with being picked up and handled. If something picks them up in nature, they're dinner! As a result, pretty much all babies go through the "ohmygodthey'regonnaeatme" phase where they're super skittish. You also don't want him to learn that he can "scare" you away by gaping, though, so in a week or so, or after he's readily taking food from your fingers, just start lifting him up in his hab, holding him for a moment, then putting him down. Gradually build up to taking him outside his hab. And remember - baby beardies often think they can fly, so keep him near the ground so if he takes one of those leaps he can't hurt himself!
Good luck!