Baby bearded dragon is aggressive?

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breadie

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Hi, I got my first baby bearded dragon about a week ago.
I'm not sure of her age, but she is about 7-8 inches from head to tail. (Seems too young to be sold?)
The first day I got her, she was really docile. She let me pick her up and wouldn't move. She let me pet her everywhere, even her mouth area. She also ate very readily.
The next few days, she started to eat less, sometimes refusing any food. Crickets would just jump all over her and she wouldn't move. I could still pick her up. I thought she had been hand tamed.
Then as of these last two days, her appetite came back. She even ate vegetables (I hand feed her everything). She seemed more energetic. I tried to hold her again to continue taming her, but for some reason, she just got really scared of my hand. She ran throughout the whole cage. I got her out and she almost ran out of my hand. I was so shocked, she just seemed like the complete opposite of when I first had her. As I was about to put her back in the cage, she all of a sudden turned her head and bit down hard on my finger. Now every time I try to hold her, I'm afraid. What if I end up with an aggressive adult bearded dragon? This bite was painful enough... but when she's older I fear she will draw blood.
I noticed her belly had stress marks. They have NEVER gone away since I have had her. At first I thought she was unique and had some cool markings on her belly, but after a quick google search, I figured it out.
Does anyone know why she did this? I keep thinking she hates me and I get too afraid to hold her now. :(

Also, a side question; Is it possible to know the gender at this young of an age? The seller said it was a "female", but I thought they sexually mature at 6+ months?

Thanks for your time, everyone!
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Your dragon is going to go thru relocation stress so the eating is going to slow down - he / she however should not quit eating all together - if he / she does something is off - its going to take time w/ him / her - you need to put your hand in the tank as much as possible to get them used to you - I got my baby at 2.5 months old and he was very aggressive- running biting hissing flaring -- every time we had our hands in the tank - you need to approach from the side not from above he/ she will think your a predator- take a shirt or some piece of soft material w / your smell on it put it in his tank in his hide or some where so he gets used to your smell -- hold him through out the day a little at a time -- just keep working w/ him - same constant routine will help so he knows what to expect
Karrie
 

Aaradimian

Juvie Member
Hi there. Don't get discouraged; beardies can be temperamental and you have to remember that we're big, scary critters from their perspective. The key is going to be patience, getting them to trust you by hand feeding, getting them used to your scent, doing the t-shirt and handling things that KR mentioned. You can put a glove on if you're afraid of getting bitten. What I'd suggest is you take them out and let them run around until they get tired. Then, when they're tired, put them on your chest and let them fall asleep on you. There are a lot of stories of "feisty" beardies becoming little love sponges as they become adults. Right now, you probably have a rebellious teen. Hang in there!
 
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