14 week old beardie acting angry

[divinedimension]

Ok. I'm not new to dragon care, as I have a young adult beardie, one baby beardie and one adult chinese water dragon. But this new baby is driving us crazy! The bulbs are right, the feeding is good, I even hand feed her the water via spraying. However, for whatever reason she is one VERY pissed off baby. Anyone who approaches her cages feels and sees her wrath. She puffs, opens her mouth, becomes defensive, runs and bites-- she bites HARD. I've never seen anything like this! Any ideas on what could be wrong?

 

[Claudiusx]

Do you ever try to handle the baby?

To a baby, everything is big and giant and scary, it won't know to trust you until you show it that it can trust you.
I would stop spraying. Sometimes that freaks them out and can make them more scared of you.

Just be consistent with handling and the baby should come over eventually.

-Brandon

 

[divinedimension]

Ok, I can stop the spraying. I don't do it until she/he is calmed down and in my hands though. He seems to like it! I had him all calm again today and as soon as I put him back in his cage I tried to touch him again and he bit me. I've been bitten HARD 6 times today. I do hold her, but only a few times a day for about ten minutes. Looking back, I know I held Illidan much more when she was Daniel's age.

 

[divinedimension]

Ok she is doing a little better. I rubbed my face with a dry rag and put her to sleep in it. She fell asleep immediately in my hand and slept that way all night. Now, she sleeps in it until I turn her lights on in the a.m. and seems nicer to me about half of the time. She's getting there. Or he...I'm not sure which.

 

[Claudiusx]

Yay thats good news!

-Brandon

 

[divinedimension]

Brandon, I think you were right about spraying her-- I assumed it was ok because my rather calm beardie didn't give a %$^, but apparently, Daniel prefers his water from a medicine dropper. Fine by me.