Acting Agressive

[zebrasmiles]

I've had my beardie for a couple of months now and I'm not sure on the exact age but he is still young, just a small guy. After a week of getting use to the tank and everything he was fine with me picking him up and holding him and didn't seem to be bothered by much. Recently on morning a couple weeks ago he just took a 180 turn and that morning was running away from me and trying to bite me. I noticed it looked like he was about to shed so I just assumed it was because of that, I still took him out every morning and evening to eat, but now he is done shedding and he is still doing this. He doesn't turn dark, and I don't think I hear any hissing it's just running from me for like 10 min then opening his mouth when I get close and biting me, it doesn't hurt since he's still little but obviously I don't want this to be how we do things forever...

I do own a couple of cats and a dog. I have covered up the backside, left & right side of the tank completely, plus about 4 inches up from the bottom of the front tank, so that my dog can't see him from where she sits (she was jumping at the tank at first), My cats sorta bother him sometimes, they sit on the side and sorta paw at the tank, but I don't think he can see them if the paper is up but maybe he can sense them??? I'm not sure if this could be whats made he aggressive out of no where or something else.

Everything in the tank is fine, salad is good, he eats about 10 crickets morning and evening (I know that's not a lot but that's the most I can get him to eat). When I get him out of the cage he is fine with me, I give him baths and he sits on my shoulder and I pet him. Occasionally he'll run if I set him down.

Thanks for any opinions!

 

[Taterbug]

How are you approaching him?

That he is running away I'd think those are signs of fear/defensive reaction rather than aggression. I would not force the issue of handling on him, but rather be patient and calm with him. If he runs off, leave him be, and try later. Perhaps offer him food in his enclosure, even something like waxworms or butterworms rather than his everyday crickets. He may also feel more secure eating in his enclosure.

 

[zebrasmiles]

How are you approaching him?

That he is running away I'd think those are signs of fear/defensive reaction rather than aggression. I would not force the issue of handling on him, but rather be patient and calm with him. If he runs off, leave him be, and try later. Perhaps offer him food in his enclosure, even something like waxworms or butterworms rather than his everyday crickets. He may also feel more secure eating in his enclosure.

Well since he started doing this I've been trying to just sit my hand in the cage until he closed his mouth then use my other hand to sorta push him onto my hand that was sitting there but sometimes that doesn't work and so I just have to follow him around the tank until I can get him on my hand.

The problem abut leaving him be then trying agian is that I don't really have time to come back And try again since he has to be on a lighting schedule and I work full time I don't really have time in the morning for that. His lights come on at 6 feed at 7 I'm out the door by 730, then his light is off at 7 I'm home by 530 so I feed him asap so he has enough time to digest and I have him out for a little and a bath.
I just don't want to let him be and him not be able to eat, like I said once he's out of the tank he will eat in the cricket box I have, and just relax with me. I don't mind feeding him in the tank but I don't have time to catch the crickets up agian or deal with them getting away from him and hiding in all the stuff in the tank lol. I could try worms but I thought he v was too small, I got small worms once and he tried eating them by it like pinched him or something cause then he dropped it and wouldnt try again.

I will definitely try to just get him to come onto my hand rather than to chade him around I just want him to eat to

 

[Taterbug]

Schedules can be tricky. When pepper was little I would feed him roaches from a dish when I wouldn't be around to feed him. black soldier fly larvae (pheonix, calci and repti worms) I belive can be dish fed (dish must be a bit tall and the walls dry). I mention in tank feeding because he may be getting stressed by the whole ordeal of being put in a feeding tub and all, and might even be eating less than he would otherwise. Pepper won't eat at all if I pick him up. But if it's working maybe just keep working on getting him out. Will he come over to you for a cricket? Does he eat them fast enough that you could drop them in one at a time?

Anyway, What is you setup like? To rule out stress from his habitat.

Some folks pop a bite of greens in their mouth when they gape like that. Imm not sure if it helps at all though.

 

[zebrasmiles]

Schedules can be tricky. When pepper was little I would feed him roaches from a dish when I wouldn't be around to feed him. black soldier fly larvae (pheonix, calci and repti worms) I belive can be dish fed (dish must be a bit tall and the walls dry). I mention in tank feeding because he may be getting stressed by the whole ordeal of being put in a feeding tub and all, and might even be eating less than he would otherwise. Pepper won't eat at all if I pick him up. But if it's working maybe just keep working on getting him out. Will he come over to you for a cricket? Does he eat them fast enough that you could drop them in one at a time?

Anyway, What is you setup like? To rule out stress from his habitat.

Some folks pop a bite of greens in their mouth when they gape like that. Imm not sure if it helps at all though.

this is the setup minus that I have a differentry uvb light now it's a t5 repti sun 5.0 and he has all carpet in his tank now. at first I just bought one of those tank starters and realized everything I got was sorta not right lol. I have 2 basketing lights to keep the temp over 100 on the one side. Plus the pic doesn't show the paper cover ups I did on the sides of the tank either, but this is a basically how it is.

I fed him one cricket at a time this morning and he only ate like 6, then left him alone for a little then went back and when he got on his log hut I picked up the whole thing and then held him for 15 min and bathed him. He still had a attitude and I heard him hiss for the first time., and he's puffing out.

He wouldn't eat anything for dinner though. I have poped letttuce in his mouth when he opens it and it does for a moment stop him but he'll still run away from my hands if he chooses to lol.

I'm. not sure of what all I can feed him since he's still Small though,