Afraid of him running away

[OperationReggie]

So my beardie loves being picked up and goes to a certain spot when he want to pick up and i bring him out of the cage to have a look around but im afraid that if i place him down on my bed or anything similar that he will just bolt off and i wont be able to catch him, this probably isnt the case but i would rather be overly careful than be risky and chance losing him. Any tips as to what i should do in case he does run off any help is appreciated

 

[kingofnobbys]

Can be a worry when they are tiny hatchlings , very easy for them to disappear under a door , or bed or behind a big heavy walldrove or cabinet.
I would make sure you have hold of his tail at all time (just the weight of your wrist on the tail is enough to slow a little hatchling down) , plus have a hand ready to place infront of the hatchling if looks like make a leap or short sprint.
If he gets onto the floor, easiest way to catch him is to drop a tea towel or shirt or some thing large and light on top of him, you can then reach under and get hold of him without scaring the heck out of him by chasing him and trying to grab him .... all he's see is big scary monster looming over him and a 5 headed monster coming for him ....

Block off any gaps between furnature and walls with towels or bits of cardboard, and make sure the door and window are closed and he'll be fine if he decides to go exploring.

There are beardie harnesses and leashed available too , some use these for the added security.

Been my experience with my pet lizards that if they happen to get into the floor (and have never been wild or allowed to free range) that they'll generally not go far, it's kinda like " Oh , now I'm here , I'm not so sure I want be - it's strange/scary down here and everything looks different ", I can usually reach down and scoop up the errand lizard without any dramas and they seem relieved be rescued when I do.

 

[ruben0311]

so dragon proofing a room is fairly straight forward... if he can get under anything (dressers, bed, other furniture) you can either use a towel to block off the area, or cardboard cut to the right size to fit the gap. They can be fast but they'll usually just walk most of the time... unless there's something spooky around, like a ceiling fan turning slowly... :twisted: damn ceiling fans! but i wouldn't worry too much about him running away. the important thing to keep in mind is if it fits he will find a way into it. They are very curious though and will explore everywhere, might even find a snack or two, which comes to the second part of beardie adventures, make sure there isnt anything too small or that looks like a worm or something laying about... he will taste and might even strike it. just keep an eye on him and let him loose, he'll love it and will usually just come back to the enclosure once theyre ready to go back in.

 

[kingofnobbys]

so dragon proofing a room is fairly straight forward... if he can get under anything (dressers, bed, other furniture) you can either use a towel to block off the area, or cardboard cut to the right size to fit the gap. They can be fast but they'll usually just walk most of the time... unless there's something spooky around, like a ceiling fan turning slowly... :twisted: damn ceiling fans! but i wouldn't worry too much about him running away. the important thing to keep in mind is if it fits he will find a way into it. They are very curious though and will explore everywhere, might even find a snack or two, which comes to the second part of beardie adventures, make sure there isnt anything too small or that looks like a worm or something laying about... he will taste and might even strike it. just keep an eye on him and let him loose, he'll love it and will usually just come back to the enclosure once theyre ready to go back in.

Yep .... all mine do .... return to sit near their enclosure or to me (daddy) or my wife (mommy) and look up as if to say, put back in my house please , or pick me up please.

Even Peppa and Toothless will crawl across the lounge to the arm rest nearest their rearing tubs when they are ready to go back in (to sleep / bask or have had enough quality time).

The bigger they get the more assertive and self assured they become and it wont be long and your's will be telling you it wants to come out and do a territory check patrol , if there are closed doors they will check each , and they'll have a routine .

My big adults (Rex - beardie, Mildred and George - bluetongues) each get to spend at least 1 hour free ranging in the house most days , sometime more and THEY LOVE IT. (We simply close the doors to rooms we want them to stay out off and have gaps big enough for them blocked , we are obsessive about checking for stuff they might encounter that they shouldn't eat ).