Are females just naturally more aggressive than males?

[Tecky]

I haven't heard too many good things about the females tempers. I've had mine for almost 2 months now, and she has not changed one bit. She hisses and bites at us every time we handle her. She's a pain to take out, cause she struggles, and fights to get away. We can't even hold her without her trying to jump off of us to the ground, so we have to keep a tight grip on her.

I'm not a fan of aggressive reptiles, so I'm in the process of selling her, we don't have the patience for a stubborn bearded dragon that won't change no matter how much we handle her. Every morning everything is back to normal, where she is a pain in the ass and doesn't let us near her without rearing up, puffing herself up, opening her mouth, and trying to bite. But really...what is the deal with females? Are the males calmer? Cause it sure seems that way.

 

[puffmum]

I can only speak from my own limited experience but I have 3 babies. 2 are boys and 1 is a girl. My girl Lucy is the sweetest little love. My older boy is very skittish and beards me at every chance he gets. He always tries to get away when I pick him up but he is never aggressive. He has calmed down slightly but not a lot. He came from a pet store that obviously didn't handle him too much. My other little guy is only 7 weeks old and is still stressed from relocation. I also initially had him in a 40 gal tank and that seemed to be overwhelming to him. Now I switched him and Puff so that he is in a 20 gal and he is starting to settle in but I still don't know how his personality will be. I really think in some cases it can be due to what kind of handling they had as hatchlings.

 

[Tecky]

I can only speak from my own limited experience but I have 3 babies. 2 are boys and 1 is a girl. My girl Lucy is the sweetest little love. My older boy is very skittish and beards me at every chance he gets. He always tries to get away when I pick him up but he is never aggressive. He has calmed down slightly but not a lot. He came from a pet store that obviously didn't handle him too much. My other little guy is only 7 weeks old and is still stressed from relocation. I also initially had him in a 40 gal tank and that seemed to be overwhelming to him. Now I switched him and Puff so that he is in a 20 gal and he is starting to settle in but I still don't know how his personality will be. I really think in some cases it can be due to what kind of handling they had as hatchlings.

The guy we purchased her from apparently didn't know what he was doing. He didn't buy it in its first months, but whenever he held it, he would wave his hand in front of it just to show people that it always hissed and tried to bite, then wore giant rubber gloves holding it, and then said that he stopped holding it and never gave him anymore attention. But ever since August, we had been holding it and giving it attention everyday, and we'd hold it for up to a half an hour, and it would take 15+ minutes for it to even calm down, and stop struggling to get away, and to quit hissing/biting us. Then the next time we'd get her out, everything was undone. She would be back to struggling and fighting us as much as possible. She's just impossible to tame.

The guy said he bought it from a breeder at a reptile show, so I can't imagine someone like that mistreating, or mishandling it.

 

[protiemama]

Have you checked the temps. I know it sounds odd, but we had a couple of folks with the same problem recently and their viv was too hot.
Also put a shirt that has been worn in her sleeping spot. It will help her get used to your smell in a non-threatening way. Have you tried the beardie burrito? If you need instructions let me know. It really sounds like she was treated pretty badly before. It may just take awhile to rebuild her trust.
I wish you luck.

Sandy H

 

[Tecky]

Temps are fine, she loves sitting under the light looking noble.

I have no idea what the burrito thing is though, so if you can instruct me on that, I'll give it a try.

The reason I got interested in bearded dragons was because they are so tame and docile. I don't want an aggressive lizard. 2 months have gone by, and for the last 2 months, every morning, everything is back to normal. Hissing, biting, struggling, fighting, everything. Nothing is changing, and nothing is getting better. By now, she should've at least gotten used to us...nope. I can't deal with this one anymore.

 

[protiemama]

So sorry I didn't get right back to you. This is a very busy time of year for our family, 2 birthdays, soccer ending and tons of other stuff. Still I should have made time for you.
In case you didn't find instructions for a beardie burrito- Wait 10-15 min after lights out, then lift her out and wrap her up in a soft "blankie". You can use anything soft and snuggly, most of us have made blankies for a piece of fleece material or part of a baby blanket. Once you have her wraped, hold her close on your chest and talk softly to her. My kids sing lullabys to Bogie every night. If she is still struggling, put her back and wait a bit then try again. She is so scared and mistrusting she will need to cool down a bit before this will work. (Once cooled off at night they really can't move a lot.) This should get her to be more trusting, soon I hope.

You never got back with your temps. What are they and what do you use to take them? If you are using a stick on thermometer they can be waaaay off. Get a digital with a probe at Wal Mart. $12 in the hardware section. The Accurite model works really well. Her basking spot needs to be between 100-110 and the cool side should be around 80. Let's keep working with her.

Sandy H

 

[Tecky]

So sorry I didn't get right back to you. This is a very busy time of year for our family, 2 birthdays, soccer ending and tons of other stuff. Still I should have made time for you.
In case you didn't find instructions for a beardie burrito- Wait 10-15 min after lights out, then lift her out and wrap her up in a soft "blankie". You can use anything soft and snuggly, most of us have made blankies for a piece of fleece material or part of a baby blanket. Once you have her wraped, hold her close on your chest and talk softly to her. My kids sing lullabys to Bogie every night. If she is still struggling, put her back and wait a bit then try again. She is so scared and mistrusting she will need to cool down a bit before this will work. (Once cooled off at night they really can't move a lot.) This should get her to be more trusting, soon I hope.

You never got back with your temps. What are they and what do you use to take them? If you are using a stick on thermometer they can be waaaay off. Get a digital with a probe at Wal Mart. $12 in the hardware section. The Accurite model works really well. Her basking spot needs to be between 100-110 and the cool side should be around 80. Let's keep working with her.

Sandy H

The basking temps are usually around 95-100, and the cool side is around 80. We have a digital, but it's not up too high to the light. So they're around what they should be. Depending on the temperature outside and inside, it usually varies though. It's the same as it was when we had our last beardie, and our last one was very calm and nice.

 

[protiemama]

Well, I'm stumped. Her last owner may have mistreated her more than he let on. Give the burrito a try for a few days and see if it helps.
If you still want to get rid of her let me know. I'm a sucker for hopeless cases. I really hope it works out for you, though. It would be better for her if she doesn't have to move again.

Sandy H