Attitude

[batsibf]

Hey All
Our beardie has recently started puffing and even trying to bite. It's not just to one person, but to everyone that tries to handle her or have anything to do with her. She is 1 year old and has a healthy appetite. We have also changed her UV bulb in just the last month. We have heard that beardies go through a broading or hibernation period. We have also read that they go through puberty. Since this is our first experience we aren't sure what the issue is, but would love it if anyone has any input or added knowledge.

 

[jharris08]

UV light can affect moods....what type of UV light are u using? puberty also does affect them, but it has never caused mine to bite, so dont know why shes biting.
is there anything in the house ( cat, dog) that could be making the dragon feel threatened?
also most people suggest that you just have to show the dragon that you are the dominate one and just keep handling w/o fear and maybe that will work

 

[batsibf]

we have a dog but are keep in differnet parts of the house, and the dog has been around just as long as the dragon. the current bulb is a reptsun, its been in 3 months now. try doing the domiance thing and some days she dose not try to bit others like to day she tries to bit when she is in the cage and you are near to the cage. she just bit the crap out of me wile I was feeding her (putting her bowl of greens in the cage)

 

[batsibf]

would love some help, i'm afraid we will have to get rid of her if we cant get this figrued out. she has bitten my youngest son now and drew blood.

 

[littlebirdy]

Is it because she has bad aim when she's going after food? Ours accidentally bit his previous owners before when they were hand-feeding him because he was over-enthusiastic about going after the noms. You might search for "aggressive" or "biting" with the search tool on this board, because I seem to remember seeing this question before. Good luck!

 

[batsibf]

she is not after food, there has been no food present. the one time she got me with food present my hand was not near the food (about 6 in above the dish)

 

[acwood04]

How long have you had your dragon? What's the size of him/her? And how long has this attitude problem lasted? I've got two beardies and when I got the second one he was fine being handled and recently he started brumating and whenever I go to get him he puffs, but after I pick him up he calms down and is like "OK, let me explore!!" Also, what are you feeding him/her and maybe describing the enclosure, or any recent changes in the enclosure besides the reptisun you just replaced. I noticed your in Atlanta, where abouts? I live by 85/285

 

[batsibf]

we have had her about 1 1/2 years, she is 16 1/2 inches long. nothing has changes since we have had her the encloser is 12"w x 30"l x 12" h. maybe a month now. she is fine out of the encloser as long as our dog is not inside. we live in between 316 and 85.

 

[MiNuS31]

we have had her about 1 1/2 years, she is 16 1/2 inches long. nothing has changes since we have had her the encloser is 12"w x 30"l x 12" h. maybe a month now. she is fine out of the encloser as long as our dog is not inside. we live in between 316 and 85.

Your tank is toooo small in my opinion...the dragon can't fully turn around without having to bend it's tail or head up against the sides...also the dragon is half the length of the cage!...that's like a human living life inside a closet...you need a bigger tank...get atleast a 40 gallon breeder...but I would actually maybe go with a 55 if you got the money...or if you into building just build a overall bigger space...dragons climb sum to bask but they need floor space...

 

[batsibf]

ii all ready have the material to build a new one and I was going to build it this summer but work made that impossible.... but we have been letting her run more during the day to compensate.....

 

[MiNuS31]

Well I would hurry up...because that's gone effect your dragons growth...gone have Danny Davito type dragon...lol...

 

[MiNuS31]

Oh...on a more serious note...go to walmart...look for clothing closets or dressers that all come pre-cut and you just gotta screw them together...with a few minor changes you can turn one into a reptile enclosure for your dragon...made out of nice looking wood...already cut and everything...alot cheaper too...all you'll need to do is install the fixtures...and change the wood doors to glass or add doors if it didn't come with doors...look into it...

 

[blondie098]

Now sure why she is having the attitude of late, but you could try to take a clean washcloth, and lay it under your shirt or your spouse's -- let it get your scent for a while, then put it in the tank with her. Sometimes having your scent constant in the tank can help them because they know you're not going away anytime soon.

I do agree, that tank is very small for her size -- with the time constraints, maybe check Craigslist to see if you can get a 40-breeder size (36x18 footprint) until you can build?

Any changes in appetite lately? Have you checked your temps to make sure something isn't off? Just thinking out loud... Did you ahve any favorite food scent on your hands? or your son's hand?

 

[acwood04]

If you live in the Atlanta area, I'm in Norcross. If you are looking to get a new enclosure you should check out the pics of the ones I made myself... Since you live close it would be easy to build one for you to the best specs for your beardie. You can see the photos of the viv's I made for my lizards. You could do a MVB setup or a reptisun set up. I also used counter top formica over the cabinet grade ply to add a nice smooth interior that is easy to clean and wont fester bacteria... I think the parts cost a couple hundred, not that much, but the cages I made 4x2x2 will accomodate my dragons comfortably for the rest of their lives. I also used real glass sliding doors in the front for easy access and vents to keep the correct temp. I just hooked up some ceramic bulb bases and wired them to plugs to a digital strip timer. They are pretty cool. I also used a granite for the bottom, that way easy to clean, looks good, absorbes some heat, and keeps the claws of your beardies from getting too sharp. Bella and Crupi both LOVE the cages, and for crupi's I built in three drawers to store things, but that required a significantly amount of wood and fitting and constructing the drawers... If your interested I can show you more pics of the viv... Id be happy to build it with/for you if you pay for the materials and a small fee for the time and work required. Let me know.

http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=137747