Beardie Bonding!

[ReptileRy]

Hey everyone!! so my little girl has been doing alot better after she get rid of those mealworms, eating crickets now!! but wow.. 36 for $5 everyday is ridiculous... but annnyyywayyys.. i really wanna start bonding with her.. what ways do you do this? i know handling is a simple way, but you know.. what are some unique ways to that your beardie enjoys?? thank you!!

 

[YavannaV]

You can buy crickets online in quantities of 500 or 1000 and it is so much cheaper. When your beardie gets up to 80-100 a day in his ravenous growth spurts, your wallet will definitely thank you for getting them online instead of at the pet store.

 

[YavannaV]

Two good ways to bond:

Snuggle with them right before lights out when they're getting sleepy and are less likely to try and run off.

Put a shirt in the enclosure that has your scent on it.


I like to watch tv with mine in the evenings and let him sit on my chest with a twice folded blanket on top of him. He settles down and falls asleep on me most times.

 

[LoveMy4BeardieGals]

I just ordered 2000 medium crickets for 28 bucks! And with the shipping option to get them here next day and guarenteed alive was like another 28, so it was 56 bucks total! I have 4 baby/juveniles who are eating and pooping machines, and 14 bucks every other day for 100 crickets was CRAZY! If I would have purchased the same amount of 2000 crickets at 12 to 14 cents a cricket at the pet store..well you do the math :lol:

Another thing you can try are small dubia nymphs. I am working on my colony now, got about another month, and I should have tons of babies! I purchased my starter colony for 25 bucks and once the babies start a coming, well more than what we have now, I will not really have to buy crickets...but I will on occasion for variety. I also do superworms, but I usually wait to get them at the reptile shows, cause I can get 1000 of them for 10 bucks, and I give them as treats, so they last about a month.

As for bonding, definitely snuggles at night when they are getting sleepy. Wrap them in a blankie and 9 times out of 10, they will fall asleep. Also when I have a hoodie on, mine like to climb into my hood part to sleep. And definitely the old tshirt in their viv so they can pick up on your scent

 

[traceyb73]

Two good ways to bond:

Snuggle with them right before lights out when they're getting sleepy and are less likely to try and run off.

Put a shirt in the enclosure that has your scent on it.


I like to watch tv with mine in the evenings and let him sit on my chest with a twice folded blanket on top of him. He settles down and falls asleep on me most times.

We did the tee shirt after the first night too (I didn't realize you could do that) and now we have a routine at night...eat around 5, viv til around 8, soak (I give mine one every night, most people don't though as it's not necessary. I just have too much time on my hands. lol), dry her off, let her run around on the bed for a few, then I warm her blankie (a cut up old hoodie) with the hair dryer...not hot, just warm) and we cuddle until she falls asleep. It took a little time, but we got her 3 weeks ago today and she knows her routine like clockwork. lol

I found out when I first started to handle her that mine like to be my chest, and she liked to put her head against my neck/chin. I guess it made her feel safe. If she started to freak out when I walked around in the beginning, I would cup my hand over her head and she relaxed. She felt like she was hiding. You will figure out what works best as time goes on.

 

[YavannaV]

If you're female, a great way to bond with a baby/juvie beardie is down your shirt. Ziggy hangs out with me an hour or so a day like this and Dreganna did as well until she couldn't fit anymore. If it isn't PG enough, mods, please feel free to remove. I will be so sad when my little guy outgrows his perch. Whenever I'm sitting at the computer he's usually hanging out with me and seems to enjoy the warmth and companionship. At least I expect he'd bolt if he wasn't enjoying the snuggles. A human body being 98 degrees too seems like the perfect temp to keep them warm and happy. I always let him bask 2-3 hours after feeding before letting him out of his enclosure and I usually wait until after he's pooped, lol.

 

[XtinaBeardieMom]

If you're female, a great way to bond with a baby/juvie beardie is down your shirt. Ziggy hangs out with me an hour or so a day like this and Dreganna did as well until she couldn't fit anymore. If it isn't PG enough, mods, please feel free to remove. I will be so sad when my little guy outgrows his perch. Whenever I'm sitting at the computer he's usually hanging out with me and seems to enjoy the warmth and companionship. At least I expect he'd bolt if he wasn't enjoying the snuggles. A human body being 98 degrees too seems like the perfect temp to keep them warm and happy. I always let him bask 2-3 hours after feeding before letting him out of his enclosure and I usually wait until after he's pooped, lol.

Awww! So your boyfriend doesn't get jealous?? hehehe

 

[TheWerewolf]

I started nightly snuggles to bond with my Nim and he expects them every night now. I just put him on my chest right before bed, and perfect! Sometimes I put him inside my shirt but he is getting and little big and the claws are so itchy! So I just put him on my chest and put a nice warm fleece blanket on him. Works every time!

 

[Onlymediocre]

:lol: LMBO!!! mines sitting in the same spot at the moment... he climbs up there and wiggles down and falls asleep... I figure its the warmth. Ive tried moving him out and back onto my chest... he'll just keep wiggling down... :lol:

 

[ReptileRy]

thanks so much guys!!! im definitly gonna try the tshirt and the blanket cuddling part.. how do i put the blanket on her? pics would help.. haha. and today i just tried feeding mine and got crickets all over my room and cant find them... i need help with the feeding part... haha.

 

[Onlymediocre]

I hate crickets! grr.. lol. What I was doing was keeping some crickets in one of those small shoe-box size sterilite containers ( they're $1 at Walmart, drilled holes in the lid for air) then when it was feeding time, Id give the box a good shake (kinda dazing them) and get them down to one side and crack the lid then 'pour' them either into a baggy for dusting or into the tank for the non-dusted...I had A LOT less escapes that way. I very quickly decided I hated the crix tho, after reading on here the risk for parasites. And I've since switched to dubia roaches... and I haven't had not one of them escape, they cant climb or fly...don't make noise, don't stink...they're great. I bought a starter colony from a guy on this forum.. Just look under the 'for sale' tab and you can find ppl selling them. But if you want to stick with crix, defiantly give them a good shake or two, I think it gets them dizzy...

 

[traceyb73]

If you're female, a great way to bond with a baby/juvie beardie is down your shirt. Ziggy hangs out with me an hour or so a day like this and Dreganna did as well until she couldn't fit anymore. If it isn't PG enough, mods, please feel free to remove. I will be so sad when my little guy outgrows his perch. Whenever I'm sitting at the computer he's usually hanging out with me and seems to enjoy the warmth and companionship. At least I expect he'd bolt if he wasn't enjoying the snuggles. A human body being 98 degrees too seems like the perfect temp to keep them warm and happy. I always let him bask 2-3 hours after feeding before letting him out of his enclosure and I usually wait until after he's pooped, lol.
I tried that with Zoey when we first got her, but she insisted on being up high enough to rest the top of her head on my chin.

This is the reason I cuddle with her at night too (between her bath time and when I got bed, even after she's fallen asleep)...the body temp thing. Makes me feel better and I figure it's less time she will be cool at night while she sleeps. And I do the same as far as after she eats...I won't take her out any less than 2 hours after, even though she stays at my body temperature.

 

[ReptileRy]

If you're female, a great way to bond with a baby/juvie beardie is down your shirt. Ziggy hangs out with me an hour or so a day like this and Dreganna did as well until she couldn't fit anymore. If it isn't PG enough, mods, please feel free to remove. I will be so sad when my little guy outgrows his perch. Whenever I'm sitting at the computer he's usually hanging out with me and seems to enjoy the warmth and companionship. At least I expect he'd bolt if he wasn't enjoying the snuggles. A human body being 98 degrees too seems like the perfect temp to keep them warm and happy. I always let him bask 2-3 hours after feeding before letting him out of his enclosure and I usually wait until after he's pooped, lol.
I tried that with Zoey when we first got her, but she insisted on being up high enough to rest the top of her head on my chin.

This is the reason I cuddle with her at night too (between her bath time and when I got bed, even after she's fallen asleep)...the body temp thing. Makes me feel better and I figure it's less time she will be cool at night while she sleeps. And I do the same as far as after she eats...I won't take her out any less than 2 hours after, even though she stays at my body temperature.

is there any way for them to fall asleep on you then move them into their viv without waking them..? she didnt like that to much last night.. she wanted to stay on me.. haha. advise baths everyday? or like every few days? and when should you let them start roaming around the house? at what age?

 

[YavannaV]

For a baby, you can just sit in your empty bath tub and let her run over you or on your bed to run around. I'd wait until she's larger to let her roam free in the house as there are a lot of hiding places in most homes and they're just so tiny to start with. Lay on your floor and look around, you'll probably see lots of interesting spots your beardie could sneak off to. If you have one room you could beardie proof (towels or pillows to block every spot she could climb into) then that could work.

You could also get a play pen at a yard sale or thrift store and let her roam in that indoors or outside to get natural light (make sure you cover one corner for a shady area to get out of the heat).

 

[ReptileRy]

i was letting her run around on me last night till she fell asleep in a sock.. haha. so cute. :lol: