Beardie is not cooperating

[jfm08]

she hisses when i go to handle her she will run to try and avoid me she never wants to be handled is this normal?

 

[Goonie]

[Moved by Moderator from General to Behavior]

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
I love discussing taming beardies, because when I adopted an adult beardie who'd been attacked by others and had never been handled. Dex would go to bite me, and managed to quite a few times, and PANIC if i tried to hold her (run, jump, squirm etc). But I assure you nothing is more rewarding than taming your beardie, you gain a real bond when you've had to 'fight for it'.

I used the following tricks that helped her settle down:
- put your hand in her tank, flat, but dont touch her. she'll see your not there to grab her. do this every now and then for a day or so.
- once youve done for a while start only hand feeding her (wriggley mealworms work best). if she goes to bite you be brave and try not to flinch. just raise your hand up and remove the food. she'll soon learn biting isnt a good idea.
- then go for handling her again but do it an hour or so after lights out when she'll be sleepy and bored of fighting. at this time you can try the 'beardie burrito'. this involves wrapping your beardie in a blanket/towel like a newborn baby and laying them on your chest. if she doesnt like the beardie burito try wearing a dressing gown, alot of beardies enjoy softness. Dexter loves mine.
- when handling in this taming period make sure your not wearing any strong aftershave and that you dont smell like food.
- it also often helps to find an old item of clothing of yours which smells like you (or cut a chunk out of it) and leave it in the tank. This way she will become used to your smell in a non threatening manner.
and repeat!

Although you might end up getting a few scratches as she squirms to run away it is VERY important not to just put her down if she struggles. She will learn that fighting gets her her own way and will make the process longer and harder.
It can be hard work but I promise its possible to 'tame a beast'.
My little monster is currently sleeping snuggled into my jumper.

Keep us posted!

Holly