Beardie keeps nipping fingers!

[brenleigh]

So I have a rehab case who is about 2.5 years old and just learning how to eat from my hands, real food too, instead of dropper food....

History: I took him in at 6 months old, he came from a home where his enclosure was too hot all the time and he stopped eating and they returned him to the pet store, where my best friend is a manager, and she gave him to me. He's in a desert low exo terra, slate bottomed tank with 105-110 basking temps and 80-85 cool side, plenty of stuff to climb on and a UVA/UVB and LED light fixture. I don't keep water in the cage because he sits in it, but I find he's often cold sitting in the water dish so I only give him water out of a dish at feeding time and at his bi-monthly baths. Ever since I got him, I've had to dropper feed him repta-aid, carnivore care, powdered veggies mixed with vitamins and water, and the occasional calci-worm I had to sneak into his mouth.

A few weeks ago, I was approaching him with calci-worms and he went for it and took it right out of my finger tips for the first time EVER. Since then, I've gotten him to eat some veggies from my fingers and plenty of worms, but the more he learns that pinched fingers have food, he keeps biting my finger tips instead of his food. Thing is, he won't eat from a dish only fingers, and I'm afraid to use tweezers -- even wood ones -- because I feel like he'll chomp too hard and hurt his teeth or won't let go.

Any advice on how to get him to stop going for my fingers? I think he's got really bad depth perception but I'm not sure how to help him and keep him from going after me like Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors.

*Update*
Tonight was a salad meal for my other lizards so I figured I would let my trouble maker try to eat it on his own so I let it get a little dry and tacky enough to stick to the inside of a clear Tupperware, and slowly turned it like a salad kaleidoscope and he went for some bites but got discouraged really easily when he missed or bumped his face hard. I did start with my fingers but he quickly munched my thumb nail but it seems like the only time he gets a good meal in is from eating directly from my fingers and making me bleed in the process.

 

[kingofnobbys]

So I have a rehab case who is about 2.5 years old and just learning how to eat from my hands, real food too, instead of dropper food....

History: I took him in at 6 months old, he came from a home where his enclosure was too hot all the time and he stopped eating and they returned him to the pet store, where my best friend is a manager, and she gave him to me. He's in a desert low exo terra, slate bottomed tank with 105-110 basking temps and 80-85 cool side, plenty of stuff to climb on and a UVA/UVB and LED light fixture. I don't keep water in the cage because he sits in it, but I find he's often cold sitting in the water dish so I only give him water out of a dish at feeding time and at his bi-monthly baths. Ever since I got him, I've had to dropper feed him repta-aid, carnivore care, powdered veggies mixed with vitamins and water, and the occasional calci-worm I had to sneak into his mouth.

A few weeks ago, I was approaching him with calci-worms and he went for it and took it right out of my finger tips for the first time EVER. Since then, I've gotten him to eat some veggies from my fingers and plenty of worms, but the more he learns that pinched fingers have food, he keeps biting my finger tips instead of his food. Thing is, he won't eat from a dish only fingers, and I'm afraid to use tweezers -- even wood ones -- because I feel like he'll chomp too hard and hurt his teeth or won't let go.

Any advice on how to get him to stop going for my fingers? I think he's got really bad depth perception but I'm not sure how to help him and keep him from going after me like Audrey 2 from Little Shop of Horrors.

Wont take long for him to learn the difference between fingers that smell like worms/bugs and the worms.
The occasional finger tip nip by accident is a cost of handfeeding , and usually the human's fault for not paying enough attention and not getting the timing right.

You could if you are really worried sue long metal tweezers to hold the bugs . He wont bite the tweezers that hard he breaks teeth .
Other option is disposable plastic medical tweezers.

You could also try rubber thimbles (that ladies use when sewing (and chemists use to move hot glassware about in the laboratory) , they are pretty handy to have and I used them for years as an analytical chemist in the steelworks laboratories ....
see https://www.ebay.com.au/p/?iid=271168753419&&&chn=ps


I'm a hand feeder too, all my lizards get most the bugs by hand, my motive is bond forming and at least this way I who has what and when .... I do give them worms sometimes (simply put them where they can see them and if they are hungry the worms disappear).

 

[Gormagon]

The basking temperature should be around 100° for an adult. They like it just a tad cooler than babies and juvies.
You have hand fed him for so long, he associates your hand with food like you said. You need to try to get him to eat from a bowl or plate. Take him out of the viv and, place the plate or bowl on the table ad, seth him down in front of it moving the greens and bugs with your finger.. This way he associates the plate or bowl with food as well. Then you can work your way up to just eating from that.

 

[Mysty]

If the problem is severe. E.g. going after your fingers even when no food is present, you could try putting calcidust or similar bad tasting but safe substance on your fingers. Would soon learn they are not for eats.

 

[brenleigh]

If the problem is severe. E.g. going after your fingers even when no food is present, you could try putting calcidust or similar bad tasting but safe substance on your fingers. Would soon learn they are not for eats.

Yes he runs for whatever fingers he sees, even when no bugs are present. It's very cute that he's so excited to eat buggos but I'm regularly bleeding now until he learns. I'll give the dust a shot!

 

[brenleigh]

Wont take long for him to learn the difference between fingers that smell like worms/bugs and the worms.
The occasional finger tip nip by accident is a cost of handfeeding , and usually the human's fault for not paying enough attention and not getting the timing right.

You could if you are really worried sue long metal tweezers to hold the bugs . He wont bite the tweezers that hard he breaks teeth .
Other option is disposable plastic medical tweezers.

You could also try rubber thimbles (that ladies use when sewing (and chemists use to move hot glassware about in the laboratory) , they are pretty handy to have and I used them for years as an analytical chemist in the steelworks laboratories ....
see https://www.ebay.com.au/p/?iid=271168753419&&&chn=ps


I'm a hand feeder too, all my lizards get most the bugs by hand, my motive is bond forming and at least this way I who has what and when .... I do give them worms sometimes (simply put them where they can see them and if they are hungry the worms disappear).[/quote]

I have been nipped by my other dragons in a moment of overzealous excitement but with him it's like he just sees fingers and goes nuts, to the point that he's trying to grab my fingers while I unlock his cage to take him out to eat and while I carry him to where I feed them. I really like hand feeding the others and my mother (who watches them for me when I'm away) is good with it too but I think This whole biting thing is going to be an issue when I go away at the end of next month. I've been using a clear dish and putting worms and veggies on it with my fingers under so he can see them but he ends up just knocking the food out of the way and trying to eat my fingers though the glass. I tried wooden tweezers last night and he was not interested in them at all. Thimbles may be a good idea.

 

[brenleigh]

The basking temperature should be around 100° for an adult. They like it just a tad cooler than babies and juvies.
You have hand fed him for so long, he associates your hand with food like you said. You need to try to get him to eat from a bowl or plate. Take him out of the viv and, place the plate or bowl on the table ad, seth him down in front of it moving the greens and bugs with your finger.. This way he associates the plate or bowl with food as well. Then you can work your way up to just eating from that.

I used to keep him in cooler temps but he was always super slow and lethargic so I was advised to crank it up a little for him by the vet to keep him more active and lively and to help with digestion issues from his crazy diet. I set him down to feed him outside of the cage and put food on a clear lid or dish with my fingers underneath but he knocks the food out of the way to try to eat my fingers. My only rush is that I'm going away at the end of May and my mother is going to have to feed him and my others (who are very healthy eaters who don't give her any grief) but I'm worried he's either not going to eat from her hands (as he's already indicated he's a little weird about taking food from her) or that he's going to bite her as well and she won't be able to get any food in him.

 

[traildrifterphalanx]

Just the warning on calcium dusting your fingers... my dragon LOVES calcium dust.
If yours does too, you may even get more nipping :lol:

 

[Mysty]

Just the warning on calcium dusting your fingers... my dragon LOVES calcium dust.
If yours does too, you may even get more nipping :lol:

Haha. Had never heard of that. Mine avoid where possible. XD

 

[kingofnobbys]

Just the warning on calcium dusting your fingers... my dragon LOVES calcium dust.
If yours does too, you may even get more nipping :lol:

So do all of mine , it's like yummy seasoning to them , like many people myself included love really savory seasoning .... not so keen on the taste of the vitamin dust though, maybe give that try.

 

[brenleigh]

Just the warning on calcium dusting your fingers... my dragon LOVES calcium dust.
If yours does too, you may even get more nipping :lol:

Yikes. Yeah maybe not. He got me really good twice already right on the first knuckle of two fingers, I'd hate to make it any more tempting.

 

[Gormagon]

Just the warning on calcium dusting your fingers... my dragon LOVES calcium dust.
If yours does too, you may even get more nipping :lol:

Yikes. Yeah maybe not. He got me really good twice already right on the first knuckle of two fingers, I'd hate to make it any more tempting.

Maybe he is testing you to see just how tough his slave really is, lol!!!

 

[brenleigh]

Just the warning on calcium dusting your fingers... my dragon LOVES calcium dust.
If yours does too, you may even get more nipping :lol:

Yikes. Yeah maybe not. He got me really good twice already right on the first knuckle of two fingers, I'd hate to make it any more tempting.

Maybe he is testing you to see just how tough his slave really is, lol!!!

That would make sense, he's a very big brat who's been dropper fed his whole life -- I am totally his subservient. He comes on road trips with me because I'm the only one who can get him to eat heartily so if I don't have to fly, he has to tag along.