Bonding help!

[Sadona]

Hello all. I recently acquired a beautiful male bearded dragon about 3 days ago...his thread is here: http://www.beardeddragon.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=125160&p=1000637&e=1000637
I so want to become friends with this little dude, I just don't know how!
I know that he is probably going through relocation stress, but I have a feeling he is more unsure of me then anything.
He was ok with being picked up until today. He kept trying to get away from my slowly approaching hand, which was strange because he usually lets me pick him up without a problem ( I always approach him from the side or in front and inch my hand under him).
He had more energy today then usual. He is very hyper and loves to just bolt off of any flat platform I happen to set him on. Sometimes I fear holding him because I'm scared that he will randomly leap off of my hand and hurt himself or scurry under something and never be able find him again (he has leaped off my bed :shock: but he was fine). He hasn't jumped from my hand yet though, thank goodness.

I hold him and pet him frequently everyday. He seemed like he was getting used to me, but today just really discouraged me.
I try to hand feed him, but he will have none of it. He took vegetables from me the first day he was here, but after that...nothing. Won't eat vegetables.

How have you bonded with your beardies, especially the new babies? How long did it take your new beardie to come out of its shell? How do you handle the hyper babies?

I have a kinda strange idea to try to read to him. :laughing6: I'm thinking it might help him get used to my appearance, presence and voice.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[remi1]

It sounds like you're doing a great job with him, but a strong bond takes time, more than just three days :wink: Right now everything is still really new to him, and he's pretty sure you're going to eat him. Give him some time to get adjusted to his new viv and everything. Babies are just hyper to begin with, but as he gets older he'll grow out of it. Enjoy his littleness now, because he'll get big really fast!!

Keep doing what you're doing, i.e. hold him every day, talk to him, bathe him, carry him with you around the house, feed him (keep offering him hand-fed items, but also make sure that he doesn't get so used to eating out of your hand that that's the only way he'll eat!). Maybe put a tshirt that you've worn in his viv so that he gets used to your smell. What you can do is at night wrap him in his blankie and make a little beardie burrito out of him (gently, of course, don't want to suffocate him) and lay him on your chest as you watch tv or poke around on the internet. It will also take him a bit to get used to the burrito, but the more you work with him, the more he'll get used to you.

Those really awesome, socialized beardies take time and effort, so hang in there!

 

[Sadona]

Thanks for the advice!
So I'm guessing the reading idea might help? heh.
I just put a t-shirt I wore earlier in the week in there. I gave him a bath about an hour ago and he stayed very still...he flattened his back and closed his eyes while I dribbled water on his back. I don't know if that is contentment or not. He also lapped up some of the water and licked at the drops I put on his nose. He didn't really enjoy being toweled off, but towards the end he stayed still and let me wipe off his back. Again he flattened his little back and closed his eyes. He also does this when I rub his beard. It is so darn heart melting! :love5:

I'll try the burrito thing later on tonight when hes tired...I'm kinda scared to set him in my lap while I surf the net, he could run off in a second.

 

[remi1]

Lol, the reading thing probably will help, but I know that I can't read out loud for any significant amount of time. My youngest babies are now almost a year so it's hard to remember back to the socializing process. I love to hold and play with my beardies, so I just did that and it seemed to work out great. But! There's a poster on here, Mandy, screen name beardie09 (ish), that got her little dragon Dewey a couple of months ago. She would be an excellent person to ask about the whole socializing process and what she did.

Yeah, burrito is best attempted at night, close to bed time. Often times they will just fall asleep in there, it's really cute and endearing!! Of course, there are some peoples' beardies on here that won't go to bed unless they're tucked in, i.e. wrapped in their blankies. It's crazy how spoiled they can get! :roll: And how trainable we are as their slaves

 

[Sadona]

Well, its too late now to read to the little booger...I turned off his lights at 9 and he just crashed on his basking log, in the exact position he was in when he was awake. Its freaky because it seems like hes not breathing at all, I don't see his little sides move at all, so sometimes I get paranoid and have to turn his lights back on...he groggily opens an eye, then I turn it back off. :lol: Whew!
I have been talking to beardie09 in my stinkers main thread and she has given me some great advice. I would like to know Dewey's socialization went though!
Like I said, hes already asleep and I will try the burrito tomorrow night. I'm still kinda leery to try it, he took another random leap from my hand today onto my bed because I held him a little too close to it. He ran straight off it, but luckily he landed in a huge pile of dirty clothes and I was able to catch him before he got too far. :shock: :roll: He was fine in my hand for about 5 minutes until he noticed how close the bed was and started getting antsy.
Yeah, I have noticed how spoiled the poopers get...and how loving and loyal their slaves are!