Getting a Neglected Beardie Used to Me

[Mirrorakay]

I'm stumped with how to deal with my beardie. I got Zeke about 8 months ago. At the time I got him he was roughly 7-8 months old. I got him for free from one of my mother's coworkers who no longer wanted him. He was very poorly taken care of for those long first months of his life; he was fed solely on iceberg lettuce and got maybe 5 crickets a week-- far too large for him to be eating. He was kept on sand in a tank that was too cold with insufficent UVB lighting. Zeke was kept with another beardie who ate a little over half of his tail. His previous owner also NEVER handled him during those 8 months.

As you can imagine Zeke came to me severely underfed and frightened. Within about two months Zeke picked up a lot of weight and physically became quite healthy. The one thing we haven't been able to overcome is his hatred for being handled. I worked with him consistently for probably 5 months, holding him in the evenings when he was the calmest. We got past him hissing at me every time I came near the cage, but that's about as far as we ever got. He never relaxed in my hands and waited for the perfect moment to claw me, try and run, and bite me when I refused to let him run. Zeke will try and bite me if my hand gets to close to him in the tank and absolutely loves to hiss at me. Unfortunately, after 3 months, I got caught up in my dog's epilepsy and stopped working with Zeke regularly.

Lately I've gotten back into handling him, but we simply aren't making any progress. Granted, he does let me handle him far better than anyone else (he's drawn blood on the vet and vet tech more than once), but there's no way to relax when we interact. He only allows me to pet the vet crown of his head and will nip at any finger that carelessly moves. I'm honestly lost at how to proceed. I'm beginning to wonder if those first months of neglect has forever scarred my grumpy dragon. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle Zeke's aggressiveness and fear towards handling?

 

[reptilegyrl]

I also had a beardie who did not want to be held. She would take flying leaps trying to bite me when i took the top off her enclosure. After getting advice from people on these forums i realized i didnt have her enclosure set up right, and was not feeding her properly. I also started giving her baths. In the bath she let me pet her and would even crawl up my arm sometimes. Then she would be calm and let me wrap her in a towel and put her to bed. It was a long process. It is frustrating i know! I also used gloves so i could hold her and she could bite me all she wanted it wouldnt hurt. She finally got tired of biting and fell asleep on my lap. :mrgreen:

 

[Mirrorakay]

I'm pretty sure I have everything about Zeke's care right. His tank is about 102 on the hot side and 75 on the cool. He is able to get close enough to his ReptiSun light. Zeke also gets a wide variety of leafy greens (collards, turnip, etc.) and plenty of other things on his salad. Of course he also gets a healthy dose of crickets when he wants them.

The bath also seems to calm Zeke down to the point I can handle him. He'll hiss at me if I move too fast, but aside from that he lets me touch him pretty freely. I was even able to double check that he is indeed a he because of this peaceful time. How often were you bathing your girl?

There is one part about Zeke's care that I'm pretty sure I'm off about-- how often do I dust a 1 year old's food with vitamin c and the multivitamin? I think I may be dusting too often and really want to get this straightened out quickly.

 

[reptilegyrl]

Let me see if i can help with the feeding. from my calculations he is about 1.5 yrs old?
if so, he should have calcium dusted food 3 times per week, vitamins dusted 1 or 2 times per week.
does that make sense?

 

[Beardednoob]

Let me see if i can help with the feeding. from my calculations he is about 1.5 yrs old?
if so, he should have calcium dusted food 3 times per week, vitamins dusted 1 or 2 times per week.
does that make sense?

+1

up to 1.5 years - calcium 5x per week / vitamins 2x per week (one(1) dusted feeding per day)
1.5 years + - calcium 3x per week / vitamins 1-2x per week (one(1) dusted feeding a day 4-5 days, 2-3 days nothing dusted)
Gravid female - calcium 5x per week / vitamins 2x per week (one(1) dusted feeding per day)
sick dragon - Unable to dose, due to variables of illnesses
up to 1.5 years butterworm/BSF larvae diet - calcium 2-3x per week / vitamins 2x per week
1.5 years + butterworm/BSF larvae diet - calcium 1-2x per week / vitamins 1-2x per week

 

[Mirrorakay]

So I am dusting his food too often. I'll definately cut back on that!

Today I tried loosely wrapping him up in a towel after a bath and was amazed at the difference it made in how we interacted. He didn't squirm or try to break free. Instead he relaxed in my hand, ultimately letting me relax while holding him. Zeke even lets me touch his whole head without so much as hissing. For the first time since getting him I actually enjoyed handling him, and for a whole 15 minutes too!

 

[reptilegyrl]

thanks Michael! i was hoping i had that right! i learned from you and didnt want to get it wrong!

Im so glad! wrapping up after bath can calm and help them feel safe. plus i think maybe they see u are their savior for getting them out of the water sometimes! lol

 

[Beardednoob]

Today I tried loosely wrapping him up in a towel after a bath and was amazed at the difference it made in how we interacted. He didn't squirm or try to break free. Instead he relaxed in my hand, ultimately letting me relax while holding him. Zeke even lets me touch his whole head without so much as hissing. For the first time since getting him I actually enjoyed handling him, and for a whole 15 minutes too!

This is awesome. I hope Zeke keeps progressing for you. :wink:

 

[Mirrorakay]

I'm wondering if the towel truly is the trick to getting past the initial stages with Zeke. I tried to handle him shortly before his lights went out, only to get a few of his customary hisses. When I put the towel around him, he mellowed out entirely. Within ten minutes he actually fell asleep on my lap without me even holding on to him. We sat that way for a good thirty minutes. At one point he even snuggled a bit. I think I'll stick with using the towel for a while and go from there.

 

[reptilegyrl]

I'm wondering if the towel truly is the trick to getting past the initial stages with Zeke. I tried to handle him shortly before his lights went out, only to get a few of his customary hisses. When I put the towel around him, he mellowed out entirely. Within ten minutes he actually fell asleep on my lap without me even holding on to him. We sat that way for a good thirty minutes. At one point he even snuggled a bit. I think I'll stick with using the towel for a while and go from there.

yay! dont give up!

 

[szubelak]

Yep - you're on the right track - I learned on here - that "wrapped in a towel" is a "beardie burrito"

My 2 boys were also neglected and not handled much - beardie burritos really helped - I did it at bedtime every night for a long time - even if you have to completely cover their head - they don't mind (well mine don't- they like it) - but I lay them on my chest and rub their back through the towel as well. Mine have also really responded to me talking to them - and yes I baby talk to them - they now look up at me curiously when I come to their tanks and watch me as I talk to them.

I've also read on here that it might also help him to get used to your smell - perhaps go to bed with a hand towel so that it has your scent and then put it in the tank (or wear an old t-shirt or something etc)

Good Luck!!
Lesley

 

[Mirrorakay]

Now, Zeke only hisses at my hand in his tank if I catch him off guard. He doesn't try to run from my hand. Lately he's even been letting me hold him with one hand without really holding him in place, though he still gets fidgety at times. Of course we still wrap him up sometimes, mostly at night, so he'll fall asleep on my lap.

Thank you all! Zeke and I still have a ways to go, but we never would have gotten here without help!

 

[rdoyle]

I am going to try it with my baby

 

[reptilegyrl]

yay for beardie burritos!! lol