Gucci keeps biting

[Guccithedragon]

My dragon Gucci is just 4 or 5 months old . We got her from someone who wasn't taking well care of her . For the first month or two she was so sweet and nice but all of a sudden she started biting my fingers when I hand fed her or tried to pet her . It's been going on for a few weeks now and sometimes she latches on pretty hard .

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Behavior

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is very odd, that she just started biting! Could she be associating your fingers with
food, were you hand feeding?
Is she active & basking otherwise?

Tracie

 

[Guccithedragon]

I feed her by hand . I saw several readings and videos about how you should feed your dragon by hand to bond but yes she does think my hand is food . She doesn't care that I pet her but as soon as she sees my fingers moving she tries to bite them .

 

[kingofnobbys]

The trick is to come in from the side of her mouth with the food inbetween the finger tips, even the most experienced keeper will get an occasion accidential nip on the finger tip (yes it can hurt when they are getting bigger.

You need to be on the ball and watching very closely and get the hand and eye condination right when hand feeding beardies.

She will get the hang of the handfeeding lurk and get good at it, as will you.

Some people who are bit intimidated by their big dragons resort to feeding using tweezers or chemistry tongs.
Target training is used with larger lizards like monitors , this might be good for you If you can't get the hang of handfeeding.

if she's only a little hatchling or juvenile , you can try what I do when I start handfeeding my friendly wild skinks , essentially place the hand which is open and flat and palm up with a bug on it where she can see the bug , she'll amble up and take the bug off the open hand and there is little change she'll bite the open hand this way.