Handling Questions

[Sola]

Greetings Everyone,

I have a question. I got my beardie at the end of November. It has taken a few months but she will now eat out of my hand as well as let me stroke the top of her head, and usually touch anywhere else on her body. However, she hates to be picked up. If I try to put my hand under chin she gapes and blows up her beard and tries to bite. If she thinks I am going to pick her up, then she runs around frantic, gets herself all worked up, and puffs her beard and will try to launch and bite.

I have tried the beardie burrito - but she hates it. Also, I have tried working with her with a few hours after lights out and her body temperature is down - but if anything she is worse. She really is grumpy if you wake her up!!

I can put my hand in the cage, pet her, etc - and she is fine. This only comes when I try to handle her. I put my hand in flat often to show her that I can reach in the cage without messing with her. As well as touch her without attempting to remove her, again often, and again she is fine.

I believe my biggest problem is that when she jumps, I jump. I don't know why. It is really frustrating me. I don't know why I have this reaction. She is the first reptile I have ever owned (although I have lived with many and very familiar with animals, birds, mammals, etc as pets). She is the first reptile that is all mine.

I would love any and all help or suggestions. I am so lost. I am not trying to rush things. Right now I am working on placing my hand palm up as close to her chin as she will allow without getting worked up - with the hope that I will slowly be able to move closer and closer until I can place my hand under her and she will come up. I really want to be able my beardie, and I want to work through this while she is still young. That way when she is full grown she and I will both be comfortable with each other.

Thanks!!!

~Sola~

 

[Sola]

Oh - and just to share how cute she is

She is a little bigger than this now....but hasn't wanted to pose for me lately :lol:

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
Firstly Id like to high five you for being a trooper and really trying with your first dragon.
There are alot of people out there who upon owning a dragon for the first time, find its not what they expected and just lose interest pretty quickly.
You are obviously going to be great momma!

Ive had my fair share of handling and bonding issues.
Dex was a resuced adult who had never been handled and was pretty much feral. She bit me, scratched me and hissed at me. Eventually she turned into the most loving pet Ive ever had the pleasure to own.
Ruben, my juvie was always tolerant of me but only after 4 months together is he starting to bond with me.
I also have a new baby so Im dealing with a squirmy little devil!


Right so she is accepting you into her viv, but its only upon you reaching to hold her that she's going on the attack?

Something you must be aware of is that when you go to pick up your beardie do not approach her from the back or the side, this is predatry behaviour and will spook her and immediately put her on the defensive. Lay your hand flat in front of her for a few seconds and then slide it underneath her. Once you have picked her up like this you can reposition her on your hand.

Im sorry you are finding it such slow going. Something else that might help her tolerate your hand being near her is to stary hand feeding her (wriggley worms 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. Food = all!
I know its hard to kick the instinct to flinch, but you must remember that you will really frighten her if you jump. The jump will spook her and it will make her even more likely to immediately go on the defensive when she feels your hand near her.
Really try to concentrate on slow movement of your hand. If you are focusing on your hand you are less likely to jump.
Ive been bitten oh so many times by an adult dragon. I promise it doesnt hurt.

Most importantly remember you must be patient but firm.
If your baby doesnt want to be held and learns that if she opens her mouth at you the big bad human goes away she will just continue the behaviour and the habit will be much harder to break.
I would try the softly softly approach with handfeeding for another week and then start to be a little firmer and pick her up even if she tries to bite you.
As soon as she realises biting doesnt stop you she will begin to settle down.

Another couple of things you can do to try and get her used to you are:
Adding one of your old tshirts to her tank (make sure you've worn it for an hour or so). This will allow her to become used to your smell in a non threatening manner. Each one of my dragons has something of mine in there with them. My baby Miso tucks herself in at night in a section of my bathrobe, and Ruben has a tshirt of mine under his toweling so he can sense me at all times.
This wont help breaking her of her fear of picking up but it will help when you begin to spend time together.

When you try handling/picking her up try doing it an hour or so after lights out when she'll be sleepy and bored of fighting.

When you begin to start trying to handle your little one during daytime id get her out, and let her run around near you, like on the bed or on the floor in a room (close the door and make sure all gaps are blocked with cushions/pillows). She'll get used to just being near you and learning that your not big and scary. Also if she runs around exploring she'll tire herself out and so will be more submissive when you finally pick her up.

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.

Hope I helped.
Keep us updated!

Holly

 

[joeyb504]

i agree with the previous my older beardie just passed after 7 years so i decided on a baby again. he/she(haven't sexed it yet) after getting settled tried the whole biting thing and realized after i few snips to my hand that it doesn't work and calmed down. Oh yeah one other tip is to not fully pick the beardie up slowly progress the height of the hold as some beardies have a fear of height.

 

[Sola]

Thanks so much guys!

Don't worry - I don't give in to the biting and squirming. I simply stay put until she calms down. Then end the session with head petting or something so it ends on a good note for us both That much I know from previous pets! I have not intention on giving up on this - I can be as stubborn as she can! I know in the end all will go well and be well worth it!

I will continue to hand feed her and bond with her in her viv. She has no issues with me entering the viv. It is only when I try to hold her.

Great tip about focusing on the hand! I will have to try that. I know that my jumping isn't helping - but so hard to stop the habit. I will try this!

I wonder if my beardie has a height issue. I also wonder if it is my dog. They have never truly met, but she has seen my dog a few times, and if my dog is around - it is easier to see if she is lifted up. I wonder if that spooks her as well. Either way - only lifting her a little is a great tip! Thanks!

Oh - and I did manage to get her out to run around twice - but if I put her on a bed or anything she runs off the edge - is this normal behavior? (Don't worry - she has never fallen - I watch her very close and she actually runs onto my arm) - but am I better off just putting her on the floor of a room so there is nowhere to fall? Do most baby beardies do this?

Thanks so much!!

~Sola~

I did have one my old shirts in there - but I don't believe it got back in after a cage cleaning. I will have to put one back in!

I'll let you guys know how it goes! Thanks for all the suggestions. I really appreciate all the help!

~Sola~

 

[Ethelia]

Height could be an issue. Ruben absolutely loathes being held off the ground. He clings onto me for dear life and is obviously very distressed.
We do all our cuddle time sat on the floor where he's happy.
If you lift her up and you think she might be a little afraid of heights hold her right against your body. Having something solid there that they can grab onto if they like seems to calm them down.
Ruben is always more co-operative when i have to carry him to the bath if he is tight against my body.

Oh yeah the IMA RUN RUN RUN RUN is perfectly normal behaviour. They are SO inquisative when they are young.
The general idea is to let them tire themselves out exploring and then put them on your knee.
If you do it on the bed you'll want to block off the edges with pillows, but if you have a serious climber on your hands its easier to bond on the floor.
Just go into a small room in your house and beardie proof it. All I do is go collect all the cushions and pillows and then lay them over gaps in the furnature and wiring (both Rube and Dex were huge fans of "killing" wires). If you dont have a small enough room you can just block yourself in half of it. A stack of DVDs or coats make good barriers.

Keep up the good work.

Holly

 

[Tiantha]

Tiantha was adopted. She decidedly has a height issue. When I picked her up she would thrash that tail and almost cause me to lose her. I found a lift hold a few inches from the viv floor for a second befor moving is better. I also found I am the security blanket. Its the trip to the chest cuddle that scares her. She wil crawl all over me once she is planted there.

I did find that if you turn the beardie so you have them cupped in your palm turned and along your forearm they think they are perched. placing the head between your fingers allows you to hold in the position a harness would be in and placing your other hand on the back stroking gently will keep them from leaping off.

If I can get a shot when I'm home I'll post it.

 

[Sola]

So I have been working with Maru mostly every day. She has gotten better and so have I. The best advice was to focus on my hands. I have almost stopped jumping! I also got some really thick fleece gloves. Cousin of mine suggested them to help calm me down - that way if she does bite - it won't get me. I had to get Maru used to the gloves - but she really likes them now. They are thick and soft and she snuggles in them. She still puffs up her beard and gapes her mouth at me if I try to lift her up in the daytime. But I just go real slow and she will eventually get onto my hand. The more I talk to her, I have discovered, the quicker she gets calm. I just took her out totally (had been holding her over her viv since she was so squirmy), and walked her around holding her close to my body, and then gave her a bath. She isn't sure how she feels about the bath - but she didn't flip out so I take it as a good sign. She is now warming back up basking in her favorite spot.

I have decided that with her everything just goes VERY slow. I mean - it took two weeks to find her name! So hey. But I am more than willing to put in the extra time because it will be that much sweeter in the end.

I will continue to work with her everyday and we will proceed. Slowly but surely

I took this picture about a week ago. I can't believe how much she has grown!!

Thanks everyone for your continued help and support!!

~Sola~

 

[joeyb504]

i commend your efforts and just be warned she wont want to go back in mine has decided that my pillow is now his

 

[KayJay93]

My beardie Alfie is only 2 and a half months old and was an absolute nightmare to handle... Tried many things and it didnt work. Then i read about taking him out when he's tired and letting him fall asleep on me... Which has been a massive success and now Alfie never runs or hardly flairs up his beard. Also since i have been doing this i really feel that we have a much stronger bond, may sound silly but its true I feel a lot happier with him now and i think he trusts me more too

Michaela

 

[AndyAMP88]

My beardie is good at bluffing. He's never displayed the black beard, but he has turned at me suddenly and gave me this look like he was going to rip my fingers off if I went any closer. It really got to me at first, but one day I just went for it and slowly picked him up from under and he was fine. He still does it occasionally but I just laugh Although, he's alot more squirmier now than the past. It's like he doesn't like to be held anymore when before he always used to. It started last month when I left on a weekend trip to Vegas..hmmm..

 

[Sola]

It is so good to know that I'm not the only one who has had problems! Maru and I are making progress. I have rearranged the half bath downstairs - brought down pillows and such to be comfy - and starting spending time with Maru in there each day. She gets to explore totally safe away from anywhere my dog can reach her or she can hurt herself. She LOVES to try to run off edges of beds, tables, etc. She spent much of the time on my leg and then wanders around some. It seems to be working and I'm excited about it. It is our special place and special time. I am hoping to eventually introduce her to my dog, after she trusts me more. But that is further down the line. For now - this is working well!! Thanks for the support everyone!!

~Sola~