Hanging out with your dragon?

[Creepella]

What do people do with their dragons to interact with them? What do the dragons like? I'd like to be able to do more things with my dragon without stressing him out too much. Right now I only take him out for baths, or in the morning when I feed him I pick him up to move him to his food dish.

I'm very new to dragons, and have read and heard of people spending a lot of time with them outside of their cages. I've read about using a harness to take them out for walks, having them in their laps in front of the TV, etc. Do they like to be stroked or touched? What do they NOT like?

 

[AndyHarp94]

A lot of what they like and don't like is going to depend on your particular dragon. I know for me, Spyro loves being pet on the head. I'll use a harness during the warm months when we're outside just in case he gets spooked but other than that I don't use one. I try to take him out whenever I so if I'm just hanging out around the house he's almost always on my shoulder. If my dogs aren't in the room i'll let him walk around with some more freedom, he loves climbing up to the top of the couch and anything else he can hop on to. Since I feed him twice a day I'll alway do at least one feeding on my bed so I can hand feed him and play with him some. He loves running around on the bed chasing after food. When it's getting closer to bedtime (which is around 10:00 for him) I'll bring him to wherever I am and let him fall asleep on my shoulder or arm. It's the cutest thing ever when he's laying on my stomach and does his little shimmy sham to get comfortable.

So that's how I interact for my Spyro, and like I said, everyone has their own individual preferences. I bought him to be a companion pet and that's exactly what he is

 

[Creepella]

Thanks for the ideas! I think George, my dragon, doesn't mind being handled. He doesn't struggle much, most of the time. So I will try taking him out to hang out on the couch with me for periods and see how it goes.

 

[riker]

In the morning when he first wakes up, he likes to hang out on my chest; he falls asleep when I rub the back of his neck. Riker loves to be handled, rubbed under the chin and on his upper chest as well. When he's more active, I'll let him run around. He loves being under furniture. He's a bit of a wimp when he comes to jumping, so I've been trying to get him to jump from one hand to my other hand or onto my leg. He misses sometimes, but he's still learning.

Another thing you can do is get a large Rubbermaid container and fill it with ultra-fine calcium substrate sand made for beardies and let him dig away! Beardies love digging. I also give Riker a bath once a week and he really loves swimming around.

 

[AndyHarp94]

Spyro doesn't quite know how to feel about baths. I try to bathe him at least every other day. Most days are in the sink but he's starting to outgrow that so I let him do one bath a week in our big bathtub so he can swim around and splash, he seems to really like that. If you do decide to give him a bath in a tub, just make sure to keep a close eye on him.

 

[riker]

You could get him used to being on your shoulder, too! I put Riker on my shoulder while I do the dishes or prep his veggies for him

 

[Taterbug]

They are individuals so you'll need to learn to read your little ones body language. This article gives a good start at what to watch for and potential meanings. It's rather general but I think it's helpful. http://m.inpractice.bmj.com/content/35/3/123.full.pdf

Some days will be good days or bad days for them too so it's good to not force them into handling or interaction on the days they are not up for it.

I love the idea of a dig bin, but really would advise against calcium sand. It's probably ok for such limited use but I hate that the stuff is even on the store shelves.

Pepper love looking out windows, he will wander a bit when he is just out but put him in front of a window and he'll sit there for ages.

 

[reptilemaster]

My Basil likes to hang out on my shoulder, and he like his custom made lizard snugly :wink:
I also like to snuggle with him in my bed :lol:
Sometimes I take him into my closet and read with him

 

[KahliLizard]

Kahli just hangs out on my shoulder most of the time. sometimes when I'm doing homework or something, I will let him run around the room and watch him. He can become pretty persistent trying to get to a spot that I wont let him get to, such as underneath my chest of drawers. but, it is lots of fun to play with Kahli.

 

[JenessaDent]

It really depends on the dragon, you just have to carefully explore their boundaries and over time, those same boundaries could very well become non existent. My dragon, which is also my first ever bearded dragon was incredibly skitish when I first got her. I couldn't even touch her without her freaking out. Now, after lots of trust building, via hand feeding and short handling sessions, she is incredibly tame with a great love for people. Personally, I've found that my dragon really enjoys napping on my stomach, nuzzling into my neck, and sitting on my head while I read or play vid games. Just start small with hand feeding greens, fruit, veggies, etc (not really plausible to do with crickets unfortunately). Take him out at night, after his lights are off when he's good and sleepy, this is when they are especially calm. As long as your house does not go below sixty five degrees, he's good to hang out with you all night long, and he'll probably just sleep, but all the same they get quite cuddly when they are sleepy. That was a big step for mine, I started taking her out at night and keeping her with me for a good portion of the night and that has made her into the sweetest most affectionate creature ever. Some of these ideas may work, some may not, but I hope this helps

 

[Southpaw]

One of mine, poor unnamed baby, is chillin' on my chest as I type. Even with my hyper, noisy kid running and jumping around he/she is totally calm.
My older girl Aina loves to run around on my bed and cuddle under my chin before bed.
Watson only likes to sleep under my shirt.
Just take your time and get to know your dragon.

 

[Creepella]

Thanks for all of the replies! I've been busy for a few days and didn't get a chance to check this thread.

I've been bringing George out to sit with me when I'm watching TV in the evening. He seems ok with it, at least he doesn't struggle or try to run away. He pretty much sits wherever I put him without moving around much, and eventually goes to sleep. He sat on my chest for an hour a few nights ago. He's never been particularly active since I got him, even in his cage, though he's beginning to show some signs of life, especially in the bath. He gets a bath every second day or when he poops (which is also every second day). He still fits in the kitchen sink. I put a flat rock under him, so he's got somewhere to rest his head or front legs.

He gets a bit too much attention from my cats, so I have to supervise closely at all times. The cats get bored and go away after they realize I'm not letting them near George. Even so, they aren't given the chance to come back. I've tried putting George on my shoulder but he makes no effort to hang on and I'm afraid he'll drop off onto the floor. I am guessing he didn't get much out of cage time in his previous home. Anyway, I'll continue putting him on my shoulder for short periods while I'm sitting on the couch.

I like the idea about the Rubbermaid tote for digging, but I don't like calcium sand. This is what George was kept on, and neglected on, before. As a result his front legs, belly and tail are still stained orange from the sand! Also, on sand George was unable to move around properly, he was just wallowing in it, and miserable. I have playground sand which was previously used in fish tanks and is thoroughly rinsed. It seems finer, and firmer textured, than the calcium sand. I wonder if damp sphagnum or coir (eco-earth) would work for digging? Might be softer and more comfortable, and help with shedding/hydration as well. I'd keep an eye on him of course.

 

[Taterbug]

I use a mix of topsoil and sand (could mix in coco coir too), as my substrate but it's still sort of dirty and needs to stay damp. It's easily packed down for a solid walking surface, and holds a burrow well. Coco coir on its own I don't care for and sphagnum moss I would think would be too fibrous. Both hold a lot of moisture.

May I suggest getting a tote for baths - it's unsanitary to bathe them in the kitchen sink. A tote can be dumped down the toilet.

 

[mbolles]

I like to watch tv with mine. He'll just sit on my chest and hang out with me forever. He'll even cuddle up and sleep on me when he gets tired (probably because I'm warm). Been doing this since he was a baby.

 

[RoKa]

I usually pet our beardie after his bathtime until he is dry and let him run around or sit on my shoulder.
I take him out daily to roam around either on our bed or on our big couch in livingroom, he loves climbing up and down the cushions in the corner repeatedly and he stays perfectly still on our shoulders, too. I've prepared food (for him as well as us) before while he was sitting on my shoulder just looking around.

sometimes he really likes to snuggle and nap on us and sometimes he just really loves exploring. He'll usually come to me a few times to climb on me as well.