Help! Baby Beardie spooked, suddenly very skittish and stressed.

[Babyblubeardie]

My baby bearded dragon has been with me for 2 weeks now. She is 3 months old. After a few days, she was doing great and week two she was eating more and coming to the glass asking to come out and be handled. However she got spooked by something and for the last three days she is SUPER skittish, jumps at the sight of anyone. Is dark and has stress marks. If no one is around she is out basking, eating her bugs etc. It seems that the people are the problem. She was never skittish around me until now. I was leaving her alone most the day and just trying to hang around the enclosure so she knows I'm not a threat. I tried taking her out at night and she falls asleep on me and seems to be OK. But I'm wondering if I should just leave her alone for a few days And start from scratch. I feel terrible, I have no clue why her behavior changed so drastically. The set up is the same and I've done a ton of research on that. She has plenty of temperature ranges, basking spots and in my opinion way too many hides as well lol But I don't want to take them out and stress her out more. I'm feeding her mostly BSFL and dubias. And I give her about two hornworms a day to help her with hydration. I never leave bugs in there unless it's feeding time. And they are in a big dish, not roaming freely.

Bulbs are arcadia and fluker. Basking temps range from 90-110. Cooler side is about 80. No substrate/porcelain stone.

She comes out of hiding if im just sitting near the enclosure but the moment i get up she jumps into hiding again.

Should I stop handling her for a few days? And let her calm down or do I continue to handle her at night to show her I'm not a threat? My gut is telling me to not handle her for a few days but I just want to see if anyone had a similar experience and how they helped their baby calm down.

I've checked the enclosure for things that could be upsetting her and it doesn't seem like that's the problem. She uses it no problem when no one is around or if I'm just sitting there. it is definitely noisy in this house and we have two dogs but she was fine five days ago so I just don't know what changed. If anything I've been trying to keep things quieter for her. I have white noise near the enclosure with an air purifier and if the house is particularly noisy I play soothing music too.

Maybe i will take her out one last time today and do a thorough inspection of the enclosure to make sure nothing in there is stressing her out.

Photos: That one photo is an example of how she would come to the front of the glass to come out and play. Photo of enclosure and one cute photo for your benefit
I know the enclosure is big but there seems to be two schools of thought on that for babies. And again, she was fine with it a few days ago. She is eating about the same amount too. She just seems stressed by me

 

[AHBD]

What a beautiful blue bar beardie you have ! Sorry she's spooked, are there other people in the house that might have done something or pets coming up to the enclosure ? Just let her settle back down, don't handle her for a bit and sit around where she can see you part of the time so she can see that you're no threat. Take your time and be slow when you have to put your hands in the tank. After a while you can start picking her up.

 

[jabda]

Where did you find that beauty?
She's gorgeous!!!

 

[Babyblubeardie]

Where did you find that beauty?
She's gorgeous!!!

Jasper dragons in Missouri! Hes a great breeder, highly recommend. Despite being spooked, she is the sweetest and you can tell he handles them daily

 

[Babyblubeardie]

Where did you find that beauty?
She's gorgeous!!!

What a beautiful blue bar beardie you have ! Sorry she's spooked, are there other people in the house that might have done something or pets coming up to the enclosure ? Just let her settle back down, don't handle her for a bit and sit around where she can see you part of the time so she can see that you're no threat. Take your time and be slow when you have to put your hands in the tank. After a while you can start picking her up.

Thanks and thanks for the advice, ill give it a try. It's possible someone else spooked her but while I'm home I stand guard and don't let anyone near her lol I don't want her any more spooked than she is.

 

[xp29]

At 3 months, she is still a baby. Don't be to discouraged, it can takes months for them to settle in and learn to trust and bond with you. Remember they are brand new to the world and everything is brand new to them. They don't understand yet what is safe, what isn't, what they can eat, what would eat them. From their prospective we are big scary giants. It takes time and patience for them to bond with us. Keep handling to short periods for a lil bit, and gradually increase the amount of time. Maybe put a piece of clothing that smells like you in her habitat. Try hand feeding as well. Never approache her from above. They have a 3rd eye of sorts that is sensitive to changes in light. Reaching over them can scare the bejebbers out of them, they associate it with birds. Always approache them in their line of sight. Talk to her also, let her learn your voice. Most of all, just be calm and patient with her. She'll come around

 

[Babyblubeardie]

At 3 months, she is still a baby. Don't be to discouraged, it can takes months for them to settle in and learn to trust and bond with you. Remember they are brand new to the world and everything is brand new to them. They don't understand yet what is safe, what isn't, what they can eat, what would eat them. From their prospective we are big scary giants. It takes time and patience for them to bond with us. Keep handling to short periods for a lil bit, and gradually increase the amount of time. Maybe put a piece of clothing that smells like you in her habitat. Try hand feeding as well. Never approache her from above. They have a 3rd eye of sorts that is sensitive to changes in light. Reaching over them can scare the bejebbers out of them, they associate it with birds. Always approache them in their line of sight. Talk to her also, let her learn your voice. Most of all, just be calm and patient with her. She'll come around

Thank you, I appreciate the response! And yes she's teeny tiny still