how long until a new beardie will befriend us?

[Simon9]

About 3 weeks ago, we brought home Cinnamon, for my 9 year old son, for his birthday. She was reported to be about 5 months old when we purchased her from the pet store, so she is now roughly 6 months old. She has finally settled into a routine- she is eating phoenix worms (after refusing crickets about a week after we brought her home) and picks at her hand-fed greens (collards, dandelion, watercress, etc). She gets a bath a few times a week, just for some excitement in her life. Her lighting and temps have all been addressed in another post, and everything is within normal limits.

The problem is, she is just not interested in engaging with us. The first few days, my son was able to hold her, although she was skittish. I have yet to pick her up, although I do pet her several times a day. My husband is the only one she will allow to pick her up. She is quite jumpy, and just seems tense. She acts startled a lot whenever we approach her tank. The only time she seems at ease is after her bath. She will often sit in my husbands hand in her tank without trying to run away.

My son is very disappointed that his pet is moody and apprehensive. I hate to mention the money, but she has cost a small fortune to acquire, and I am worried that we havent bonded with her yet. We all talk to her and try to pet her several times a day, but she is not warming up to us. Any tips?

 

[Bwalter]

It all takes time. My girl was fine for a couple of days when I brought her home then being scared and all for a while. It took me about 2 months before she was tame enough to let her run on the couch. Some bredies take longer then other to tame, just keek working on it.

 

[louby13]

hey i agree we have had yoshi 9 wks this wk and he is about 5 mths old when we first got him he was very timid and didnt want to know...basically you got to earn their trust we started by only having my partner feeding him to gain his trust and i would stand afar and talk to him.... keep talking to him and start slowley put your hand in the cage near him let him get used to u and your smell if he glass dances then open the cage and rest your hand to see if he wants to come out...we did this for wks then one day all of a sudden he came out onto our hands.....iknow it must be upsetting for your boy, but patience is the virtue and you will get there

 

[Simon9]

Thanks for the encouragement I put a tshirt in her tank so she can get used to my smell... maybe that will help. I keep telling myself that she must be happier than living in a pet store, but I suppose it takes time to get used to any life change.

 

[louby13]

yeah you will get there i never knew how much patience is needed for a beardie and they learn how to tell u to leave them alone when they have had enough for eg yoshi closes his eyes and then opens them as if to say when i open them up i want you to be gone lol

 

[FalkorsMommy]

When I got Falkor he was about 3 months old. He was the MEANEST Beardie ever. I was so devastated, I tried everything and nothing worked. He would beard me and hiss at me all the time and he even jumped up and bit my hand when I was reaching in his tank to move something.
Then when he was about a year old one day he totally changed. He went from psycho Beardie to the sweetest Beardie ever. I can take him out all the time and do anything with him, he never tries to bite and never shows aggression towards me. No beards, no hissing and he is super snuggly. He is such a sweet little baby now. He is about 2 now and he is awesome, when he isn't brumating he likes to try and impress me by head bobbing and running all over his tank until I take him out. I hope your Beardie calms down, good luck!