How to Hang Out w/ my Beardie

[krystalnature]

So, I’ve had a Beardie for roughly five months and I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. I used to hold him all the time the first few weeks I had him, but recently, I’ll hold him for a minute and then he runs away from me and just chills underneath his tank or by the glass door, never wants to sit on the couch. I just purchased a Leash, so hopefully I can take him out to sunbathe soon.

Anyways, I also recently got a kitten and while Barnabas (Beardie) isn’t intimidated by my kitten, my kitten doesn’t know how to behave around him and I don’t know if my kitten is playing or is actually being aggressive (taps him or plays with his tail). It’s a little difficult when I try to take out Barnabas and he runs away from me and my kitten tries to chase him. (Barnabas ran away from me and jumped off the couch and my kitten chased after him and I nearly had a heart attack, so I really don’t want that to happen again, but it’s hard to keep him from my kitten when he’s running from me :/

How do I know when to take him out? He’ll be chilling all day and as soon as I pull him out, he can’t stay still. My problem is also that my apartment doesn’t really have any doors, so I can’t block off a room for him. I’m going to try and make a “play pen” to keep my kitten from him, but I would like to have fun with my beardie and I want him to like me, so any help?

 

[Mellowmalt]

cats are a beardie's worst enemy. Think how a mouse would feel if it saw a cat then multiply that by 10 because the beardie knows it can't run as fast as a mouse. Mice often die from a cat chase not because they get caught but because they get a heart attack from the fear.

Can you teach common sense? I sure hope so.

No doors means there will be draughts which would put anyone off also but even in ideal conditions beardies are not perfect pets. Sometimes I see my beardie as an expensive living room ornament that needs feeding all the time. Doesn't really entertain you like a cat but no need to kill off the beardie, just give him to someone who will look after him then.

A scratch from a cat can maybe not be visible but can still lead to a deadly infection.

 

[AutumnTheBeardie]

Hey krystalnature!

I think it would be best to keep them separate, as a cat bite can become infected quickly. I’d set up a baby gate to keep your kitten out. About the running away part, I think all beardies want to explore. I have (and still am!) bonding with Autumn. I feed her mostly by hand. If you want your beardie to come back to you, perhaps you could entice him or her with a treat, or associate tapping on the floor with a bite of his or her favorite food. (I’m not 100% that would work, but it does on my turtles!) I’ve also read that some beardies even know their names.....(that’s an interesting thought, I’ve seen documentaries on the surprising intelligence and train ability of reptiles, but I’m not quite sure if it goes that far.....) Anyway, I hope this helped!

SGS

 

[kingofnobbys]

So, I’ve had a Beardie for roughly five months and I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. I used to hold him all the time the first few weeks I had him, but recently, I’ll hold him for a minute and then he runs away from me and just chills underneath his tank or by the glass door, never wants to sit on the couch. I just purchased a Leash, so hopefully I can take him out to sunbathe soon.

Anyways, I also recently got a kitten and while Barnabas (Beardie) isn’t intimidated by my kitten, my kitten doesn’t know how to behave around him and I don’t know if my kitten is playing or is actually being aggressive (taps him or plays with his tail). It’s a little difficult when I try to take out Barnabas and he runs away from me and my kitten tries to chase him. (Barnabas ran away from me and jumped off the couch and my kitten chased after him and I nearly had a heart attack, so I really don’t want that to happen again, but it’s hard to keep him from my kitten when he’s running from me :/

How do I know when to take him out? He’ll be chilling all day and as soon as I pull him out, he can’t stay still. My problem is also that my apartment doesn’t really have any doors, so I can’t block off a room for him. I’m going to try and make a “play pen” to keep my kitten from him, but I would like to have fun with my beardie and I want him to like me, so any help?

The cat and the dragon will NEVER be friends and you can't teach / train the killer out of a cat.

PLEASE - NEVER EVER allow the cat and your dragon to meet for even a moment .

They MUST NEVER be allowed to in the same room EVER - the danger posed by the cat to you dragon CAN NOT BE UNDERSTATED.
.
The cat EVENTUALLY WILL KILL the dragon unless you lock the cat out of the area of the house where the dragon is housed and gets to run about , YOU CAN NEVER TRUST a cat if it knows there is lizard around.

Even a kitten can inflict a lethal scratch or bite to dragon , and the cat sees the dragon as prey nothing else.
Please do not continue to allow the kitten to have access to the dragon, what it is doing is NOT play, it's training itself to become a more effective hunter and killer. If you insist on having a kitten , it needs to kept away from the dragon for entire life of the dragon, else the dragon is likely to be killed by it - this is not a maybe, it's only a matter of time before this happen.

Never handle you dragon after you have handled the cat -- the scent of the predator will stress the dragon.

 

[reereejugs]

I'm NOT trying to start anything and am honestly curious about this. Why are people saying beardies and cats can't be friends yet I see all kinds of pictures online of cats and beardies chilling together?

I've had my two cats about 3 years now and they're not going anywhere. I rescued my dragon from a bad situation about 2 months ago. I've let the cats sniff (one at a time) Lester a few times while I held Lester and one of my daughters held the cat, just to get them used to each other. Lester is never allowed to roam around unless the cats are locked in the laundry room but they do have access to my bedroom, which is where I keep his tank. The cats ignore it for the most part, can't knock it over, and can't get the screen top off to get at him. They've shown absolutely no interest in trying to get at Lester anyway but on rare occasions they sit on my bed and watch him through the glass. He watches them, too, but doesn't seem to be afraid because he doesn't get the stress marks on his belly, hide, or do the arm waving thing.

 

[krystalnature]

I'm NOT trying to start anything and am honestly curious about this. Why are people saying beardies and cats can't be friends yet I see all kinds of pictures online of cats and beardies chilling together?

I've had my two cats about 3 years now and they're not going anywhere. I rescued my dragon from a bad situation about 2 months ago. I've let the cats sniff (one at a time) Lester a few times while I held Lester and one of my daughters held the cat, just to get them used to each other. Lester is never allowed to roam around unless the cats are locked in the laundry room but they do have access to my bedroom, which is where I keep his tank. The cats ignore it for the most part, can't knock it over, and can't get the screen top off to get at him. They've shown absolutely no interest in trying to get at Lester anyway but on rare occasions they sit on my bed and watch him through the glass. He watches them, too, but doesn't seem to be afraid because he doesn't get the stress marks on his belly, hide, or do the arm waving thing.

When I first got Rusty (kitten), Barnabas did not like him and would gape at him if he peeked into the tank, but after about a week or two when he realized Rusty wasn’t a “threat” he doesn’t care, even when Rusty gets close to sniff him (or even when he touches him). BUT Rusty doesn’t know what Barnabas is and either wants to play with him or is threatened by him. He is almost 3 months old, so he’s definitely not “well-behaved”. My problem is that I didn’t know how to play with Barnabas well BEFORE the cat and now it’s 10x harder now that I do have a cat. Barnabas tends to “run from me” and while Rusty didn’t “attack” him, Barnabas was not thrilled with being played with, and I feel kind of bad locking Rusty in the closet or bathroom, so I’m going to try and make a big Pen Rusty can’t get into, but I just want to know how to play with my beardie. He chills in the tank and as soon as I take him out, he’s running and licking everything or he takes a crap, lol. Is there a science to successfully hanging out with your beardie? I’m gonna try the food thing a previous user mentioned, and taking him outside to sunbathe (with a leash), but yeah.

 

[reereejugs]

I take Lester outside on his leash when the weather is nice enough and he loves it. When I first started doing that is when he really started bonding with me. I guess he realized "hey, she takes me out to do fun stuff so she must be a pretty cool person!" Unfortunately now it's too cold here to take him out.

I don't let him run wild in my apartment but instead put him on his leash and let him explore while the cats are safely locked away. I'm talking maybe half an hour at a time so as not to upset the cats too much. He still likes to run around and lick everything, I think that's normal behavior. The only time he really lays on my chest and chills is bedtime. He likes to snuggle up in between my boobs under the blanket to go to sleep, then I move him back to his tank.

 

[krystalnature]

I take Lester outside on his leash when the weather is nice enough and he loves it. When I first started doing that is when he really started bonding with me. I guess he realized "hey, she takes me out to do fun stuff so she must be a pretty cool person!" Unfortunately now it's too cold here to take him out.

I don't let him run wild in my apartment but instead put him on his leash and let him explore while the cats are safely locked away. I'm talking maybe half an hour at a time so as not to upset the cats too much. He still likes to run around and lick everything, I think that's normal behavior. The only time he really lays on my chest and chills is bedtime. He likes to snuggle up in between my boobs under the blanket to go to sleep, then I move him back to his tank.

That’s comforting! It got warmer here for the time being, so I’ll definitely take him out. My problem was that my current apartment doesn’t have any doors except the closets and the bathroom, and I felt kind of guilty locking Rusty inside ‘Cause he meows, lol. Guess he’ll have to learn to love it, lol. Thank you!

 

[PodunkKhaleesi]

My vet has treated several beardies attacked by cats (and for some, the injuries were too severe and they didn’t survive). A cat may seem to tolerate and even enjoy the presence of a beardie, but it’s only a matter of time before the hunter instinct kicks in and a “playful scratch” maims a lizard. Even if the cat doesn’t attack the lizard, being subjected to the presence of a predator consistently is not good for the lizard’s wellbeing. I’ve seen videos online of cat and beardie “buddies” but if you look at the lizards in these videos, they’re clearly stressed and uneasy. I highly encourage reconsidering the cat/beardie scenario and keeping them separate at all times.

 

[Ghoul]

Sometimes I see my beardie as an expensive living room ornament that needs feeding all the time.

That about sums it up! :lol: I love my little one, but sometimes she's just there. I like it because we can chill together, just each in our own environments.