It is STILL doing this :'(

[CodyK]

I have had my beardie for almost three weeks now, i bought it as a hatchling from PETCO, it is eating well and pooping normally. I mist it everyday. and the temperatures are around 105 during the day and about 75 at night. When i first got it it would let me hold it all the time. Now when i go to pick it up it runs away from me and wont let me come anywhere near me, like it is deathly afraid of me. i dont know what to do. i dont want it to be and agressive beardie when it gets older. can someone explain this to me, and like i said it was fine with me picking it up for like the first week.

 

[Gail]

The first week it was stressed and uncomfortable in the new surroundings. It wasn't confident enough to run away but now that he has settled in, he feels safe enough to run and try to save his life. To him, you are huge scary monster and it can take more then just a couple weeks to tame a wild baby down. Remember that most of the babies from big pet stores have probably never been handled until they were stuffed into a box and shipped to the store.
Him running now has nothing to do with aggression, as long as you keep working with him and be patient, he will come around. I had one female who didn't tame down for almost 5 months but that is a unusually long time.

 

[CodyK]

Did anyone tell your you're awesome?
Well you're awesome.
Thank you very much that makes me feel alot better.
I try to put my hand in there each day to see if it will come to me, butttt obviously no luck. It should come around.

Thanks again Gail.

-Cody.

 

[squirell]

Another method is to hand feed him some treats. That way he will associate your hand with food. Also you can try the t shirt trick. Put an old t shirt in the tank that you have worn for awhile that you wont mind if it might get pooped on. This way your beardie will get used to your scent. Hope this helps

 

[ChinelleKitten]

Our baby is a couple months old and he's been doing the same thing. He was fine for the first week or so but now he'll take off when we try to pick him up. I find if he's too squiggly to pickup during the day I wait until he's sleepy and then pick him up and just sit on the couch with a blankie for him to sleep under. Its nice for bonding with your beardie.

 

[Andry]

I am new to Beardie's as well and same thing happened to me. We've had ours for about 3 weeks and like you he runs away from us. Yet, as of Sunday when I bought a second beardie and they have met although have different tanks, the first beardie now has lost all of its stretch marks. Looks jealous of the other dragon, and loves to be picked up. Weird? I'm still trying to figure it out.

The new guy is only 3 days with us and doesn't want us to put him down. I'm very suspicious of this. I don't think its that he wants to be held because I think that's too soon, although I have never had beardie's before so I don't know much, but I almost feel like he might be scared of his tank. He will do anything to cling to my hand when I'm putting him in. It's hard to get him to get off.