I've tried everything, my beardie hates me... :-(

[MetamorPoses]

I have a 1 year old beautiful beardie named Rocky (Male). When I first got Rocky he was somewhat passive but still the alpha (I had another beardie named Adrian who unfortunately passed away about 2 months after I got both of them) but ever since Adriane passed it seems as if Rocky shifted his alpha behaviors towards me... I haven't successfully held him in my hand since he was a few months old. Every time I tried to touch him he would huff up and open his mouth ready to attack. I tried waiting till he was asleep, but he would just wake up and do the same thing, I tried the cloth that smells like me but he wanted nothing to do with it. I have though successfully gotten him to eat from my hands (Greens or insects) and he let's me rub his head showing me he likes it by closing his eyes, but when I try to rub his back or go under him to pick him up he does a complete 180 and goes savage...
A few months ago I attempted putting the gloves on and picking him up. I've never seen anybody put up such a strong fight, I've never seen a blacker beard on a dragon and a bigger huffed up belly, he completely refused to be held and looked so scary! :-(
I love my baby even though He's plotting to kill me and would love for him to give me the chance to show him how much I care about him, but it seems like he thinks I'm trying to skin him or something! :-(
I dot want to rehome him because I know somebody else might not be as patient as me with him... What should I do?
Heartbroken!

 

[doe222]

sit on your bed with him and beardie proof your room let him do what he wants. i doubt he would actually bite you so dont be to afraid to grab him. you need to show him that you are dominant not the other way around. you need to go at him like your not afraid, they are not dumb animals and can sense when you are scared. gotta get him out and spend some time with him. they key is to first get him out of his enclosure because his enclosure = his house. how would you like someone coming into your house and pushing you around? get him out than work on handling him.

 

[MetamorPoses]

sit on your bed with him and beardie proof your room let him do what he wants. i doubt he would actually bite you so dont be to afraid to grab him. you need to show him that you are dominant not the other way around. you need to go at him like your not afraid, they are not dumb animals and can sense when you are scared. gotta get him out and spend some time with him. they key is to first get him out of his enclosure because his enclosure = his house. how would you like someone coming into your house and pushing you around? get him out than work on handling him.

There's nobody pushing him around. If anything I've avoided doing that at all costs because I don't want to stress him out even more. I am CLEARLY aware that they are not "Dumb" animals and for the same reason I'm not "Going into his house and pushing him around". I am not abusing my dragon and I don't expect you to answer me like I am. I have been as nice and tolerant as I can be and I have also been firm and alpha. Neither have worked.
There's much better ways of wording advice nicely other than making people feel like they're doing something wrong. Please learn the difference.

 

[dangit12]

i would show that your the boss and hes the child thats what i did to fowlcore he now likes me. you got to be strict sometimes we dont like to be strict but if we want to be friends with our beardie will take our chances. -mick

 

[MetamorPoses]

i would show that your the boss and hes the child thats what i did to fowlcore he now likes me. you got to be strict sometimes we dont like to be strict but if we want to be friends with our beardie will take our chances. -mick

You're right Mich, I will give it a try today. Thank you for your advice! I will follow up and share how it goes. ^_^

 

[doe222]

i definetly did not word it in a threatening way at all maybe you just took what i said the wrong way? if i was personally attacking you and saying what you were doing was wrong i would have said so. chill out

 

[Valerie]

I wonder if trying the empty tub thing would work? Pick him up somehow and get him and you into an empty tub. He will be forced to be near you and usually after a while of sitting on a cold tub he may try to climb onto a warm body. If he does i would not touch him or etc. Just let him climb around you and learn that you are not a threat.

When my last bd would go nutso, I would wrap her up in a blankie and then hold her. She is smart enough to know I am holding her but being in the blankie she did not care. This way, she learned being held is not bad but it feels comfortable. The best time for this would be at night.
Once, when the cat scared the living day lights out of her she was in attack mode and it did not matter if i was trying to pick her up. So I placed a blanket over her head and then picked her up while wrapping her up in it. Then she calmed down. In your case, you could wait until he is half asleep and then slip the corner of the blanket from his eyes just so he could see you but he may be half alseep so he may not care as much. You could try this for several times until hopfully, one day youcan do this with out the blanket. When he is ih the cage calmly talk to him including every time you walk by.

My last bd was aggresssive when she was younger and we finally worked thru it.