Naughty beardie!!!

[tengu1]

Hi there

I have been quiet for a while due to my beardie being all good.

BUT........ lately I have noticed she seems to be a reptile form of a teenager!!!

She is not playing ball when it comes to being picked up now and even squirms to get out. She is quite happy to eat from my hand still and goes crazy for live crickets that we are giving her recently. But she seems to have her number two business wherever she wants!!! Is this normal? before she had a certain place she always went to to do it. It hasn't changed but now she has done it on her food, where she sleeps, on the rocks and on her carpet! Is this rebellion or do they do that? It is difficult because I want her to have her reptile carpet as she loves it but I cant wash it everyday.

So the only thing that has changed is that we are feeding her live crickets and honestly we have noticed a big difference in her behavior.

The last question is this.... do girl BD prefer woman to men? I ask because our BD is a girl we are 99% sure and she is cool with my wife but seems not so cool with me and i am the one that takes care of her, feeds her, talks to her, cleans up after her etc so I would of thought there would be trust and a bond but she seems nervous when I pick her up still. She is 1 year and 4 months old now.

Thank you for any advice

 

[CooperDragon]

Their teenager phase can be tough sometimes. Fortunately it doesn't usually last too long from what I've seen. You just kind of have to wait it out. It's good that her appetite is still up. As for the pooping, I'd try training her by giving her a warm bath every morning. This may help her get into the routine of going at the same time every day causing fewer messes in the tank. Once she's used to going every day, you can try putting her in an easy to clean spot at the same time and keep her there (within reason) until she goes. It may take some patience but it's worth it. I don't know of them bonding to a person of one gender over the other. She may just have a hangup about you for some reason or another. Try holding her in the evening and see if she stays calm or even falls asleep with you. I've found that tends to calm them and get them more used to you being safe.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That sounds typical! She is definitely going through a phase but hopefully soon she will get through it. Try to be patient & if you can work with her again to try & get her to go potty in a more conventional method again, in the same place. Will she go in a bath?
Do you wrap her up in a blankie at night & let her go to sleep on you?

Tracie

 

[tengu1]

Their teenager phase can be tough sometimes. Fortunately it doesn't usually last too long from what I've seen. You just kind of have to wait it out. It's good that her appetite is still up. As for the pooping, I'd try training her by giving her a warm bath every morning. This may help her get into the routine of going at the same time every day causing fewer messes in the tank. Once she's used to going every day, you can try putting her in an easy to clean spot at the same time and keep her there (within reason) until she goes. It may take some patience but it's worth it. I don't know of them bonding to a person of one gender over the other. She may just have a hangup about you for some reason or another. Try holding her in the evening and see if she stays calm or even falls asleep with you. I've found that tends to calm them and get them more used to you being safe.

Hi there
Thank you for your reply. The bath time thing is a great idea if only she enjoyed them! She HATES bath time more than anything which is typical! Yes, I do not know why she would have a hangup on me, its quite upsetting sometimes to be honest as like i said I am her primary carer. lately I have tried holding her at night and she squirms and HATES a blanket as well. She is such an ungrateful girl at the moment it is really weird.

 

[tengu1]

Hello,

That sounds typical! She is definitely going through a phase but hopefully soon she will get through it. Try to be patient & if you can work with her again to try & get her to go potty in a more conventional method again, in the same place. Will she go in a bath?
Do you wrap her up in a blankie at night & let her go to sleep on you?

Tracie

Hi there

Thank you for your reply. It is good to know it is a phase. Like I said above she hates blankets and bath so it limits what we can do with her. She is taken care of so well it is almost like she is a spoiled brat and now thinks she can do what she wants. I have seen a big BD in a pet shop that is so mistreated it makes me what to buy it so I can take care of it but the electric where I live wont handle it with two tanks (sounds stupid I know) but when the fuse box pops when you use a microwave and vacum it gets slightly annoying

 

[opalin]

I know Baragon, my younger beardie didn't like baths until I started putting a folded towel at the bottom of the dish I use. Now the only major problem I have is occasionally she digs at the towel and splashes everything around the dish.