Hi All,
There was a Reptile Expo over the weekend that just happened to coincide with PetCo's $1 per Gallon aquarium sale ... So that was a perfect storm and now Hue Jackman has a potential future girlfriend Rebel! She's an absolutely stunning HypoTrans and about 4/5 months old. I think she's adjusting pretty well, they're in separate vivs that are near one another but they can't see one another.
Hue Jackman has always been cuddly and fine with being held etc, but I did get him at a pretty young age and handled him pretty much every single day since I got him. Rebel seems pretty nervous to me. I know that it's been less than a week since I've got her, so she hasn't really adjusted to her new environment just yet. That being said I can just tell that she is not used to being handled all too much, so my question is: what is the best way to get a bearded more used to handling?
I don't expect her to be just like Hue and be a cuddle bug, but I also don't want her to be incredibly stressed every time I try to handle her. The first few days I let her just get used to everything then I spent time just reaching in and petting her a bit, and also taking her out for really short amounts of time (like five or ten minutes). When she has an opportunity to make a break for it, she does. I don't want her to get hurt or really stressed so I keep it short and sweet. Is that the best way? I'd assume keeping it short and positive makes them less stressed and it be more of a positive experience. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated, and I know that she's not fully settled yet and she'll continue to calm down a bit as she's more comfortable in her new digs.
I haven't wanted to stress her more by having the phone in her face taking pics so here are just a few crappy ones for the time being. She is definitely one pretty little girl!
She's a nice looking dragon. Just be patient for now and give her time to get settled in. When you're around the cage move slowly and speak softly and don't do much (for now) other than feed her and clean the tank. Get her used to you being around. After a bit you can try handling her in the evenings but still move slowly and be gentile. She'll likely get used to it and calm down after a while.
Those pictures really don't do her justice, the orange she has on her cheeks is just stunning!
Thanks for the reply! I feel like I'm definitely doing all the right things but sometimes affirmation is needed. Other than evening handling would you recommend keeping it sort of short and sweet how I have been doing? I already move pretty slowly and speak softly around her viv, my goal is to make her feel as comfortable as possible and not cause her any more stress.