New baby Beardie and Scared of It

[simboney7]

As you can prob tell I am new to Beardies. :lol: I bought it for my son 2 weeks ago. It ( I say it because we do not now the sex) is about 7 inches long right now. I will post a picture soon. Anyway, I am really not a creature type of person, but for some reason I love to talk and pat this little thing and he always turns his head at me like he knows my voice now and comes running towards me when I bring him food. I TRY to tell my son everything I am learning on here about routine, bathing, feeding, picking it up etc, but he will NOT listen to me so PLEASE tell me how do I get over my FEAR of picking him up because I think I am going to be taking it out of his room (where it is alone all day) and putting it my office and making it my buddy so I know that it is well cared for!!!!! I am not terrified, but am def AFRAID of it so need to learn now while its little. :help:

 

[GoFast]

what are you afraid of exactly?? Are you afraid of hurting him or escape? Are you afraid it is going to bite you?

 

[simboney7]

I am afraid it will escape of course, but more afraid that it will bite me and just because it is a creature lol, but I am an animal lover so I want to make sure it is well taken care of so I want to learn and learn the right way.

 

[simboney7]

I also just read about the UVB bulbs and am freaking out about that now.....the guy at pet smart told me he owned 5 beardies sold me a bulb that he uses and you guys are all saying NO to. I have a Repti-Glo 26W 10.0 UVB Desert Terrarium Lamp it doesn't say anywhere that it is florecent but now I dont know what to do with it...dont want my baby to get sick....

 

[fresnowitte]

There's really no reason to be afraid of his bite if he were to bite you....baby bites don't even feel as much as a slight pinch if that. Besides that they are for the most part all bark and no bite.

It's completely normal to be afraid of loosing him....babies are little zoomers. You could use a large sterile-lite tub for taking him out while he is small that way he won't disappear on you.

If your going to use the tube light then you need the Reptisun 10.0. Which most pet stores do not carry and when they do they are about 2x more than if you were to order it online. One of the cheapest sites that sell them is http://www.petmountain.com/category/286/1/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs.html
It's the first bulb on that page.

Stay far away from the Repti-Glo's(unless it's a repti glo 8.0 which are hard to come by), Compacts, and Coil bulbs none of these have adequate UVB outout for beardies.

 

[Sunshinessmile]

no worries about being afraid. You might as well just let it bite you! honest... my little rescue would gape at me and puff up, one day I said "NOPE! im not afraid of you!" and I let her take three good chomps on my hand/finger and the soft area between my thumb and finger... didn't really hurt... felt like the clips that are used to close chip bags. Killie my vicious little twerp has bit me too many times to count. Now she has an understanding that biting does not, not get her picked up and that she gets happy when she is out.

Just try it! it will be OK!

 

[crickest]

Something to know, . . . their skin is soft and warm, not slimy or cold, and feels like baby's skin. Their spikes can be stiff when they are older and scared, but for the most part are soft and flexible. They love to have the eye ridges stroked, along the ridge next to their ears and under their chin. Before you try picking him up, stroke his head and talk to him. He already associates you with being fed, so he's definately thinking good thoughts about you. Beardies only threaten to bite when they are scared (you are much bigger) or when they are really hungry (moving fingers can be tempting). You could start by leaving your hand in the viv for a while and stroking his head.

I have to warn you though, they are absolutely addicting. . . you start with one and then you start thinking about where you could put a second viv and then you start trying to breed crickets or roaches, and you kiss them goodnight and forget to kiss your son, . . . you were warned.

 

[chrismnc]

It is so sweet that you are taking on this baby as your own, I can tell that you will soon be in love with this little one. When you pick him up, support all four legs and bring him to you. They like to have something to hold onto, like your shirt. Start off holding him for just a few minutes while you get used to him. Soon enough you'll be a pro.

When I first got mine I took him into the bathroom and sat on the floor. That way if he did get away from me, he wasn't going far. Then it was a blanket on the dining room table, yes he jumped a few times but was fine and learned quickly that it wasn't fun. If you give him a bath at night, afterwards wrap him in a towel or small blanket and hold him on your chest. I rub Zigs head and he will go to sleep, especially if ou cover his head so it's nice and dark. Then when I finally put him back into his viv, he's asleep and all tucked in for the night. Trust me, one night of snuggling and you will be smitten.

The above warning is true so beware!!! You will soon be rushing home to put the baby to bed and arguing with the kids over who gets to hold him while he's sleeping in his blankie!

 

[VEGASLIZARD]

Ah, yet another mother who has stolen the beardie from her children. I would also be guilty of that. If you are concerned about him getting away while you are holding him try it in a smaller room in the house where you can close the door. That way if he jumps on the floor you are not worrying about chasing him under the couch. LOL Sitting on your bed is a good place because if they jump off you they have a nice short and soft landing. Most beardies will not bite, they are known for being very docile and loving lizards and yours is still so small that you will laugh at yourself afterwards for ever being afraid. It is really just a pinch. Yours is still very young so it will be flighty and jumpy, but they grow so fast you will be wondering where your little jumping bean got to in a couple months when he is imitating a paper weight most of the day.
Most importantly, welcome to the world of being a beardie slave. Sounds like you are going to fit right in around here. I am sure in a few short weeks you will wonder how you ever lived without your beardie master They are the best.

 

[RioReptiles]

You can do it!!! Please do it. You will be so happy you did and so will that wonderful creature. That creature will not go far, trust me. Just keep an eye on it and both of you will learn to trust each other. You know you can't resist and your life will never be the same! So you have to, he want's you to too!

Nothing is worse than a kid who gets a beardie and grows out of it after a couple years, this usually is not a pretty scene. Don't let this happen. Share the love! Make him secretly yours, that's all.

 

[Jiffy]

When I first got Waffle (my first beardie) I was not scared of him, but was terrified of taking him out of his viv. He was so fast and jumpy. I wouldnt even take him out if no one else was home. Wanted help in case he tried to escape. Now I am up to my 3 beardie, and with the last 2, I had gotten so used to them and the way they are, that I would just grab them and not even think about it. You get used to it.

I have only been bitten once, when Foster was eating from my hand, and ate further than where the food was. He pegged my finger. It didnt hurt, but it did startle me.
Now for some reason Waffle has bitten my boyfriend a few times, but I think it is because I am the one who does about 99.9% of everything for them, so they are not used to anyone else. And Butch has big huge hands, I think I would be scared if I was small and saw something that big comeing at me! :wink: :mrgreen:

And yes, they are addictive. I have a 3 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. See a pattern developing? :wink: :lol:

 

[VEGASLIZARD]

How is it going?

 

[simboney7]

Its going ok, still have not picked it up just patting still, but it waved at me with both hands the other day and fell asleep 2 nights in a row in my sons lap in the buritto like someone had mentioned and slept in it all night until he unwrapped him... lol I thought that was adorable I think I am going to take over when he works nights now because he gets home at 10:30 and I think its too late for him to be going to sleep :wink: just my way of being able to get ahold of him all to myself so I can learn to hold him hehe

 

[Celestial72]

I don't think you should be worried about the baby biting. The only time mine has ever bitten me was when I had not fed him for a while. Beardies are tough little lizards, and handling yours shouldn't be too much of a problem. just support its body and figure out where it is most comfortable being held. mine is most relaxed when he is either on my shoulder on my lap facing away from me. Needless to say, I don't usually walk around with Angus too much! Also, I would try stroking the "beard" to calm it down.

 

[simboney7]

What does waving mean?? as I mentioned he waved both hands at me yesterday. Now today when me and my son fed him crics after he ate them there were a few more running around and he ran over to us and puffed out his beared 2 times lmao and then pooped right in front of us and it was a big smelly one...then he took off ate another cric and went to bask. What was that all about???? :roll: