New Beardie-handling advice!

[BCoy13]

Hello! My husband & I recently welcomed a baby beardie into our home & I just had a question in regards to handling. A bit of insight into our little guy, Toothless (named after the main character in How to Train Your Dragon) has a great appetite, goes to the bathroom regularly, is very alert & has been sleeping well. I don't know his sex yet so we have taken to calling Toothless "he" for the time being. But anyway, we have had him about a week & I knew he would need time to acclimate but he seems to now have zero interest in being handled. I have held him a couple times & he initially puffs up, but I pick him up anyway and once he was cradled in my hands he seemed to relax & close his eyes (which I thought was good but read somewhere that it means they are agitated?) I talk to him a lot & he is very alert in directing his gaze at me while I speak to him, but within the last two days when my husband or I go in to pick him up he puffs up, hisses & opens his mouth as if he is going to bite! Yikes! I try to show him I am not intimidated by keeping my hand in with him until he de-puffs & then I pet him from the top of his head to mid-back. I was just wondering if there was something else we should be doing or if he is just still acclimating to his new home? Any advice would be much appreciated since my hubby & I are new to the beardie parenting world Thank You!

 

[anwyn]

Great name. A week isn't long in a dragon's calendar, so give him some more time to adjust. The advice I read was all about putting your hand in next to them and letting them get used to that first. I'd do that until he stops puffing. With Mort I used to just put my hand next to her touching her foot gently or something very non-intrusive. I don't think I picked her up until week 3 or 4.

Mort is almost a year old and if she's agitated (she doens't like overnight guests, for example, and won't eat and hides) then it can easily take her almost a week even to get over that. And she's used to her home and me.

Just be patient and gentle.

edit to add: another thought, after he's used to your hand and doesn't puff, maybe start sliding your hand under his front half a bit and just leaving your hand there for a minute. Don't lift him yet, but it could get him used to you sliding him onto your hand to come out. Make sure when you do lift him you're always supporting his whole body and definitely all his feet.

 

[BCoy13]

Thanks so much for getting back to me! We will definitely give him more time to adjust. I can't wait to continue bonding with him, he is such a wonderful dude. I will savor this "getting to know you" stage of becoming beardie parents

 

[Drache613]

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