Hi Tangy, sorry that your dad is in the hospital, I hope everything is alright. And yes, your dragon will need the good uvb bulb mentioned. The water dish is a real hazard if he's sleeping in it, really a potential to get very chilled + develop a respiratory infection so it's best to take it out right away.
New! Please help!
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PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
Yeah, the potential respiratory infection is another potential issue with the water bowl. But this is an easy fix—just take it out and he’ll embrace finding a less soggy place to sleep.
Regarding his behavior, it’s very normal for him to be frightened/less than docile when he’s little, especially following a relocation where everything in his world is now the exact opposite of what he’s used to. Your question is actually such a common one on these forums that I’m reposting my response that I gave to someone in exactly the same boat as you (and hopefully it’s helpful):
“It’s not uncommon to find posts on these forums with titles like “baby bearded dragon scared of me” or “struggling to handle my crazy baby beardie.” But rest assured that the hyperactive and skittish nature of many baby beardies is just a phase. I’ve raised four dragons from babies, and all of them started out as little Tasmanian devils. It takes time for these little guys to calm down and learn that the monster lurking outside their cage is their new best friend. You can take things slow by getting the little guy comfortable with the concept of your hand. Before jumping straight into picking him up, slowly place your hand in the cage and leave it there, completely still, for a while. He may get curious and approach or he may eye it warily from afar, but the point is to get him comfortable with your hand in the cage. Handfeeding is a great way to develop trust with a skittish baby and can be great for bonding. Sure, it’s cheap bribery but it works wonderfully. With my last baby, after a couple days of my hand bringing her treats (BSFL, her favorite) she decided she’d take our relationship to the next level by hopping into my hand. I began holding her inside her cage for brief periods so that she always felt in control and safe in her surroundings. After that it was easy to transition to casual handling/letting her explore my room. When you do go to pick your beardie up move slowly, being sure he always sees you approaching. Talk to him frequently so he develops a positive association between your voice/hand/presence. My beardies respond positively to their names and specific words. I talk to them frequently, and although they all have very individual personalities, they all perk up and become very attentive when spoken to. If the protocol above still doesn’t lead to a breakthrough, here’s another trick: Take your beardie out when he’s very sleepy (30 minutes after lights off is good because he’ll be sleep groggy and therefore much more docile). Place him on your chest or lap and just sit with him, occasionally talking to him gently. Even though he’ll be in a sleepy haze, he’ll start to associate interactions with you as positive and unthreatening. Eventually you’ll be able to take him out during the day when he’s at full alertness because he’s learned that he doesn’t have to be on guard with you. My current oldest beardie had gone the first four months of her life with virtually no human interaction. No one wanted her because she exhibited behavior that could be downright scary. She was terrified of people and initially would hiss and snap during any attempt at interaction. But over the course of several weeks, using the protocol just described, she transitioned from a miniature wolverine to a friendly, affectionate lizard that now hops into my hand when I open her cage and will come running across a room when I call her name. I’ve found that the feistiest baby beardies often have the best personalities as adults because although they become sweet and easygoing they still retain a little bit of spunk. What you’re experiencing is perfectly normal and I know it can be a slow and discouraging process, but over time your baby will grow to trust you and look forward to your interactions. While some babies are naturally very docile many are skittish and even aggressive (which is understandable, as trusting a large foreign creature in the wild is how you wind up dinner). We’re essentially teaching a tiny prey animal to trust a perceived predator, so the process can take time. But once you cross that threshold it’s a great feeling. So go slow, have patience, and hang in there.”
So happy that his UV light is on the way. Keep us updated!
Regarding his behavior, it’s very normal for him to be frightened/less than docile when he’s little, especially following a relocation where everything in his world is now the exact opposite of what he’s used to. Your question is actually such a common one on these forums that I’m reposting my response that I gave to someone in exactly the same boat as you (and hopefully it’s helpful):
“It’s not uncommon to find posts on these forums with titles like “baby bearded dragon scared of me” or “struggling to handle my crazy baby beardie.” But rest assured that the hyperactive and skittish nature of many baby beardies is just a phase. I’ve raised four dragons from babies, and all of them started out as little Tasmanian devils. It takes time for these little guys to calm down and learn that the monster lurking outside their cage is their new best friend. You can take things slow by getting the little guy comfortable with the concept of your hand. Before jumping straight into picking him up, slowly place your hand in the cage and leave it there, completely still, for a while. He may get curious and approach or he may eye it warily from afar, but the point is to get him comfortable with your hand in the cage. Handfeeding is a great way to develop trust with a skittish baby and can be great for bonding. Sure, it’s cheap bribery but it works wonderfully. With my last baby, after a couple days of my hand bringing her treats (BSFL, her favorite) she decided she’d take our relationship to the next level by hopping into my hand. I began holding her inside her cage for brief periods so that she always felt in control and safe in her surroundings. After that it was easy to transition to casual handling/letting her explore my room. When you do go to pick your beardie up move slowly, being sure he always sees you approaching. Talk to him frequently so he develops a positive association between your voice/hand/presence. My beardies respond positively to their names and specific words. I talk to them frequently, and although they all have very individual personalities, they all perk up and become very attentive when spoken to. If the protocol above still doesn’t lead to a breakthrough, here’s another trick: Take your beardie out when he’s very sleepy (30 minutes after lights off is good because he’ll be sleep groggy and therefore much more docile). Place him on your chest or lap and just sit with him, occasionally talking to him gently. Even though he’ll be in a sleepy haze, he’ll start to associate interactions with you as positive and unthreatening. Eventually you’ll be able to take him out during the day when he’s at full alertness because he’s learned that he doesn’t have to be on guard with you. My current oldest beardie had gone the first four months of her life with virtually no human interaction. No one wanted her because she exhibited behavior that could be downright scary. She was terrified of people and initially would hiss and snap during any attempt at interaction. But over the course of several weeks, using the protocol just described, she transitioned from a miniature wolverine to a friendly, affectionate lizard that now hops into my hand when I open her cage and will come running across a room when I call her name. I’ve found that the feistiest baby beardies often have the best personalities as adults because although they become sweet and easygoing they still retain a little bit of spunk. What you’re experiencing is perfectly normal and I know it can be a slow and discouraging process, but over time your baby will grow to trust you and look forward to your interactions. While some babies are naturally very docile many are skittish and even aggressive (which is understandable, as trusting a large foreign creature in the wild is how you wind up dinner). We’re essentially teaching a tiny prey animal to trust a perceived predator, so the process can take time. But once you cross that threshold it’s a great feeling. So go slow, have patience, and hang in there.”
So happy that his UV light is on the way. Keep us updated!
This morning he's a little bit calmer. I think he likes my shirt, it's very shiny. I also found that he seems to like when I pet near his ear, either that or he hates it. He closes his eyes and stays very still when I do it. Another problem I've been having is convincing my dogs that Marbles isn't going to hurt me.
PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
In an ideal world you’d avoid letting other animals in the same room as him because this stresses beardies out. At the very least, make sure you never let the dogs anywhere near him, as it only takes a second for something very tragic to happen. A not insignificant amount of beardies have been injured and killed by cats and dogs whose owners insisted their other pets were friendly and had never attacked another animal before. So proceed with extreme caution. His temperament with handling will get better in time. I recommend keeping initial sessions brief, and slowly as he becomes less skittish you can increase these. Just use his comfort level to gage. I’m glad you had a good handling session. It really does get easier as they age. 
PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
That’s fantastic!! This light will have such a huge influence on his health. We’re you able to get a fixture and mount it pretty easily? The Reptisun lights have a distance guide included so that can help you fine tune it so it’s just right. How’s his appetite? Aside from attempting to eat your pants?
PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
That’s great that he’s a cricket demolishing machine! People are often shocked how many insects a baby beardie will eat in a day, but if his appetite is picking up then that’s a great sign. And yeah—taking care of the insects your beardie eats will sometimes make you feel like a bug rancher. It doesn’t get any more “farm to table” than that. In terms of handling, I usually leave my beardies alone the first few hours of the day. I’ll let them warm up under their lights for at least an hour before feeding them (this helps get their system running and ready for food). Then they’ll get their salad and/or bugs, and I’ll let them bask for a while so they can digest their food. About 3-4 hours after lights on they usually hit peak alertness/energy, so if my schedule permits I’ll let them have some playtime outside the cage. I’ve got a mini basking station set up in my office (a clamp lamp, a basking bulb, and a branch) so they can take a little battery charge breaks. They’ll run around, hop on the “battery charging station,” hop off, and run around some more. My previous two elderly beardies lived to be 16 and almost 18, and I think having an outside-the-cage setup that encouraged lots of exercise was a big part of it. Instead of crawling under a desk to take a snooze, they’d hop on the basking log for a few minutes and it was like they’d chugged a Red Bull. And I currently have one particular beardie that loves coming out a few hours before her bedtime so she can snuggle with her favorite blanket and watch TV. So while you can handle your beardie any time, as a general rule I try to avoid handling them directly after a feeding so that they can bask/digest their food uninterrupted. If Marbles is still a bit skittish (totally normal for a baby), handling him later in the day when he’s a little sleepy and less guarded can lead to an easier interaction. And eventually his little baby lizard brain will remember all those times you took him out of the cage and didn’t attempt to eat him. The last time I had a baby I took her out for short spurts at least twice a day, keeping it brief so she wouldn’t get overwhelmed. We built up to longer sessions, and eventually there came a day when fear/skittishness turned to excitement when she saw the cage door open. Now she’ll hop off her branch and jump into my palm when the cage door opens (although now instead of a tiny 8-inch baby hopping into my hand it’s a 23-inch lizard bellyflopping. Still cute though).
In terms of handling, I usually leave my beardies alone the first few hours of the day. I’ll let them warm up under their lights for at least an hour before feeding them (this helps get their system running and ready for food). Then they’ll get their salad and/or bugs, and I’ll let them bask for a while so they can digest their food. About 3-4 hours after lights on they usually hit peak alertness/energy, so if my schedule permits I’ll let them have some playtime outside the cage. I’ve got a mini basking station set up in my office (a clamp lamp, a basking bulb, and a branch) so they can take a little battery charge breaks. They’ll run around, hop on the “battery charging station,” hop off, and run around some more. My previous two elderly beardies lived to be 16 and almost 18, and I think having an outside-the-cage setup that encouraged lots of exercise was a big part of it. Instead of crawling under a desk to take a snooze, they’d hop on the basking log for a few minutes and it was like they’d chugged a Red Bull. And I currently have one particular beardie that loves coming out a few hours before her bedtime so she can snuggle with her favorite blanket and watch TV. So while you can handle your beardie any time, as a general rule I try to avoid handling them directly after a feeding so that they can bask/digest their food uninterrupted. If Marbles is still a bit skittish (totally normal for a baby), handling him later in the day when he’s a little sleepy and less guarded can lead to an easier interaction. And eventually his little baby lizard brain will remember all those times you took him out of the cage and didn’t attempt to eat him. The last time I had a baby I took her out for short spurts at least twice a day, keeping it brief so she wouldn’t get overwhelmed. We built up to longer sessions, and eventually there came a day when fear/skittishness turned to excitement when she saw the cage door open. Now she’ll hop off her branch and jump into my palm when the cage door opens (although now instead of a tiny 8-inch baby hopping into my hand it’s a 23-inch lizard bellyflopping. Still cute though).PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
You need a multivitamin (Herptivite and Repashy multivitamins are both good) and a calcium powder. Here’s more info on supplements/frequency:
https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/
https://www.beardeddragon.org/articles/caresheet/
PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
Relocation stress is often unavoidable, but it helps if he’ll have familiar things in the new tank (or if he’ll be in the same tank he’s currently in, that makes it easy). If he’ll have a new setup at the new location, it can take longer for him to feel secure, so don’t worry if he seems a little freaked out immediately after the move. Whether he’ll have a new cage or the same one he’s used to, he may hide and have a low appetite initially, but that’s okay. To reduce stress I recommend avoiding handling and giving him time to settle once he arrives. BTW: How’s he doing overall? It sounds like his appetite really picked up, which is such great news. Were you able to mount the light without issue?
The light and everything were fine. He seems good, I finally got him a proper hiding place instead of toilet paper tubes. I think he likes it. His favorite thing is the water bowl, though I put less water in it so now he doesn't sleep in it. I moved around his setup a tiny bit and I think he likes it better.
PodunkKhaleesi
Hatchling Member
That’s great. So glad to hear he’s digging the new setup. And they do love their little caves/hides.
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