Newbie with a Beardie who is scared of everything except me

[JazzTaina]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a newbie. I love this forum. This forum has helped me so much!

I was hoping to get some opinions and/or advice. My Beardie, Kuchi Kopi (about 5 months), is pretty much scared of change and most everything. It took a couple months for her to calm down when I got her. And now she loves me and tolerates my boyfriend lol.

Yesterday, I acquired a Chameleon. A coworker wanted to get rid of it because well... she didn't like it when it changed colors. (I know... Insert pause for laughter)
The problem: I placed the cage in the same room as my beardie's cage. They were on opposite corners of the room but within view of each other. Unfortunately, Kopi afraid of everything (including bugs she isn't used to eating) and is deathly afraid of the new addition/cage. She was glass dancing trying to get away and ignored her food and wasn't basking most of the day. I took her out calmed her out, fed her and put her on her basking rock. And she was fine until she looked over and saw the chameleon and started to freak out again.

So I put the cage out of her view and I am debating on putting it in a different room altogether. But, I was curious if any one has experienced this. Does anyone else have a super anxious and scared of everything thing beardie? And any tips on getting her used to having another lizard in the room?

Thank you everyone!

-Taina

 

[VenusAndSaturn]

Everytime ive gotten a new lizard my male usually puffs up and trys to scare, threaten or try to attack it even though he cant get out of his enclosure. Though they ignore him entirely, when i first got my juvenile beardie (when she was 4 months now 8 ) it took a month for him to finally get used to her and stop attacking the glass. I usually had to put cardboard up against the front of the glass for a bit and on the sides.

Though i'd just make sure she cant see the enclosure or the cham and that should be fine, but if she still freaks out about it then put the cham in a different room.

 

[JazzTaina]

Thanks for your reply!

I was just curious if any one has had experience with a beardie freaking out so much. The Cham cage is out of view now. However, Kopi is still not too happy. She poops in her food dish/area when she is mad. But she has started to bask again. I'm hoping she will be back to normal tonight or tomorrow, as long as she doesn't see the Cham.

 

[Targ]

I would just make sure your beardie can't see the chameleon if you can in the same room If Kopi can still sense the chameleon, maybe then try putting it in the other room!

 

[JazzTaina]

I moved the cham cage out of view and she was still a bit weird the next day. But now she is almost back to normal. I just wasn't expecting such a crazy reaction. You would have thought the cham was trying to eat her.

Kopi didn't have that reaction with my boyfriend's hedgehog. Kopi actually just sits and watches the hedgehog. Sometimes even follows her around the outside of her playpen. We have a play area/play pen for the hedgehog to run around in when we are home (this keeps the quills off of the carpet). Hedgehog doesn't mind her either. The hedgehog actually just ignores her and continues to run around with toilet paper rolls on her head. That's probably why Kopi is entertained by her.