Dezzylove50
Member
blade still wont allow me to pick him up I guess I really suck at this whole bonding thing
Drache613":1r1n0h4a said:Hello,
It takes time! How long have you had Blade for?
How are you going about trying to pick him up, from underneath or overhead?
Some dragons take a little longer to bond than others do.
Be patient & keep working with him. Try putting your hand & arm in his tank
to let him get used to it slowly. You may just need to go ahead & pick him up
anyway, just to get him more used to being handled.
Have you found a favorite food or treat that he likes that you could use to bribe
him with? LOL
Tracie
Darthedraggo":1l7qmrg4 said:Dar was the same way when she was little. She'd run away and hiss, but I continued socializing with her every day until she learned to trust my hands. My advice is to keep at it. I'd shoot for scooping Blade up from underneath so you don't scare him from above (third eye vision). When he's out, I recommend letting him rest in your lap or on your legs, so he can relax on a stable surface, and still be making contact. Talk to him, get him used to your voice, and gently stroke his back. If he hisses, I would try to ignore it. If you get scared and back off, he'll learn that he can escape by being aggressive, and you don't want that. It takes time. Just letting him rest on your body will help, and try to hold him every day, sometimes even multiple times a day so he is socialized well. Don't give up That's my advice. My girl was pretty hard to handle at first, but I figured out a certain position to hold her in, where she can perch and feel secure, and she rarely squirms in that position. I'd find something like that for Blade, a way for you to hold him where he's comfortable. Whenever Dar gets squirmy and grouchy, I just "baby hold her", because it was the position she was comfortable in when she was little, and she relaxes every time.
ok thank youTerry15":16aguq1b said:You could wait until after dinner before he's ready to sleep. Some use a small piece of blanket to wrap them like a burrito. Mine is not a snuggler, he just likes to roam around the house & hide.
Thank you so much for your amazing story and great tips I won’t give up on my baby we’ll get there eventually I’m glad I have people here like u to help me when I don’t have the answersPodunkKhaleesi":2183so25 said:One of my bearded dragons just turned seven months old and people are amazed that the little Tasmanian devil I brought home at two and a half months old is the same lizard that runs across a room when her name is called and when sleepy, climbs my body until she’s made herself comfortable on my shoulder, nuzzling my neck as she drifts off to sleep. As a baby, she was exhaustingly hyper and skittish. The behavior that scared everyone else was how she earned her name (Tweak). She’d had no handling prior to me, and attempting to hold her was like trying to hold a coked up marmoset. This was the reason others rejected her as a pet—but it’s also the reason our current dynamic is so rewarding. People are now so amazed by how loving and friendly she is that my vet’s assistant actually tried to get me to sell her my dragon! But she didn’t go from a gaping Speedy Gonzalez to a lap dog with scales overnight. I know it’s hard to keep this in perspective when you want to fast forward to the sweet adult beardie that loves cuddling with you to an episode of Stranger Things, but I promise what you’re experiencing isn’t unusual. You’re definitely not failing, but it can take time for a wary baby to blossom into a trusting adult. In the meantime I hope some of these tips can help:
1. Handfeeding is a great way to bond with your little guy. If handling your beardie is a complete no go then handfeeding can bridge the gap. Eventually his comfort with your hand in the cage to give him treats will translate to comfort with your hand in the cage to pick him up.
2. Talk frequently to him.
3. Some people on the site have reported success after leaving a lightly worn shirt in the beardie’s enclosure to get the baby used to/familiar with their scent.
4. Gently placing him in your hand for short periods inside his enclosure is a good way to make him feel secure/not too overwhelmed. If he gets skittish simply allow him to leave your hand and try again when he’s calmer. Eventually he will go from “a monster’s trying to grab me” to “yay! The thing that brings me hornworms and takes me on exploring adventures is here! Huzzah!”
5. Try holding him an hour after his lights go off when he’s sleepy and less on guard. Sleepy nighttime snuggles will eventually transfer to daytime trust (no drowsiness required).
So many people on this forum have been in your position. My lizard was a tiny terror and now she’ll climb immediately into my hand whenever I open her cage. Earning a prehistoric creature’s trust is hard and can take a lot of persistence, but that’s exactly what makes the end result so fulfilling.
Dezzylove50":njc8de6j said:blade still wont allow me to pick him up I guess I really suck at this whole bonding thing