She turns black as soon as she's picked up.

[mitternachtvogel]

Pretty self explanatory...

I'm taking in a 3 year old female from someone on Craig's list, whom I went and visited today. (The entire story is in Rescue.)

The lady said that she hasn't ever really been handled alot, so I expected her to tense up and be a little grumpy and stuff. She turned black as soon as she was picked up though, which I wasn't expecting. Not just a little black, either, the lady said she was pretty much as dark as she could get. She stayed like that the entire time I held her (and even started making noises at me,) which was about ten or fifteen minutes, and went to her normal coloring when she went back into her viv, but was flattened out and tense.

There were a few other animals in the rooms, including a cat in plain sight...


When I bring her home, (I don't have any other animals.) would anyone have an ideas to help calm her down any? Or at least keep her from turning black?




I also have a few other questions...


What was with the noises? I don't even know how to describe them.

How worried should I be about relocation stress, and what do I look for?
The lady said she'd just changed her tanks, so...idunno. She doesn't seem to keep her in the same viv for too long of a period.

How do I tell what her stress marks are/how bad they are?

How could I get her more used to being handled

 

[mitternachtvogel]

Such helpfulness. :roll:

 

[BabyBambi]

i dunno if it will work with a beardie but when my boyfriend was having trouble with one of his corns that didn't like to be handled he was advised to wear an old sock for an hr or two and told to put it in with the snake as the snake was around my boyfriend's scent now the snake doesn't have a problem with being handled so you could try that but like i said i dunno if it will work with the beardie but i think it will work.

Good luck

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,

I'll deal with your litle questions first.

Relocation Stress:
In terms of relocation stress this is a wide term which can be different from dragon to dragon.
Beardies are very sensitive in regards to their enviroments, and even the slightest change (like the removal of a climbing branch) can send some dragons off into a sulk.
"Normal" relocation stress symptons are having a timid dragon who may not have a good appetite. They tend to be overwhelmed by their change in surroundings and wont start to eat or poop properly until they have begun to settle down in their new homes.
For some dragons this can take a day, for others it can be two+ weeks.
My baby was fine within hours of coming home and was confident as anything, Ruben, at 4 months took around a week and a half to settle into a proper eating scedual, Dex took longer, as you'll see later in this post ^_^

It is important when you get her home to leave her be. Let her get used to her new home. Dont keep making changes to her viv and dont handle her unless it is unavoidable. She needs to get used to her new home and feel like she is the boss in there.
I would put off handling her until she has begun to eat properly. This is a good indicator that she's feeling secure, but as a general rule handling shouldnt be considered for at least a week. I know it might be rough because you will want to SPOIL this girl rotten with love but you would do more harm than good.
Everything must be done slowly ^_^



Stressmarks:
These are a big old misenomer. When people read about them they generally go "OMIGOD MY DRAGON HAS THEM ALL THE TIME SHE MUST BE MISERABLE!" but its not the case.
Stressmarks are little brown/black circular patterns that appear on your dragons belly. They are generally an indicator that they are grumpy. Ideally you want a nice clear belly, but dont panic if it doesnt come right away. Ruben took about 2-3 months to get a clear belly whilst alone in his viv.
They are also very temprimental. Ruben will show stress marks when he's decided that he's been cuddled for too long (he's an independant boy), whereas Miso my youngster will have stressmarks 24/7 whilst she is in shed because she is itchy.
Dont get yourself worked up about them really.


If she's black when she's beign picked up it probably just means she frightened by the contact.

But dont worry, you are not the first one to have had to tame your dragon. Even with the worst behaviour a dragon can be tamed.
When I first rescued Dex (an adult missing an arm) she had never been handled and was pretty much feral. She bit me, scratched me and hissed at me.
With some patience and a few tricks she turned into the biggest cuddlebug in the world who constantly wanted to sit in my lap and be stroked!
Some dragons are not natural snugglers, but all dragons are tamable to tolerate a cuddle without stress ^_^

I used the following tricks that helped her settle down after she has settled:

Start putting your hand in her tank, flat but dont touch her. She'll see your not there to grab her. Do this every now and then for a day or so.
Once youve done for a while start only hand feeding her (wriggley worms work best). If she goes to bite you be brave and try not to flinch, just raise your hand up and remove the food. She'll soon learn biting isnt a good idea.

When you try handling her try it an hour or so after lights out when she'll be sleepy and bored of fighting. At this time you can try the 'beardie burrito'. this involves wrapping your beardie in a blanket/towel like a newborn baby and laying them on your chest. If she doesnt like the beardie burito try wearing a dressing gown, alot of beardies enjoy softness. Dexter loved mine.

When you begin to start trying to handle your little one during daytime id get her out, and let her run around near you, like on the bed or on the floor in a room (close the door and make sure all gaps are blocked with cushions/pillows). She'll get used to just being near you and learning that your not big and scary. Also if she runs around exploring she'll tire herself out and so will be more submissive when you finally pick her up.

Remember:
When you go to pick up your beardie do not approach her from the back or the side, this is predatry behaviour and will spook her.
Lay your hand flat in front of her for a few seconds and then slide it underneath her. Once you have picked her up like this yuo can reposition her on your hand.

It can also work wonders to add one of your old tshirts to her tank (make sure you've worn it for an hour or so), as it means she will become used to your smell in a non threatening manner.
When you handle her remember not to smell like food or aftershave.

and repeat!

If you have a fighter on yor hands who tries their hardest to get away from you, you might end up getting a few scratches as she squirms to run away it is VERY important not to just put her down if she struggles. She will learn that fighting gets her her own way and will make the process longer and harder. I learnt that one the hard way.

Remember not to rush things. Every dragon is different and it sounds like you're getting a neglected little one. She may not be used to human contact and she may be quite frightened of you to start.
Keep faith. Ive done all this with three very different dragons and all my monsters are tame little lovebugs now.

All the best
Holly x

 

[mitternachtvogel]

Thank you SO much. You have no clue how helpful that was!

 

[mitternachtvogel]

What about baths?


When she's getting used to the new tank, should I just leave her alone completely for a few days/week or so, or go ahead and start giving her baths?

 

[LaShomb]

one thing you can do is hand feed her treats, like meal worms, so she usosates you with somthing good. And spend as much time in the same room as her. When i got my first baby I used to sit with my hand in the take so she would get use to me. I would just let her run over my hand, wich helped with handoling her.

 

[Ethelia]

Bath wise it depends on what state your little girl is in.
Would you consider her a rescue or is she just a neglected pet?
If she needs a bath do by all means give her one.
If you do to minimise the stress I would try and find a plastic container that will fit inside her viv and actually bath her in it.
That way you dont freak her out with a new enviroment, and it also means as she's getting used to you and the outdoor world you can do it in stages. First bath her in her viv, then just infront of it, then where-ever it suits you.
If you cant get a tub in her viv then I would advise bathing her infront of it. If its her first bath I would start off with a very shallow one. It only needs to cover her tail for it to be beneficial.
It will also calm her by putting a washcloth on the bottom of the tub so she has something to grip onto. I would also lower her in on your hand, then slide it out from under her. If she is frightened let her sit on your hand but still in the water. This will help her understand that you are safety.

Holly

 

[mitternachtvogel]

I might consider her really neglected, I'm not sure, though.

Thank you.

 

[Ethelia]

Well if her skin appears wrinkled or cruddy then she does need her baths.
One every other day for 10-20 should be fine.

If her skin seems fine and she seems healthy enough then I would give her a bath once every three days for 20 minutes.

Holly