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[beardiemother]

I just got my bearded dragon, and I'm afraid to hold him. He is not being aggressive I just can't get the guts to pick him up. I feed him and pet him but I'm worried when I pick him up he'll be mad. Can I have some advice on how to pick him up without being scared? I need to clean his cage today so I obviously need to pick him up to get him out. Please help!

 

[haileytaco]

Hello,

I am glad to see that you care very much about your dragon and do not want to upset him. Beardies are not know to be aggressive when handled so do not fear your first couple times picking him up. Just make sure that he knows you are in the room, lights are on, and that he is not just startled by suddenly opening the cage without warning. I would recommend softly taking to him before picking him up and you can also lightly pet his back a few times so that he gets used to being touched. When he seems okay with you petting him and you are ready to pick him up than you could begin picking him up. Since their eyes are on the sides of the head, move your hand past the side of his head so that he can see you are going to pick him up. Then, smoothly slide your hand under his chin and continue sliding it under his belly. Next, you can start to lift him up but make sure he is fully supported (all legs are touching you) as they tend to feel insecure if a leg is left dangling. If you need your other hand to fully support him than feel free to do so. I hope all of that made sense, beardies are very gentle creatures so do not fear aggravating them when handling.

Good luck with your new friend,
Hailey

 

[beardiemother]

Thank you so much Hailey! I just picked him up and he didn't mind at all! I was just scaring myself the whole time. He is now an even happier lizard because I picked him up, and his cage is beautifully cleaned.


Thanks again,
Annika

 

[Drache613]

Hello Annika,

Well, be careful or you wont want to put him down & he will get spoiled! LOL
I am sure he was perfectly content.

Tracie