squirmy

[ducky617]

I have had my beardie since right around thanksgiving '08. When my girlfriend got him/her she was told he was only about 1 month old, a wee little beardie. He originally lived at my girlies house for a month and then around x-mas time I brought him home. He didnt mind being held at my girls house but ever since he has been at my house he has gradually become less accepting of the human touch. He used to wrap his arms around my thumb or just relax as I would pet his back, now he runs around the cage when anyone tries to pick him, he will run towards the viv once I set him at the ground and trys to crawl up the glass. Once I hold him he trys to run away quickly. If i try to pet him he cautiously watches me.
Is there a right and wrong way to hold them?
Is there something specific i should try/do?
It makes me sad. I want him to want me.

p.s. I have heard that if i wear one of my t-shirts and cut a small peice off of it and place it where he sleeps that he will become more comfortable with my scent... is that true?

p.p.s. Is there a chance that he gets stressed when he sees his reflection in the glass.

p.p.p.s. Is it normal for him to not drink water by himself? (I need to give him water by placing drops on his nose and he will lick it off, cute yet tedious)

p.p.p.p.s. sorry about the p.s.'s being a little bit off topic to the original post. :|

 

[peera]

The change in behavior could just be because of the relocation. Did anything else about his environment change? BD's don't deal well with change. Handfeeding can help make him a little calmer before trying to pick him up.
Yes, the info about the shirt is correct, although it's not nessisary to destroy your shirt, you can put the entire thing in the cage. You can also try picking him up after he's asleep at night and wrapping him in it and putting him back in the cage all "tucked in".
There is a chance of getting stressed by his reflection, and some people advocate putting paper over the glass surfaces in the cage so he can't see himself, but to me this isn't a long term solution. Eventually he'll learn to ignore himself.
Most dragons will not drink out of standing water. In the wild, standing water is stagnant and possibly poison. This is one of the reasons baths are so important to help keep them hydrated (and they're a lot less tedious than placing drop by drop on his nose.). If you wiggle your fingers in the water to make it ripple, they'll recognize it as fresh water and drink if they're thirsty.
NP about the PS's, that's what we're here for, to help you! It's a lot easier to get answers from one thread than making a million one liners about every concern.