taming the dragon

[proballo]

Hey guys, Spikes is 8 weeks old today and we have had him for only 2 weeks. He seems to have settled in well and is very energetic, eats well and poops well. My only concern right now is about his skittishness. He opens his mouth at me (and bites if you get too close) when I put my hand in the tank. I know babies are naturally skittish and we were told to handle him every day by the breeder but I'm afraid that I am just reinforcing his fear of people. I have tried leaving my hand in there till he calms down and moving it closer, he usually runs away... is this just going to end up traumatizing him or should we just persist. He is still so little, but as he is my 10yr olds I would hate for him to turn out a fear biter lol.

 

[Kaiser]

Just keep it up. Take it slowly and try not too approach him from above (try to make sure he sees you from the side). Handle daily. You can also try letting him familiarize himself with your scent by putting in a personal item (e.g., a shirt) with your scent on it in his terrarium.

If he bites, try not to give him a reaction. Try not to give up or retract if he does bite. Don't let him have his way or scare you from handling him; it will not traumatized him if you move slowly and handle him gently and with care. Hopefully at this age and size, it does not hurt (you being bitten, and him doing the biting); however, I understand your concern.

Just keep at it and give it some time; he should hopefully come around.

 

[proballo]

Thanks for the tips! At this point he is so tiny the biting is kind of adorable LOL probably not do much when he gets full size :O Since it doesn't hurt not even the kids react and I rehabbed a feral dog so biting doesn't bother me either. I'll try the shirt thing. So far my daughter (the actual "owner") has had the most success with handling him, but she is like Dr.doolittle lol.

 

[Kaiser]

No problem. Older, more hostile bearded dragons can learn to calm down and trust others, so don't feel discouraged if your little one is giving you some attitude, ha ha.

And to be honest, I don't think even an adult bearded dragon's bite would hurt all that much. I've been bitten by my bearded dragon when he was a juvenile (he was a big sized one too; larger than some adults, and still growing) when I was hand-feeding him (he's gotten much better at his aim now, though, ha ha), and there wasn't even a hint of pain, just pressure. Not too sure about an adult, but I would assume its about the same.

Anyway, just keep at it. Maybe your daughter can give you some pointers too, ha ha. She sounds like a natural. :]

Good luck! Hope he comes around.