What's up with Yoshi?

[sunnyvale22]

yesterday i decided i needed to clean Yoshi's tank. I normally take him out and put him on the floor. But this time, I had to take him out outside while i put one of his rocks to wash later, this is around 2pm. as SOON as we went outside, he puffed up and started trying to get away from me. i had to take him in both hands and hold on tight as he was flattened out and BLACK. His mouth was open so wide i could see down his mouth! He was hissing so loud i was scared and i knew he'd bite me.
i was able to get him back in his tank, i had to kind of drop him because i know he can move fast and could have gotten my hand. i put his toys and everything back in the tank right away and turned his lights on for him. but the whole day he hissed and kept his mouth open at me or my bf. we had to leave so i could get medicine and came back. Yoshi was still a bit puffed up and hissing. He'd open his mouth when i walked by the tank. it was about 4:18pm and it's the time i take my medication. sometimes the smoke seeps into his tank and Yoshi takes a nap. this time he ate some worms and relaxed in the shirt i gave him as a bed. a few hours later and he was sleeping with his lights on at around 7:30pm. so i turned off the lights and put up a cover on the glass so our lights wouldn't disturb him.
he seems ok today though a little grumpy. he has not hissed and i even moved him to put some worms in the tank. he ate a few and is just sitting there staring at me. Hes normally chill but yesterday scared me a lot. does anyone know what the heck is up with Yoshi?

 

[isabelleandpaul]

Maybe something scared him, or he is going through "adolescence" and has hormonal fluctuations? I read that somewhere for males. But I don't know, I have a female!

 

[sunnyvale22]

he's been pretty chill for the last few days. and this only happends when i take him outside. i can't go anywhere with him unless i get that beardie bag in for sale. i'm wondering if the sun upsets him. he's been outside a few times a while ago. but i think it was a really bad day for him.
so far though he's back to his old self. we hung out yesterday and i took him out to play for 30 mins last night before bed time.

 

[Chryss]

I had the same experience and in fact, Alvin jumped out of my hands and started running. I think the open sky scares the crap out of them. So, I have found that if I take him out in a container with a towel over the top until we get to where we are going to sit, he does much better. I made him a cage out of chicken wire so he can't get a way, but still has the full effect of being outdoors and in the grass and nothing can get to him. He still gets a black beard at first, but then settles down after a few minutes.

 

[Denise Bushnell (RIP)]

Was yesterday the first time that Yoshi had ever been outside without his being in a carrier? Is so, then the behavior that you saw is not really all that abnormal.

Many beardies become terribly frightened when you take them outside for the first time, since they are then in a strange environment that is not controlled, and they can get freaked out by nearly anything......a bird flying by, an airplane flying overhead, or loud unfamiliar noises. In some cases, even getting placed down on an unfamiliar surface, such as grass, can set them off.

In the wild, many predators attack them from above, so they are instinctually afraid of anything that flies overhead. One of mine actually swelled up to 3 times his size and went into a full display because a butterfly flew too close to him. Since it was an insect, I was surprised that he didn't try to eat it, but he didn't recognize it as an prey, and was terrified of it.

You have to remember that since beardies don't normally live outside when in captivity, all the different sights and sounds from outside are very threatening to them, especially the first time that they are exposed to them. If you continue to expose Yoshi to the outdoors on a regular basis, and are attentive to his fears, and do everything that you can to make him feel safe, he may eventually enjoy going outside, but it will take some getting used to. Also, be very careful not to put him down anywhere, unless you have a harness on him. Although they are little "couch potatoes" who don't move around much while in their tanks, if you put them down outside, and turn your back, even for just an instant, you would not believe how fast they can disappear on you. They can run very, very fast if they want to, or if something spooks them. Several of our members have actually lost their beardies outside for several days, when they turned their back for only a few seconds. Most of them were eventually found, safe and sound, but its best not to give them the opportunity to take off on you in first place.

 

[Freeie]

We have one Roo she is so frightened of being outside. She was so scared she couldnt even look out a window or see the back sliding door with out freaking out. Took her a few weeks to get over her first time outside That was when she was little now at 13 months shes ok with it but she still hates it.

 

[sunnyvale22]

Yoshi has been outside before on my shoulder while i walked to the store. other times he was on his harness and i took him on a car ride. that day was maybe just a little too bright out for him. also he did try to jump and run away but i had a good hold on him. i may try putting him in a container and taking him outside every now and then so he can get used to it. it's fun when i have people ask me if that thing on my shoulder is real! :lol:

 

[Twobeardieguy]

Yep I get that a lot and it is great! :lol: