Why is my baby so jumpy now?!

[ErinIsram]

We have had our beardy now for about 3 weeks. He was very calm but now he’s so jumpy he won’t let us pick him up!!! It’s freaking my 10 year old out that she can’t pick it up! What am I doing to freak it the heck out?!??

 

[KarrieRee]

First of all a dragon is not a childs pet--- they are far to complex w/ their care- where did you get your baby from? Can you please post pics of your tank and set up and your little one? thanks
Karrie

 

[SPandS]

Is it showing signs of aggression? Opening mouth, puffing beard out or anything like that or just active? It is possible someone hurt it? By accident of course. Maybe squeezing too hard or did it jump out of someone's grip and fall? When it's picked up is it fully supported? If they feel like they may fall by not being supported enough they may frighten. Also when it is picked up do you come from above or from the side? They are naturally prey animals to birds so coming from above may be freaking it out.

 

[ErinIsram]

We bought him from pet smart. He was totally fine before but the last couple of days he is so skidish. I am the one who takes care of it the most but it’s very familiar to my very responsible daughter.
No, it doesn’t get aggressive, no puffing or nipping just looks so freaked out...we are very gentle and slow approaching and all that to it. Just not sure why now...

I’m trying to figure out how to post a pic...

 

[KarrieRee]

Please go to top of page user image uploader- upload pics - click on reply on top of message box click on XIMG-- it will post - please post pics of your baby and tank set up- you got him/her from petsmart ? How old is the dragon? If you got advice from Petsmart it was probably bad advice - most of the people do not know what they are talking about unless they themselves are beardie owners-- Did you buy a kit?
Karrie

 

[ErinIsram]

 

[ErinIsram]

 

[CooperDragon]

That setup looks good in general. I like the furniture and setup. You may want to change your UVB light if it's one that came with a kit or dual fixture as those are usually insufficient. Double check surface temps around the tank using an IR temp gun or a couple of digital thermometers with probes to make sure the basking light is producing the proper temps.

Do you see signs of shedding? Usually pale or gray skin that can have a waxy texture to it. If you see any areas like this, then an oncoming shed may have him acting out of sorts. This usually settles down after the shed is done, but shedding is pretty frequent when they're young and growing. I like the Ticats shirt =)

 

[ErinIsram]

Thanks about the set up! We have talked to very many people about dragons and we also have a leopard gecko too.
Her tank gets to 100 degrees and they say 90-110 so I figure that’s perfect! Lol

No shedding, she just shed about a week ago so unless one is coming idk.

Should I just give her space? Or should I try to pick her up even if it means I’m chasing her around the tank to catch her...

 

[KarrieRee]

Ok so he looks young-- what are you feeding him ? Is he eating? What kind of lighting do you have? His basking area should be around 90-105 or so babies like it on the warm side--- the UVB should be inside the tank and should be a long tube Reptisun 10.0 T 5 is best but a T 8 will work or a Arcadia 10.0 T5 - UVB should be around 6-12 inches from basking area- UVB rays like around 12% or higher-- he may be just stressed - mine was 3 months old when we got him and he was stressed out for a while - dubia roaches are a better diet for him dusted w/ calcium d3 5 x per week w/ vitamins 2 x per week - he should be eating 2-3 times per day and about 5-6 dubias or if your feeding crickets around 20-30 or as many as he will eat in like 15 minutes-- 1 dubia = 6 crickets--- greens should be offered daily - mustard and collard greens green beans squash a little fruit added in like apple - mango strawberries blueberries etc no citrus! Substrate looks like reptile carpet? If you want to go to something that you dont haft to change out all the time you could go w/ slated tile cut to tank size or non adhesive floor liner - both can be bought from Home Depot etc... the tile can be cleaned w/ a mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle same w/ the floor liner---
Karrie

 

[KarrieRee]

Keep working w/ him or her -- we had the same problem w/ Hiccup - he would run from us hiss at my daughter he bit her twice but not hard -- he / she is hand shy it sounds like---
Karrie

 

[ErinIsram]

So they is tile underneath the carpet, I just thought the carpet would feel nice for him.

He eats about 10 crickets a day and kale and apples. We love watching him feed, it’s so cute how he chews!!

The lights are less than 6 inches from his hammock but I’ll look into getting a tube uvb light instead of the bulb.

Maybe I’ll just give him space for now...

 

[KarrieRee]

The kale is ok I have heard pros and cons on the kale so I just dont feed mine kale - I give the staple of mustard greens collard greens green beans squash and apple etc and also sweet potato - it keeps them regular and I cook it in the mic and keep in fridge- there is a nutrition list on this website under the feeding board - you might want to check it out- you can put a fleece blanket in his hide they like soft - you can visit this site for beardie accessories pamperedbeardies.com --
Karrie

 

[KarrieRee]

I keep forgetting to say this when replacing the uvb bulb do not put the cover on- leave bulb open for better rays
Karrie

 

[ErinIsram]

Thanks so much for your opinion