Worried I’m not handling enough.

[KelceyMaeraei]

So we’ve had him or her for about a month and a half. I don’t handle every day and sometimes when I try to he/she opens his/her mouth to bite me. He/she is about 10 inches now. I really want to make sure he/she is tame, but I have two small children (1 and 4) and I worry they’ll scare him/her.
Should I pick him/her up even though he/she wants to bite? Any advice on being a beardie mama and a human mama?
Thanks!

 

[sparkybeardyandme]

With your lizard baby I would suggest a really good trick. Take a t-shirt of yours that you have warn and place it in his/her viv. This then gets them used to your smell and starts the bonding process. Then I would start out small, with hand feeding daily. This is a great way to bond with your dragon. You can either start out using tweezers or place a little bit on the palm of your hand and place your hand gently in the viv slightly away from the beardie so it's on his/her own terms if they approach. Once she/he is comfortable with this then you can start to move further towards petting and lifting him/her out of the viv. Small steps and persistence are key.

With regards to your human babies. I would obviously put off handling until they are a little bit older and these aggressive behaviors have completely stopped. But what you could do with the 4 year old is let them help with her care if they're interested in her. They can help tear up some salad leaves or something and then watch her/him eating. Something that allows them to feel involved but at a safe distance for both of them.

Hope this helps