angry beardie!

[Riley]

hey again,

did a search on this but didnt find much the same -

For a few weeks; every time i put my hand out to pat or hold one of my beardies (I've seperated them) he opens his mouth really wide, threatening to bite me (which i dont mind if he does coz i wanna see what its like ) and then when i pick him up he runs away non stop until i get him and then he trys hes hardest to get away from me. somtimes, after i catch him a few times he finally lets me hold him for a minute but thats pretty rare - and i keep doing it but he hasnt improved lol
i also try giving him more food and then picking him up but that doesnt help..

he's about 8 months old now and was the dominant male so i had to seperate them.. the other ones fine with letting me pick him up but yeah..

what should i do to make him fine with being on your shoulder and letting u handle him etc??
heres some pics too - (he usually opens his mouth heaps wider btw )

any info would be really good!!

thanks,

Riley

 

[wopotumo]

Try handling him when his body temp is a bit coller and he might be nicer and get use to it. They tend to be more alert, faster, and more likely to bite you when they are hot.

 

[TheBoga]

Hey Riley, my beardies the same, I don't think it's due to breeding season as he was cranky a few months back.
He just isn't interested in me picking him up, he lets me give him a "scratch" under the chin etc, but if I go to pick him up he runs off. He likes to interact with me when he's in his tank, he comes up to see me and follows me up and down but just doesn't want to be handled.

I know of others who's Beardies don't want to be handled much. Might be due to how much they were handled from the start, I really don't know.

 

[TheBoga]

Nice looking Beardy you've got there too.

 

[Duke]

Let me just say that you're mad if you want to be bitten.

Their teeth are razor sharp. I've twice been bitten. Last time wasn't so bad. The first time one got a really good chunk of my finger and thrashed with it. I nearly needed stitches.

 

[melgalea]

hehe sounds like your beardy has issues. lol

 

[mysnakesau]

Our little bearded dragon has been rather timid since she came out of brumation. She isn't bitey but wants to runaway which was so unlike her prior to brumating. My daughter is persevering with her though. She is getting better, slowly.

 

[channi]

Sounds like a case of beardie puberty, persist with him and as wopotumo said try handling him when he is cooler, also in the dark is good like just when the lights go out. Good luck with him.

 

[Riley]

thanks for all the replies!! ok ill try all the tips!

hehe sounds like your beardy has issues. lol

lol yeah i reckon!

lol channi yeah i thought itd probably be something like that!

 

[Riley]

bump!

 

[gem_vegemitegirl1]

sounds like he's going through beardy puberty. apparently it usually only lasts a few weeks.

 

[dragon lady]

puberty lasts all season!..lol
handle your dragon 30min after lights out will be calming to it

just as you would a dog...if you show fear ...these animals are no different
& will play on it..lol

luke warm bath often helps as well

offer thstle,rose petals by hand,hand feeding will win over the toughest attitude
d/l

 

[Riley]

thanks gem_vegemitegirl1 and dragon lady!

he goes to sleep pretty quickly after lights go out. i have UVA&B and the basking light on from about 7:30am- 5:30pm. is this too long?
ok ill try giving him a bath.. havent for a while now i think of it.

yeah i hand feed him crickets and vegies heaps but that doesnt help much.. ill try the rose petals.

cheers!

 

[dragon lady]

just make sure any native greens are not sprayed with insecticide

 

[reptalica]

thanks gem_vegemitegirl1 and dragon lady!

he goes to sleep pretty quickly after lights go out. i have UVA&B and the basking light on from about 7:30am- 5:30pm. is this too long?
ok ill try giving him a bath.. havent for a while now i think of it.

yeah i hand feed him crickets and vegies heaps but that doesnt help much.. ill try the rose petals.

cheers!

I believe at this time of the year a 12 on/12 off cycle is the norm. I stand corrected though if this is in fact not the case.

Mine is on at 8 and off at 8 at night.

 

[Sturdy]

the best thing you can do as mentioned before also is ti feed by hand.

the sooner your beardie starts to eat from you hand the better.

he will learn that you bring one of his faviorate hobbies "Food"

an then if your holding him, offer food as well.
he will become more manageable in time.

 

[Chris1]

Kyros 'puberty' only lasted abotu 3 weeks, Kaidas lasted about 2 months,..

just have a giggle and keep handling them as normal, getting bitten doesnt hurt much.

 

[Duke]

the best thing you can do as mentioned before also is ti feed by hand.

the sooner your beardie starts to eat from you hand the better.

he will learn that you bring one of his faviorate hobbies "Food"

an then if your holding him, offer food as well.
he will become more manageable in time.

I'm actually scared of that idea.
I try not to let my beardies associate my hand with food.

 

[Tatelina]

Imagine a HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE hand grabbing at you to pick you up and put you on an unstable surface that smelt funny and felt different, and then being moved around....

I'm sure you would get freaked out of your mind and try to get away and show how annoyed and scared you were...

 

[TheBoga]

Well I got my angry beardy out today for some quick basking time in the little sun we've had so far today.

Man he thrashes around when I hold him! I doubt he's ever going to like being handled. He had a good wander around the house too. He's friendly enough, never tries to bite me but really hates being handled, I'll keep working on it.

He's currently trying to escape his 4ft tank, climbing around and pacing up and down, he can't see anything outside the tank but all of a sudden today he wants out.