Taming juvie bearded dragon

[n1cky83]

I had a look through some threads but couldnt find much,
I wanted to ask the bearded dragon owners how long it took their juvies to get used to beig handled?
I havent had mine long it's 4mths old but i dont think it was handled much before i got it,

It's really not keen on being touched etc, but interacts through the glass with hand waving etc???

i have been picking him up a few times a day just for a couple of mins at a time
am I over doing it???
or should I give him more hides he only has a small log to hide in, but has a natural rock to bask and drift wood to climb.
if anyone has tips or can tell how long it took for theirs to settle it would be great

 

[mike83]

Id like to know answer to this aswell as im thinking of getting a baby Pygmy Bearded Dragon so some info on taming one would be great

 

[AlexN]

with my two beardies, both are 9 weeks old now, one jumps onto my hand and runs up my arm first chance he gets, the other is still very fleety and does not really allow me to pick him up... I have found this, if they avoid you, let them be... if they dont run when you put your hand close, or pat them in their enclosure, then you can put one finger just under their head, and very gently lift upwards, they will usually then grip onto your finger with their front feet, from there you just lift upwards making sure to support their bodies...

Be warned.. young dragons are FAST! jumpy and can be very very skitish.. they can very quickly jump off your hands onto the floor which could do the little guy a lot of damage, or if the fall doesnt do him damage, his speed can make him very hard to catch, this can be a right pain in the bum!

I think it will be different with every lizard, I've found one of mine is very happy to be handled, the other doesnt want a bar of it... they are roughly the same age... (give or take a week) but one of them just is not keen on holds, pats, or me being near him at all really.. the other spends quite a bit of time with me sitting on my arm while im on the internet, or watching tv with me... they do make gorgeous pets, and im sure yours, as with mine, they will come around in time and be more keen on handling...

Alex.

 

[n1cky83]

I can pick mine up with no trouble at all when he's a little sleepy in the morning and late afternoon/evening should i try to handle him more then as he doesnt resist because he's cool, and then he might realise that im not going to hurt him??

 

[caradeller]

ive got a 5 month old beardie..and only just started to handle him in the last month...he is a little skitish but feeds from my hand and runs up when i slide the door open...in the last month he has tamed down well by me having him lie on his back in my hand and ive been rubbing his cheast and neck...he dosent wriggle and i think it relaxs him..

 

[gaz]

They are all different. I have 3, 1 is a lot older and can pick him up anytime without a problem. the younger 2 are the same age as each other, but 1 is twice as big as the other. the bigger one doesnt have a problem being handled, but the smaller is not keen, just starting to come around now, they are about 3 year old.and have been this way since I have had them for nearly the 3 years.

 

[Chris1]

once they start settling it happens quite quickly, i've found while they hate baths at the start, its a good way to make friends,....ur hand/arm suddenly becomes the most comforting they can reach, lol,...

obviously handfeeding is another way to get them to see u in a good light,...

be confident and support all the legs and tail, if u have trouble with that put the beardie against ur chest with a hand over its back,...chill out and watch some telly.

 

[scorps]

get them used to you, by you feeding them give them pats in the cage.

 

[n1cky83]

bump, my dragon is still not settling, is it possible that he may never adjust to handling

 

[n1cky83]

sorry I wrote the wrong age in my original post he's just turned 7mths old and hates being handled, he tolerates a slight stroke on the top of his head, but i can tell by his breathing that he doesnt like it =o(

 

[Lollypop]

Nicky83, u got some really good tips originally. Maybe if u can talk everyone through how you actually interact / pick-up / pat your beardie, the environment he lives in - any cat, rowdy kids etc. , & maybe post a pic (only 'cause I love pics), it might give a clearer picture. And are you at all scared of your beardie, even meaning scared of hurting him?

 

[Renagade]

Id like to know answer to this aswell as im thinking of getting a baby Pygmy Bearded Dragon so some info on taming one would be great

my pygmys hate being handled.

 

[n1cky83]

my tank opens at the top it's not a front opening one, The enclosure is in the lving room , i put it there so he would get used to people walking past and being near his tank, he comes up to the glass when we are around, he doesnt seem to mind that, he did arm wave at the very start but he stopped that a while ago, i'm not scared when i try to handle him, he never even attempts to bite he doesnt even open his mouth at me he just chooses to run away. I have a seven yr old, but i told her she isnt allowed near him until I tame him and the enclosure locks and the keys are away so she cant have done anything to upset him. I try to give him some sort of handling everyday, he knows the food comes from me and eats from tweezers but wont eat directly from my hand, i have tried putting my hand out flat to see if he will hop on but he never does so i try picking him up instead, and we have no cat. so i'm stumped

 

[Dotora]

What the problem seems to be is you are coming down on top of it, the same way that a bird or other hunter would come down on it so the initial fear is understandable. I have a fish tank with my eastern bearded in and at the start it hated me coming in from the top but now its settling down.

It took my eastern about 2 months to fully settle down, still at the moment she is unpredictable, sometimes she will sit on me for hours other times she will just want to walk all over me and go for a walk.

The way I built trust was via hand feeding, my eastern loves mealworms so I started with them, the first hand feed took a while I had my hand out flat for nearly 15 minutes before she took it, she was just looking at it and thinking about the risks I guess, after that she would eat anything out of my hand. Then to counter the fear of me coming from top I would put mealworms in my hand and lean over into the cage once again it took about 5 minutes before she took it but now she will take anything from my hand while in the cage. She how ever is a little cage protective at times and will be quite skitish or agressive but not very often.

Once you have it hand feeding every time you take out the lizard give it a treat, so when ever I take out my bearded I give her 2 - 3 mealworms, so she knows every time I take her out shes going to get something good in return. The only problem I have found with this is every time I stick my hand in the enclosure she thinks I have food and will look at the hand then look at me with love in her eyes lol.

Just hang in there, once they start to calm down it happens very quickly, mine went from being a terror one week to being the loveliest lizard the next.

Hope I helped in some way

 

[n1cky83]

thanks, i was thinking that coming from above might upset him, but over all it's in his best interest that I have a top opening cage so that no one other than myself can access him, I was worried that if I had a front opening enclosure he might be able to run out when i'm accessing the tank.

So i will just have to be patient, i've had him for just over 2mths approx 9weeks, i really hope he comes good because i havent seen any sign of improvement, =o(

 

[Lollypop]

Nicky you know your daughter's capabilities, can you actually trust her to sit, & just sit, with your beardie, while she's watching tele or something? Thought she might have more time than you - just show her how to hold him properly, & putting one hand in front of the other when they climb. My youngest is 6, & copped on last yr - finally - about not squashing their bellies!
If he's not armwaving anymore, he's eating etc, then he's settled in, plus he should be getting to a good size to handle.
If u just happen to've got one of the more 'aloof ones', he'll always tolerate being held - they're not cuddly ever - but he'll certainly give you some joy I reckon.
BTW, love the set-up - is the bulb a combo heat & UV?
Have fun

 

[Colin]

I've heard a chair and a whip work well


back you bearded monster!! back I say!!

 

[Lollypop]

Colin, that's hilarious!!!! Thanks for the laugh:lol:

 

[n1cky83]

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[webcol]

I have a 8 month Eastern Water Dragon, Its really annoying because evertime i try to feed him or open the cage to do anything , he wil just run up to me and start biting my hands! wish i knew a way to fix this