Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys! I'm expecting 2 adult beardies in the mail this week. I picked up Bindy myself, so I've had no experience with this. He's sending them overnight FedEx.

What should I expect? Are they going to be traumatized? Should I handle them right away, or leave them alone? Will they want food right away? I know these are kinda dumb questions, as "every beardie is different..." yada yada yada...I guess I'm just looking for advice from anyone who has had beardies come to them in the mail.

Thanks, guys!
Niddy

i had one come in the mail from dragons4you.i didnt hold him for about a week i put him right into his cage. i put some veggies in and some crickets.everything was gone in about 20 min. but i try to avoid holding them until they are used to the habitat.then slowly start to hold him a little everyday and after a wekk i hold him when ever. but like u said. ALL DRAGONS ARE DIFFERENT YADA YADA YADA.good luck tho.

I guess you and I are in the same boat here...only difference is mine is a baby...I do have the same ?'s that you do though..so they are not dumb questions!!good luck to you!!!

Being shipped is traumatic and stressful for any animal. Make sure you have their separate homes all set up before they arrive. Once they do arrive, get them out of the box and into their new home as soon as possible. Offer water as they could be dehydrated from shipping. Put them into their tank (give water via eye dropper, misting etc) and let them warm up again. You can offer some greens/insects and see if they eat.

After that, just leave them alone completely. Don't look at them etc, and try and keep things calm in the area they are housed. This will allow them to relax into their new home without worrying about all the activity outside the cage.

Feed them normally the following day and pretty much repeat to your dragon is active and eating well without any signs of stress. (bars on the stomach/chest area can indicate stress...but not always). After he has settled in for about 4-7 days, longer for younger dragons or certain individuals, you can start handling them for short periods of time. If they stop eating or otherwise act stressed, stop the handling again for a few days...then go back to handling but spend even less time holding them..

As all dragons are different...your personal observation of your new dragon's behavior and changes in behavior, will be an indication on what is too much handling etc.
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PHLdyPayne

First off, I've never received any shipments of reptiles, but, I feel that my 30-plus yrs of successful reptile keeping qualifies me to give my 2 cents' worth. Haha!!

Shipping is traumatic, has to be. Imagine going from a 2 x 4 cage to an 18in x 18in box without windows, not knowing what's causing all the commotion, shaking, etc...

Place them in their new cage ASAP. If you're receiving a pair that was housed together beforehand, and/or shipped together, put them together in a cage, they'll comfort each other.

Reptiles shipped during the summer months encounter high heat, which causes dehydration. ]

Offer plenty of water ASAP.

Sometimes reptiles have purposefully not been fed a day or two prior to shipping.

Offer a few prey items & greens an hour or so after placing them in their new cage. If they take it, great, if they don't, remove the live prey & try again a few hours later or the next day.

Some people say to leave them alone for a week or so but I respectfully disagree. Dragons are social creatures, regardless of what Tracie says (Hahaha!!!). (PHLdyPayne, I hope your name's not Tracie because I'm not talking about you. ) There is a dividing line, though. A little bit of interaction is beneficial but too much can stress them further. I do recommend giving them a little timeout from a few hours to a day, at first.

For adults, hopefully, their previous owner interacted with them. They'll get some comfort from a little bit of interaction from you. A touch or two here & there, a few minutes of handling here & there, should be fine, and most likely, beneficial.

For babies, you've got to consider that they've probably not had much human interaction so you'll be viewed as a predator. If you don't even so much as look at them or let them see you or feel your touch, you're only going to cause them another round of stress in a week or so when you do begin interaction. Let them see you, watch them. Remember, they're social creatures. If they weren't social creatures they wouldn't make such wonderful, popular, pets, right? Hmmmmmmmmm.....

PHLdyPayne pretty much nailed it with "As all dragons are different...your personal observation of your new dragon's behavior and changes in behavior, will be an indication on what is too much handling etc..."

You must watch, observe, read, and interpret, their actions & reactions and adjust accordingly. This is the overall secret to successful keeping of any animal.

Hope all goes well!

Have a good one!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American