Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone had a dragon that is scared out of it's mind of you? I'm trying to get him to eat mealworms from my fingers,but no luck. I also try to put one finger under his chest slowly but he always scatters. Will he ever tame down,the reason I got a dragon was to be able to hold it. Do adult dragons calm down?

Dragons do calm down eventually. Don't expect a little baby 6 week old dragon that is in a new home to be instantly puppy tame. Each dragon is also an individual, some calm down faster than others and some never calm down enough to be held.

As your dragon is new to you, your first concern should be to ensure it establishes well in his new home. That he eats all he needs to, is healthy and thrives. After he is growing and eating well, then worry about 'taming' him down so he is relaxed when you are in the room and have the cage open. Baby dragons assume anything bigger than they are will eat them.

Mealworms are also not a really good food source for dragons, better to offer phoenix worms, small silkworms, butterworms or small hornworms (though i wouldn't bother with these, as hornworms grow so fast, its hard to get them small and to have them small for more than a day or two).

Start by just lightly tossing a worm or cricket near the dragon. When he eats it, toss another one a bit closer to you and lead him towards you this way. It may take several tries spread over several days to get him to follow the 'worm trail' to your hand and take food out of your hand. Be patient and use short sessions, so you don't over stress your dragon. Taking to your dragon in a soft voice gets them used to you as well. Approaching him from the same level as he is, or lower, will also help keep from scaring him. Dragons fear anything that comes down at them from above, but from the side on an equal level or lower, they tend to be less weary. Always move slowly and if the dragon runs, don't 'chase' after it with your hand. This will only enforce the 'being pursued' feelings in your dragon.

It can take months or even years for a dragon to calm down to its owner and accept handling for more than a few minutes. Babies tend to go in phases...start off trusting then around 6-8 months go right back into running away as soon as you come near. By a year old they tend to grow out of this stage and are more calm. Just be patient, keep handling to a minimum and learn to 'read' your dragon's state.

If your dragon ends up biting, don't let biting stop you from picking him up for short times...though at a young age such as 6 weeks old, I think it is more important to get him eating regularly and make sure all husbandry needs are met, than worrying about handling him and possibility stressing him out into not eating and/or weakening his immunity system causing other issues, like parasite flare ups.
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PHLdyPayne