Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

My bearded dragon, Luca, is a year old now. He used to head bang every so often, but now, he does it EVERY time my female friend holds him or comes near his cage.

His beard flares up black and he starts banging his head like mad. I can pick him up myself without this reaction. It's only when she approaches him.

I'm afraid of what may happen if i let him stay with her so i always scoop him up really quickly and put him back in his cage.

I have two questions:

1. What do you think would happen if i let her hold him when he was all hyper like that? Is he trying to attack her or mate with her? Different people have told me that this behavior means different things, so i've never been certain.

2. Why only her? I've heard that some species of birds can tell the difference between human males and females and react differently to them. Could bearded dragons be that smart?

Thanks in advance to everyone's input.

Jon Zaremba
http://www.jonzaremba.com

So long as he doesn't appear freaked out, it's probably not a big deal. He could nip her if that's the case, so maybe she should try handling him with gloves for awhile.

Keep nearby to see if he settles down, and look for any "peering" he might do, like tracking her hand movement. I caught my beardie doing that to me when I was trying to help him shed around his toes, and he looked like he was going to move in and bite me. Needless to say, he got a severe tongue-lashing form me, and since then has never done it again.

Also, be aware of anything your girlfriend might be wearing, like clothing or perfume. It might be something as subtle as scent that's getting his attention.
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Dl

Is your friend hot?
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0.0.2 Bearded Dragons(Ziggy and Stardust)
0.1.0 Royal/Ball Python(Not named yet)

AND HOW!!!!

both luca (the dragon) and me (the musician) have great taste!

i really think he knows her because he only behaves this way when he's around her specifically...

thanks,
jon z.