Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone

I bought a new wooden enclosure yesterday (Love it!) Then I came home last night around 9.30pm and had it set up by 10pm.

BITING
My beardie was sleeping in his other cage that I moved to my bedroom floor... so I woke him up, introduced my hand like always, and when I went to pick him up, he turned around REAL fast to face me. His body flattened out and his mouth opened - he didn't really flash a black beard, but his beard did kinda puff out. He's like 8 inches at 4 months old, so I don't know if that counts for the beard. I used his bath towel to pick him up and then placed him into the new enclosure where he explored before.

QUESTION IS: I've never been bitten by any animal before and I'm not ready to be bitten yet I actually don't ever want to get bit! So, what could I do to have him not do that again? I'm kinda nervous to try and pick him up. I handled him every other day during finals. Please let me know! Thanks

CRICKETS
So, there were two left over crickets in the cage last night right... And then when I went to look in the enclosure at around 1am, one of the crickets was turned upside down... So I figured it was dead. But, a little above the "dead" cricket, there was an ... all white/cream colored w/ no tan or brown at all cricket. It had black eyes, but it's whole body was white everywhere else.

QUESTION IS: Do crickets shed? I never thought they did... If not, do they really have that kinda color?
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Cookie Monster)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Vas-D)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.0.2 Goldfish (Lenny & Carl)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)

Maybe you just surprised him. Beardies are VERY sound sleepers (at least mine is) and one time I reached in to wake him up and while he didn't bite me he went BALLISTIC running around his cage at least 3x b/f smacking into the glass. I'll never do THAT again. As for the crickets, yes they do shed b/c they have what I believe is called an ectoskeleton (correct me if i'm wrong) that does not stretch w/their growth. Also, I heard from this forum that beardies can go through "teen stages" but I wouldn't know cuz my baby is still a little angel...so far.

I probably did surprise him

And, since he's in his new cage, he's been running around like crazy and jumping the wall and hanging on to the vent and the whole middle side of the wooden tank. He hangs on for a while before letting himself fall. What a goof ball!

But, he's nervous and jittery again now that he has a new home. Before he was calm and closed his eyes when I picked him up, now he just runs. I got him on my hand for a couple minutes last night as I held him at the doorway of the cage. But right when I was getting closer to myself, he jumped back into the cage. Those vents are teaching him how to jump! I know I should hold him down like I usually do with a thumb, curled fingers, or other hand, but I was just nervous he was gonna bite me! lol
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Cookie Monster)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Vas-D)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.0.2 Goldfish (Lenny & Carl)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)

I agree...most likely your beardie was startled. I tried to give my little girl a kiss last night before I left her and I guess she wasn't ready and opened her mouth at me. She's 4 mos, and I had just put her in a new enclosure. so with all the changes, she was less than happy to be picked up suddenly and then put to my mouth. Ahhh, mouth! I must be getting eaten, she thinks. So, he probably won't bite you unless you do something AFTER he warns you. Take the warnings an leave him be for a bit if he's grumpy.....you'll not get bit that way....
Jamie
Mommy to Baby Girl

haha she thought she was gonna get eaten that's funny. yeah the last thing she wants to do is be handled with all the new change thank you for the tips!
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Cookie Monster)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Vas-D)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.0.2 Goldfish (Lenny & Carl)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)

Crickets are funny critters, they are. They do shed, kind of like mealworms if I were to compare it to another insect. Or like a cicada. The exoskeleton splits and the climb out, all freshly white/tan/gray and soft! Ick - crickets.

Like they all said, you probably scared him. Although, my Otis is a really, really sound sleeper. He's about a year and a 3 months. I picked him up out of his cage while he was asleep, and he still slept in my hands! I was disappointed, to say the least.

My advice would be not to fear getting bitten. If you do, it shouldn't hurt for too long! But they should display and hiss a lot before biting. Although, I've been lucky enough not to have an aggressive dragon.
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Josh Ellis
My Email
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oOo I never knew they shed. And you know what?? My beardie ATE the crickets shed and one of the crickets that died (unless that was shed too). Not only that, but he ate all the crickets inside when they finally came down from the corner of the walls of the enclosure. Ick, I hate crickets too. TWO OF THEM ESCAPED INTO MY ROOM YESTERDAY AND I WAS SCREAMING!!!! I killed one of them and smashed the hell out of it with my slippers and the other one my mom killed coz she saw it in the bathroom - lol Ahh!! Thank God I'm going for SILKWORMS! lol

Yeah, I probably scared him - shucks! I thought he was gonna sleep in my hands too coz that's what he used to do, but nOoOo, he turned in a flare of defense and warned me to back the $#%K off. I was so scared that I was too nervous to handle him yesterday. He was nervous and jittery too coz he's still getting used to his new enclosure.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it. I'll just go in and scoop him out... Even though I'll be somewhat afraid until he stops being jittery in his new house. I went to this guy's house to buy the wooden enclosure and he was scooping up his animals like it was nothing - even his crested geckos, which were as jittery as mine!!! I never handle mine coz it's so jittery. I did just once though to transfer him to his new cage. WHICH REMINDS ME... MY CRESTIE IS A GIRL!!! and with the size of my cage, he said I could fit more cresties in the cage!! So I'm thinkin of getting another one. LOL and a gargoyle gecko in another cage. LoL But yeah... I'll try to handle again today. Thanks! AND... how long would it hurt for? Would I bleed? bruise? LOL
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Cookie Monster)
1.0.0 Crested Gecko (Vas-D)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.0.2 Goldfish (Lenny & Carl)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)