Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone! I just got a Beardie for xmas, and he is just under 5 months old and way cute My first question is - how often should I handle him, and for how long? I want to handle him enough so that he wont get mean (I was traumatized by my very mean pet iguana when I was younger). When I put my hand in his cage, I get so afraid that he is going to bite me, even though he hasn't tried to so far! But we're getting to know each other better every day. Also, the first few days I had him, he ate fine. Now he hasn't eaten in 2 days. He seemed to digest his food just fine from before. The temp is fine - its about 102 on his basking rock, and 85 on the other side of the cage. I put water drops on his nose and/or mist him until he stops lapping it. He has plenty of greens and veggies, which he doesn't eat. And I try to feed him crickets 2x a day, but I end up taking them all back out because he doesn't eat them and they just start crawling on him. When I do put crickets in the tank, he starts spazzing out and clawing at the glass and running around. He doesn't appear to be sick, is he just stressed from the move?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Michelle

Handle your dragon several times a day for 5-10 minutes. Always pick/scoop him up from the front so he can see you coming. As far as feeding crickets, you could try feeding him in a seperate container or putting the crickets in a slick sided dish/bowl (I use a kitty dish). Most of the crickets will stay inside the dish if it's high enough that they can't scale the sides. It could be that your dragon is wigged out by all the crickets running all over.
Good Luck!
Christy
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Thanks for the info. I try to pick him up from the front, but he just backs away really fast and runs away. Should I keep "chasing" him around the tank, or would that make him more scared?

Try picking him up faster then he can back away..lol If he squirms, (once you have him), I've had luck with cupping my hand over their heads. It's like putting blinders on a horse, it settles mine down right away.
Another good way to hold him is: Put him in the bath for a soak and your hand can be his island, teaching him also to trust you.
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www.classylizard.com
Home of the Classy Lizard Hammock

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