help on handling a beardie...

[DeesBalls]

my beardie hates me.. lol everytime i try to pick him up, he runs crazy away from me.. and it takes me a good 10-15 min. to finally be able to pick him up. he will open his mouth and hiss at me, but its more cute than intimidating lol... now...

are beardies like snakes? if they bit, just let them...?
or should i not pick him up if he is hissing at me....?
how can i hold them if he is sooooo damn jumpy ?

thanks for all advice!

[stephanbakir]

When i want to get an animal to tolerate me i do it slowly over time.
NEVER chase an animal down to catch it, especially not for 15 minutes... Lets say you chase the animal down and catch it, its going to do 1 of 2 things, its either going to try and get away or play dead, if that's your goal go for it but you will forever be chasing it down.

I personally place my arm in the terrarium in their visual line of sight and leave it there for an hour or so while reading, after a week of this once a day i move my arm closer, after a week i feed them close to my hand, after a week or so i feed them from my hand etc.
Again i only have experience with monitors and curly tails but that's my 2c

[DeesBalls]

When i want to get an animal to tolerate me i do it slowly over time.
NEVER chase an animal down to catch it, especially not for 15 minutes... Lets say you chase the animal down and catch it, its going to do 1 of 2 things, its either going to try and get away or play dead, if that's your goal go for it but you will forever be chasing it down.

I personally place my arm in the terrarium in their visual line of sight and leave it there for an hour or so while reading, after a week of this once a day i move my arm closer, after a week i feed them close to my hand, after a week or so i feed them from my hand etc.
Again i only have experience with monitors and curly tails but that's my 2c

thanks, ill try that tomorrow as i read for school. and i was exaggerating too, it was only about 5-6 min. not 15. but once i get him he seems calm, is this bc hes scared? or what?

[stephanbakir]

I would have to look at him to tell, try looking at him from across the room for a while and watch his breathing, then again once you hold him and try to notice changes.

This wont tell you 100% but it will give you an idea. Give it time and be patient.

[Lankyrob]

Our frilled lizard was like that - running and hissing, flaring her frill the full display. Rather than chasing her around her viv we developed quicker reflexes so that whilst she was in her first position (frilled and hissing) we quickly picked her up (after this stage is the running stage and you never would catch her). For a while the hissing and flaring would continue for a few minutes but we wouldnt put her back in her viv until she calmed down - once holding gentle rubbing between the eyes is a good way to relax beardies, small monitors and frilled dragons (and probalbly others but only personally experienced these three). Now she puts on a pathetic show that has now agression or attitude to it and she will walk onto our hands whilst still hissing and frilling - almost like she thinks she ought to be angry but cant be bothered!

Remember most young lizards are prey items in the wild so they see pretty much everything as a threat - like snakes he will get used to you and calm down as he move up the food table and gets bigger.

[stephanbakir]

Also, front opening terrariums are what i use for the lil lizards, i prefer them because your not "coming down" on the lil guys and your more at their level. I'm not 100% sure that it helps but i believe it does.

[DeesBalls]

Our frilled lizard was like that - running and hissing, flaring her frill the full display. Rather than chasing her around her viv we developed quicker reflexes so that whilst she was in her first position (frilled and hissing) we quickly picked her up (after this stage is the running stage and you never would catch her). For a while the hissing and flaring would continue for a few minutes but we wouldnt put her back in her viv until she calmed down - once holding gentle rubbing between the eyes is a good way to relax beardies, small monitors and frilled dragons (and probalbly others but only personally experienced these three). Now she puts on a pathetic show that has now agression or attitude to it and she will walk onto our hands whilst still hissing and frilling - almost like she thinks she ought to be angry but cant be bothered!

Remember most young lizards are prey items in the wild so they see pretty much everything as a threat - like snakes he will get used to you and calm down as he move up the food table and gets bigger.

thanks, when she was hissing at me with her mouth open, i rubbed he head, between they eyes and she laid down and shut her eyes... what does that indicate, i htought of it as a submissive gesture, i then was able to pick her up a lil easier..


** i dont know if it is a he or a she, so i appologize for using both terms, i only have 1 beardie... ***

[Lankyrob]

There is research (which if i can find i will post) showing that lots if not all lizards have a "third eye" in the top of their heads that if it is stimulated puts them into a mild trance like state. They become very relaxed and lethargic and there is no indication that this harms them in any way - both my lizards "love" it and our monitor will actually push his head against your hand "asking" to be rubbed. (apologies for the antrhopomorphism's but its the easiest way to explain)

[DeesBalls]

There is research (which if i can find i will post) showing that lots if not all lizards have a "third eye" in the top of their heads that if it is stimulated puts them into a mild trance like state. They become very relaxed and lethargic and there is no indication that this harms them in any way - both my lizards "love" it and our monitor will actually push his head against your hand "asking" to be rubbed. (apologies for the antrhopomorphism's but its the easiest way to explain)

thanks for that Rob, he really seems to enjoy it!! today i got to hand feed him some greens. im going to keep doing this until he trusts me enought to pick him up.

[mistersprinkles]

It's probably stressed for some reason it's not really a very mean species of lizard. Mine walks on to my hand by himself. He likes it when you rub his chin or his tummy and he falls asleep in my hand on his side. Yours will be like that too.

[mistersprinkles]

Also this is going to sound a bit stupid but have you tried communicating with your lizard?

(ridicule shields up)

It first occured to me a few years ago that maybe animals were trying to talk to people the same way people speak to animals like they understand. So, I started to pay attention to the way certain animals acted, starting with squirrels and raccoons. On the first night I had a wild raccoon eating out of my hand. I was soon able to pet that raccoon and it spent a lot of time in my back yard. A squirrel in my back yard became so trusting that it would jump infront of me on my way out in the morning and ask for food and would even come inside the house and look in the fridge and take things.

So far with my bearded dragon I've noticed that direct eye contact followed by closing eyes for a few seconds then opening them again means I trust you (like with a bird). Leaning the head away and looking up is a sign of submissiveness, Trying to make yourself taller is a bit threatening, puffing your face up is threatening.

After I spoke some lizard with my lizard and mimicked him when he was eating crickets he pretty much looked at me like a lizard. He's much more trusting now. He was never flighty but you can tell he really trusts me now.

[DeesBalls]

Also this is going to sound a bit stupid but have you tried communicating with your lizard?

(ridicule shields up)

It first occured to me a few years ago that maybe animals were trying to talk to people the same way people speak to animals like they understand. So, I started to pay attention to the way certain animals acted, starting with squirrels and raccoons. On the first night I had a wild raccoon eating out of my hand. I was soon able to pet that raccoon and it spent a lot of time in my back yard. A squirrel in my back yard became so trusting that it would jump infront of me on my way out in the morning and ask for food and would even come inside the house and look in the fridge and take things.

So far with my bearded dragon I've noticed that direct eye contact followed by closing eyes for a few seconds then opening them again means I trust you (like with a bird). Leaning the head away and looking up is a sign of submissiveness, Trying to make yourself taller is a bit threatening, puffing your face up is threatening.

After I spoke some lizard with my lizard and mimicked him when he was eating crickets he pretty much looked at me like a lizard. He's much more trusting now. He was never flighty but you can tell he really trusts me now.

Sounds crazy, but it just might work!!! lol.. i do believe this as well.

he is still very skittish, i have started to feed him his greens a lil by hand. is there any "treats" i can use to train him?

[mistersprinkles]

I don't think you can train something that can't think. Once it's convinced that you're a giant deformed bearded dragon that means it no harm you'll be good. That's the main thing.

[DeesBalls]

I don't think you can train something that can't think. Once it's convinced that you're a giant deformed bearded dragon that means it no harm you'll be good. That's the main thing.

LOL thanks, i didint mean, actually train it, but make it think that ... when he sees me, he gets food, therefor he would "trust" me.. lol i dont konw.

[mistersprinkles]

That'll work too.