Handling Bearded Dragons??

[Arthropimp]

I just bought a baby bearded dragon about 3 or so months ago.
It's pretty big now and I was wondering when is a good time to start handling them. I've tried to handle mine and it wriggles and flares up it's beard and hisses so i get the picture that he doesn't like it. I've read about the calm temperment of bearded dragons and i'm wondering why mine doesn't exhibit the same temperment. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Thomas]

keep trying, just let him roll and he'll calm down

[Arthropimp]

thanks, i'll try that, i was just afraid that that would traumatize him.

[geckoguy157]

it should ne fine there a very hardy lizard i had a male like that and he eventualy calmed downhe dosent bite or hiss anymore you just have to be very patient with it it wont calm down over night just make it feal safe when your holding it and it should calm down

[geckoguy157]

how old is it ?

[Arthropimp]

i don't really know for sure how old he is, i've had him for about 3 months and when i got him he eas just a baby, now my friend said he's the size of a sub-adult.(about 14 inches head-to-tail)

[Arthropimp]

Another question. I'm not sure if mine's a male or female, is there a way to tell ???

[burmer]

With my dragons, I've noticed that the larger they got the more they accepted handling. My male is three years old now and seems easier to handle each year. He will sit on my shoulder for hours now. When he was younger he was never nippy just a little flighty. Keep working with yours and it will be just fine.

[Arthropimp]

thanks for the help

[eyespy]

Just be gentle and persistent and your beardie should warm up to you fairly easily. Handfeeding is a great bonding experience too. I start handling my beardies immediately upon hatching for a few minutes, or if it's one I bought from a breeder I let him settle in for a few days and then start the taming process right away.

[Dragon_Slave]

Handfeeding is a very neat experience to help your dragon calm down. My first dragon was 7 inches long when I got him and he liked to flare out and hiss at me also. I just kept handling him everyday and soon enough he calmed down and was just a little angel. Also, some dragons grow quicker than others. Some have dragons that are a year old and only 14 inches long... and then I have a male that is 8 months old and 18 inches long, it all really depends on genetics. As far as sexing your dragon goes... go to http://www.dachiu.com and click on Sexing your dragon. If it is 14 inches long then it should be ok to make a pretty good guess. Though some dragons are tougher to sex than others. Good luck!