# cant cope with my beardie



## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

i tryed everything but he just gets more and more agressive.now we cant even put a hand in the viv without him goingo for it.he is only about 9 months old.i try all your advices but nothing works.thinking about giving him away but dont want to give up so soon.we only had him for about 5 months.it was never easy though.please help.:sad::help:


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## RNelson (May 29, 2009)

Tryed putting a old piece of clothing with your smell in his viv?


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

is there anyone near to you that could take this little tear away on for a few weks to calm him down ?


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## darloLee (Apr 9, 2009)

a freind of mine is in the same situation and its not getting any better, i think some beardies are just like this full stop. i know alot of beardies will calm after patient handeling but some dont, hope you get it sorted and good luck, 

lee : victory:


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

i tryed with a t-shirt and just come back from holidays, so didnt see him for a week.but it didnt help.i know when he was in the shop he used to attack other ones.im just tired of fighting with him all the time.if we decide to give him away i dont even know who will take him.he is so cute though..


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## ToxicSiren (Aug 8, 2008)

What area are you from as in my signature there is a list of rehomers around the uk, maybe they could help. ASs stated before maybe somone could foster him till hes calmed down....if possible. x


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

iam from skipton, in north yorkshire.we wrer thinking of selling him and getting a couple of babys so we cant start from the begining but what if the same happens?


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## lizardloverrach (Dec 1, 2008)

sorry to hear your having trouble calming him, do you get him out everyday? do you think you are scared of him now so its making things even harder? if so you could try getting someone to foster him see if he calms down.... i would love to help but am obviously too far away!


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Efunia, what do you do when he charges at your hand?

Do you pull your hand away, or do you let him bite you?

I have to admit, my inclination would be (while he's still as small as he is) to let him bite and learn that biting doesn't make the giant monkey go away.

Of course I'd also probably let him grab onto me and pick him up while he was doing it, so that he learns that biting just gets him bodily held until he lets go, and that letting go of me means he gets to sit in an OPEN hand unrestrained, or that he gets to go back in his cage.


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

i did get him out everyday before, but now he wont let me, i dont want to stressed himout even more.i do try, but mostly it ends up i me stroking his head and then he runs of.


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

does it hurts?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

show him who's boss!

humiliate him in front of his friends!

no, seriously... all i an say is to handle him thoughtfully and just get him used to you... it's not like he can rip you arm off or anything but he has to loose some of his fire eventually i would imgine. i would wear him out to a point... try to convince him you aren't a threat... that's all he's doing is reacting to a perceived threat... also the critical time in my experience, is when you first go into his cage... a giant hand is coming at him in his eyes... hand feed him and put your hand in to fiddle around his cage and don't pick him up... minimize him equating your hand with grabbing him all the time... he has to get a little accustom to your hand if it's in there a whole lot... a little at least.

... he's also young... you have plenty of time and young lizards can often stubbornly hold onto that fleeing impulse they are all born with... baby lizards of all kinds can be much more skittish than older examples... and also a fiesty animal o be is showing a healthy survival response... that should subside as it matures...

... i'd have no problem with it's behavior... that's the hobby.... working with lizards... it can be work... this is where experience comes from... you have to outwit the little guy... you're bigger, smarter and i bet you can outlast him! 

... he's just a hard-headed little snot that's all... have fun with it and you will be rewarded with a calm, adult dragon in all his glory... it'll pay off.
... me?... i have taken things like this personally an i'd be darned if a lizard or whatever was going to get the best of me.:lol2:
anyway... others will have some tips i'm sure.


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## lizardloverrach (Dec 1, 2008)

Ssthisto said:


> Efunia, what do you do when he charges at your hand?
> 
> Do you pull your hand away, or do you let him bite you?
> 
> ...


I agree with this, i have a young boa that likes to bite me at the moment, and i am just having to let her and keeping hold so she knows it makes no difference. it dosnt hurt as shes so small just shocks you a bit.


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## ToxicSiren (Aug 8, 2008)

At 9 months his bark will be worsethen his bite lol. He sounds like he is trying to be your boss....dont give in. Show him your no threat but not going anyway. Maybe try hand feed him so he associates you with treats rather then a threat. x


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

Habu good picture, thats what my husband wants to do with him.i tryed and tryed but it doesnt go anywhere.i work a lot and most of the day iam not at home, maybe thats can have something to do with it.i just dont know do i have a patience any more.


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

what about when he hides?sometimes he does it all day, specialy when iam at home.shall i take him out?or leave him to it?he always hides when iam at home..


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## ToxicSiren (Aug 8, 2008)

Where does he hide? As if he has a cave or anything id take it out. x


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

we did but he just bury his head and doesnt move.


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## ToxicSiren (Aug 8, 2008)

Aww bless, really wish we could take him in for you and try sort him out but just cut back on our reptiles as livefood was costing too much. :bash:. For now just try get him out for about 2 mins at a time every night, and build up his time out with you. He will learn one day thet you are boss, not him. Its probably wont help at the mo as he will be reaching sexual maturity so will be moody anyway. x


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## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

what is he like with food? maybe u should challeging the lizard with food like if he likes it soo much get him out but also show the food so he is a bit fixed on both so he got to pick and most lizard may get sick of the same thing like hands and i know mine loves food and wont turn it down, so try feeding outside the viv. put a fast cricket on the floor anf make the lixard run.


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

would it help if we would get him a female?


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## thecricketkiller (Mar 27, 2009)

efunia said:


> would it help if we would get him a female?


nope that makes males go crazy to be honest.


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

does anybody wants to buy a bearded dragon then??


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## zoe6660 (Jun 3, 2007)

efunia said:


> does anybody wants to buy a bearded dragon then??


i would love a challeging of a BD but i think u too far, good luck i think u should work a bit more and if u think u tryed it all and know 100% then sell.


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## reptiles_galore (Aug 13, 2008)

Sorry to hear it. some are like this it depends if the breeder handled them at all i believe. this is why we try to handle all our hatchlings after a few weeks.

good luck with your future choice

Dave


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

do you think they will take him back to the shop?well to a diffrent shop..as the one i got him from was closed down


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## ToxicSiren (Aug 8, 2008)

Try Tyranosaurus Pets in Kirkstall Leeds, they should help. x


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

he can be a display lizard at the least... i'm american so if working with him and handling him doesn't get his co-operation... we'd consider waterboarding him maybe... or at least threatening to... then you have several stress positions we might try... haha! just fooling.

... if you can't manage with him at least you can find a good keeper that would have him... believe me, you could have way worse problems...*cough!*:lol2:


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

thank you for all your replies, i will give him few more weeks..propably..and then..will see.thanx again..x


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## jarvis and charlie (Mar 27, 2009)

just stick with him a pet is a challenge good bad and ugly too easy to just sell


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## Dynamos Dragons (May 23, 2009)

Hmmm some good points and tips have been raised here! 

Firstly where is your set up kept? (on floor or on a stand)
Some males do tend to become aggressive as they sexualy mature but remember Beardies are teritorial so his viv is HIS HOME any intruders will be bitten, so try letting him out into unfamiliar teritory before picking him up. My male was very aggressive from the start but i stuck with it and he eventually calmed down, i did however get mine a female which he loves a lot:flrt: (so much so that he pesters her for "it" all the time) If you do decide to get a female you must bare in mind that at some point you may and probably will have to separate them, which meens 2 vivs, have you the space? Mine get on great, still do but they had to be separated due to her falling gravid:gasp: and needing a rest from her sex pest fella etc.
Another thing you can try is to pick him up as he is falling asleep, tired and less alert, then gently hold him till he calms and stroke him and his head so he closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep on your chest or leg, leave him asleep for 15 -20 mins and very gently put him back. Over time he should see your not a threat or food and become your cutest friend :flrt:


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## Scarlet_Rain (Jan 16, 2009)

Ssthisto said:


> Efunia, what do you do when he charges at your hand?
> 
> Do you pull your hand away, or do you let him bite you?
> 
> ...


*
I totally agree with Ssthisto!!! good advice!!*


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

i am going to get him a female.i have got 2 vivariums, so if he doesnt like it i can always take her out.if that doesnt work do anybody knows anybody in north yorshire, or west yorkshire who could foster or buy him?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

You'd need to keep the female completely separate for three months to make sure she isn't carrying any parasites or diseases before you could put him in with her, you know... and in that three months, if you persist with teaching him that biting doesn't WORK to make you go away, you'd probably have a tame, handleable beardie WITHOUT introducing him to a female to get even stroppier about.

Has he actually BITTEN you or does he just charge at you mouth open? If he just charges, he might not even bite you at all - it could be bluff, and every time you pull away you're teaching him that charging at you showing off his teeth makes you go away.

If you really want someone to "lodge" him for a little while and get him into the idea that biting doesn't mean he gets his way, I could probably spare space for his vivarium and use a plug socket or two for a few weeks as long as his feed bill is covered. I'm not at all interested in *owning* a beardie, but having been charged by monitors and tegus, a beardie bite really doesn't worry me much.


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

thankyou for advice and support on this but we have had lots of help from a wide range of ideas all good so we going to take heed of that and try and try,already today he was sulking and hiding so i dug him out stroked his head for a while and then sat with him on floor put him back in viv and looks in good fettle running about standing in strange positions and being a happy dragon,but thanks for everything will keep you posted


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## efunia (Mar 15, 2009)

i put some new pictures on.you can see how gorgeous he is.even running about on the flore.he didnt do that for ages.hope he will do it again..thanx


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## Simone1989 (Jan 14, 2009)

My beardie gets a bit aggressive now and then but has only bit me once because he knows I wont back down! My friend hand fed her beardie and it got to the point that the beardie related her hand to food and used to charge her...I wouldn't give up I would make the little git stay in my hand and if he tries to get away hold him firmer and if her bites you hold him longer...be persistant as it sounds like he's got you wrapped around his finger to me!


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## stevenw (Feb 28, 2009)

have you tried feeding him with a pair of prongs ?

my beardie started being a little aggressive and i tamed it with food i stopped letting it hunt for a while and hand fed every piece .. after a week or so she has tamed fine now .. no flaring , no aggression ..she is now 8 months and never bites anyone now my daughter who is 5 can now pickup and stroke her and she just sits there 

may help . . .


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