2.5 month old nipping?

[BeardieMama40]

Hello! Newbie here. We have a 2.5 month old Beardie, and we just adore him! We’ve got his tank dialed in, nutrition, he’s eating and pooping well, had a good shed, all good signs. Since we’ve had him - about 10 days - he’s nipped us a handful of times. We’ve stayed calm, not let it stop us from holding him, practiced being extra calm, etc. We come to him from the side vs the top so we don’t feel threatening. Given he’s still young and it’s a completely new environment for him, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and plan to continue working with him and being patient. Otherwise he seems to happily hang out with us for little chunks of time, sits on us, let’s us pet his back and tail (we don’t touch his head as his third eye seems ultra sensitive). My question is - are we going about this correctly? Anything else we should do? We really want him to be as happy as possible and not be biting anyone as he gets bigger. Will he chill out? Open to all experiences and advice!

 

[Bailey]

Hi here are some tips I have for dealing with scared or nervous babies!

For starters, repeatedly trying to handle your scared dragon may stress it out more! Know their limits, if it seems scared or if it bites, put him back and just start with smaller steps; for example, just pet him inside his tank if he is comfortable with that.

Secondly, try holding him inside the enclosure where he can feel more safe and for shorter periods of time. The more comfortable he gets, hold him longer, then try taking him out of the enclosure for a few minutes a day to get him used to being outside of his home. From here, try letting him explore around the house in moderation so he can get used to his surroundings. You'll find he will lick everything to investigate it and this is a good sign.

Lastly, the best way to these babies hearts is hand-feeding. Give him some of his favorite treats from your hands and he will see that you are a friend and not a predator.

Babies tend to be skittish and nervous, so don't get discouraged! Just have patience and he will mellow out as he gets older. Good luck!

OH! Another thing that helped me with my older guy I rescued, I left one of my t-shirts in his enclosure for him to get used to my scent.

 

[BeardieMama40]

Hi here are some tips I have for dealing with scared or nervous babies!

For starters, repeatedly trying to handle your scared dragon may stress it out more! Know their limits, if it seems scared or if it bites, put him back and just start with smaller steps; for example, just pet him inside his tank if he is comfortable with that.

Secondly, try holding him inside the enclosure where he can feel more safe and for shorter periods of time. The more comfortable he gets, hold him longer, then try taking him out of the enclosure for a few minutes a day to get him used to being outside of his home. From here, try letting him explore around the house in moderation so he can get used to his surroundings. You'll find he will lick everything to investigate it and this is a good sign.

Lastly, the best way to these babies hearts is hand-feeding. Give him some of his favorite treats from your hands and he will see that you are a friend and not a predator.

Babies tend to be skittish and nervous, so don't get discouraged! Just have patience and he will mellow out as he gets older. Good luck!

OH! Another thing that helped me with my older guy I rescued, I left one of my t-shirts in his enclosure for him to get used to my scent.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and share these tips! I’ll be trying all of them out immediately And I love the tshirt idea.

 

[Skybug]

Bandit gave you some really goo advice, to add on to his, make sure you have lots of places for him to hide in his enclosure, it’s recommended to have 2-3 hides for a baby beardy, usually it’s recommended when u bring a beardy home to let the acclimate to the enclosure for a month, before you start handling. If u have any more questions let us know

 

[BeardieMama40]

Bandit gave you some really goo advice, to add on to his, make sure you have lots of places for him to hide in his enclosure, it’s recommended to have 2-3 hides for a baby beardy, usually it’s recommended when u bring a beardy home to let the acclimate to the enclosure for a month, before you start handling. If u have any more questions let us know

Thank you!
Question on the hides - if they’re underneath, should you leave them be or is it ok to take them out? For example, if I go to get him out of the tank, and he’s in there or runs in there, just try again later, or? Do you think this will make him feel overall safer?

I hadn’t heard about the 1month timeline - does that mean no handling at all?

 

[Skybug]

Thank you!
Question on the hides - if they’re underneath, should you leave them be or is it ok to take them out? For example, if I go to get him out of the tank, and he’s in there or runs in there, just try again later, or? Do you think this will make him feel overall safer?

I hadn’t heard about the 1month timeline - does that mean no handling at all?

Handling is important, but yes generally you'd want him to acclimate no touching (except hand feeding and petting) for at least 2 weeks, but stick to what bandit said, handle just in the enclosure for now, give him the option to run, this will be a slow process but a rewarding one

 

[BeardieMama40]

Handling is important, but yes generally you'd want him to acclimate no touching (except hand feeding and petting) for at least 2 weeks, but stick to what bandit said, handle just in the enclosure for now, give him the option to run, this will be a slow process but a rewarding one

Thank you!! I really appreciate you taking the time

 

[Bailey]

Thank you!! I really appreciate you taking the time

Yeah my guy nipped at me at first, but now he falls asleep in my bed before lights go out haha, they are so precious!