Introducing bearded dragon to other pets

[Finniscool]

Hey everybody, so Geoffrey is almost 4 years old and the only other animal he’s comfortable being around is our dog, Jake. That’s because he’s been around Jake all his life. But last year we took in a stray cat and she had a kitten so now we have 2 cats and Geoffrey hates them. Whenever he sees them his beard turns black and it takes a while for him to calm down. Whenever Geoff wants to roam the house we have to put the cats in a bedroom. I’ve tried a few times to hold Geoffrey and the Let cats near him to sniff him and he does pretty good. He’ll turn black but he doesn’t try to attack them or run and the cats don’t try to hurt him, they just try to smell him. Does anybody have and good tips to help Geoffrey get used to the cats. Thanks

 

[BeardedDragonDude]

No. Don't get him used to cats. If you somehow get him used to them, which would most likely be impossible, if he ran over to a cat and the cat wanted a small snack, well... Cats are their worst enemy in my opinion, unless you're going to talking about parasites, So, I wouldn't try it. If you risk it and your bearded dragon gets eaten or injured beyond fixing, it's game over. Cats are evil creatures, no offense, but they might seem like they don't want to hurt him, and when you turn your back for a second, he's dead. I mean, I'd feel terrible if my bearded dragon got killed or injured because of my mistake, and trust me, if living on a farm has taught me anything, it's that if the animal gets injured beyond repair, it's not fun to put them down, trust me.

 

[Finniscool]

I get what you mean. But I don’t leave Geoff alone when he’s roaming. By “getting used to the cats” I just meant seeing them and not getting upset. Not actually interacting with them. Like he doesn’t interact with my dog. But he doesn’t mind seeing him walking around.

 

[BeardedDragonDude]

Oh, I thought you meant him being around them. If you want him not to be alarmed by them, I don't think there is really a way, they are his natural predators. Main thing is, even if he doesn't interact with them, if you get him used to the cats, and you let him out and think, oh, I'll let the cats out because he's used to them now, and let him out... I wouldn't risk it. He may not be the one who interacts, but the cats might.

 

[Finniscool]

Thanks for your input. It’s not that big of a hassle to put the cats in a room while he’s out. Geoff only roams the house for about 30 minutes at a time so it’s not like they’re being locked up all day. I was just curious to see if he’d get used to them because he’s not at all scared of a massive bulldog haha. (I make sure jake doesn’t accidentally step on him though)

 

[BeardedDragonDude]

You're welcome! I would bet the reason he's not scared of the dog is because most of the time, dogs aren't going to mess with them, the cats might. Glad I could help!