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New bearded dragon tips

Salsa2012

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
5
Hello!
We just got our bearded dragon a little over a week ago, I think he is about 2 months old. He is very skittish around my son and I and I’m looking for tips to help him calm down and warm up to us. We haven’t tried to hold him since the day we got home because it seems to stress him out when we try, he opens his mouth like he is hissing (no sound though). I have started rubbing under his chin once in a while and he tolerates it but I can tell he is not amused
 

thujone

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
15
Hello!
We just got our bearded dragon a little over a week ago, I think he is about 2 months old. He is very skittish around my son and I and I’m looking for tips to help him calm down and warm up to us. We haven’t tried to hold him since the day we got home because it seems to stress him out when we try, he opens his mouth like he is hissing (no sound though). I have started rubbing under his chin once in a while and he tolerates it but I can tell he is not amused

Yeah it's gonna take some time for him to warm up to you and trust you. That open mouth likely means he's threatening to bite. But I think you should still try to pick him up and hold him at least a few times a day so that you're starting to socialize him and get him used to being handled by humans. You might try just petting him for a while (or however long it takes for him to start relaxing) then when he's comfortable with that, try picking him up and letting him sit on your hand / arm and eventually the shoulder. Once there, just let him chill out there for a while and get used to sitting on you. I don't know how old your son is, but if he's young and gets excited, I can see how that would make the dragon nervous. You might need to get the dragon comfortable with you alone first before allowing your son to come over and join you.
 

Salsa2012

Bearded Dragon Egg
Messages
5
Yeah it's gonna take some time for him to warm up to you and trust you. That open mouth likely means he's threatening to bite. But I think you should still try to pick him up and hold him at least a few times a day so that you're starting to socialize him and get him used to being handled by humans. You might try just petting him for a while (or however long it takes for him to start relaxing) then when he's comfortable with that, try picking him up and letting him sit on your hand / arm and eventually the shoulder. Once there, just let him chill out there for a while and get used to sitting on you. I don't know how old your son is, but if he's young and gets excited, I can see how that would make the dragon nervous. You might need to get the dragon comfortable with you alone first before allowing your son to come over and join you.
Thank you for your advice!
I actually went out of town and got a phone call from my son (8 years old) saying that his bearded dragon has been letting him hold him, he was so excited!
 
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