When were you really able to handle your BD?

[ashley7988]

I'm wondering when everyone was able to pick up their BD without them jumping and zipping everywhere. Draco has only jumped once about 4 inches on the counter and I was able to pick him up right away. Today he was hanging out in my hand calmly and tried to zip up my arm, which is fine but I'm nervous about him jumping down or running down and zooming off somewhere. I just want him to stay safe and right now he's insanely fast. He loves being in my hand and checking things out.. So much that I've even had to force him to stay in his enclosure, everytime I tried to put him in there he wouldn't let my hand go. I'm just overly paranoid cuz he's so tiny.

 

[Noella]

I got mine when she was a juvenile. She's very clingy and won't go on anyone else much. She cuddles up to my voicebox and wedges herself there.

I've been handling mine. You might try a small enclosed space for him to roam around. They seem to have a lot of energy when they're babies.

 

[Lemonpie]

I was able to handle mine the day I brought him home at 6 weeks as the breeder and has family handled them regularly so he was very calm. He did get hyper on occasion though, which they also do when they have to go potty. At about 4 months they get a lot heavier which slows them down as they feel the pull of gravity significantly more and realize they can no longer hop agilely or hang upside down from one foot. I keep mine on my bed so he can roam within reach. He jumped off twice under my boyfriend's supervision but he landed in a pile of clothes the one time and the other I managed to catch him mid-air on his way down so he was never hurt at all (thankfully). I still watch him closely as he is extremely curious but he tends not to stray vary far for the most part.

 

[ashley7988]

He'll let me handle him as well but he's just so fast! I'm actually looking forward to him getting bigger and slower He usually sits still on the way to the soak then for some reason after he poops and I take him out of his soak thats when he wants to zoom... Maybe he's like my dog.. after my dog poops he comes inside and goes CRAZY!! haha

 

[Noella]

Allie will 'fall off the bed' by accident so I started putting piles of clothes and pillows to catch her if she fell off my bed. Sometimes, she'll stop and look around before making the fall. She'll sit on my bed when I tell not to move when I turn my back to her to clean her tank after pooping. She's just funny because she'll sit there and watch me clean her tank or shake some crickets into a container for her to eat. She watches every little move I make.

 

[ashley7988]

Draco watches me too! When I put food in his tank he tilts his head and stares at me. As soon as I walk up to his tank he does the same thing. I can't go near him without him watching my every move =P

They're very observant little creatures!

 

[PatsyB]

Dexter's our first so it took a few months for her to get used to us handling her and for us to get used to her. Now I can't get her off of me! When I get home from work I will just "velcro" her to my sweater and she will climb to my shoulder while I do stuff around the house. She's usually real good at sitting still and watching her surroundings but like Lemonpie said, when she starts to a little hyper it means she needs to poop. It's funny how you learn to decipher what they want.

 

[ashley7988]

I definitely think its gonna take a few months here too. I'm still getting used to trying to pick him up. When I picked him up today he was very calm. I wish he would be as calm on me as he is in his tank. He's getting better though and so am I =) I'm still getting used to a lizard running up my arm =P He's the first lizard I've ever handled.

 

[PatsyB]

You get used to it very fast! The best thing is when Dexter crawls up my arm and nuzzles in my neck. The other day she was on the back of the couch and charged up my arm and climbed up my head, that was a little freaky! Her nails are real sharp so I started wearing a sweater when I hold her because she scratches me all up.

 

[ashley7988]

Haha awwww I can't wait till Draco nuzzles on me! A sweater sounds like a good idea! Draco is a baby right now so his nails aren't that bad but they are super sharp... By the time he's an adult those things are going to be killer. I don't know about the head thing, I think I would just have to breath real slow and I'd be good cuz it would freak me out a little. We're definitely bonding and he's starting to trust me. I can put my hand in there and pet him any time and he closes his eyes and chills out. I'm still going to wait till he gets bigger to let him roam though... he's too small and too fast and who knows where he would end up so I'm still only handling him for a few moments at a time but I'm sure we're be able to change that soon!

 

[PatsyB]

Dexter is about 5 months old and her nails seem to get sharper every day. We have 3 cats and we trim their nails so we are hoping when she gets older we will be able to do hers too.

I found with Dexter she learned to bond at bath time. She is so afraid of water that as soon as she poops I take her out and put her on my shoulder and that's when she nuzzles my neck, it's like a safety thing for her.

 

[ashley7988]

That's a really good idea. Draco absolutely despises bath time. He is always trying to get away from water. I'll try putting him on my shoulder after bath time tomorrow.

 

[Noella]

Mine nuzzles to my neck and tries to burrow. I swear if she could, she'd be literally living in my neck, poking her head out like a twin. LOL! If I let her of course, which I do anyway!

 

[ashley7988]

I guess I need to just loosen up and see how he reacts! I'm always too scared he's gonna jump to the ground and run away

 

[Ozzie&Dino]

I just put Dino (when he wasn't in Brumation) on my chest and he stayed there and Keena is just 7 weeks old or maybe 8 weeks by now ( didn't get an exact DOH) from the breeder. But she is calm as can be and will sit very still on my hand but they say the more you handle them the more calm and tamer they will be. I handle Keena at least twice a day but at the same time if I had a jumper I would hold them over a soft object and low to the ground if they did jump. At Keena's age shes too small for a harness yet but her and Dino will be wearing one.

 

[ashley7988]

I'm going to get a harness for Draco as well when he's big enough. I've only been handling him for bath time since I just got him Thursday but he seems to be fully adjusted so tomorrow after bath time I'll let him hang out with me for a little while and see how he does. He looks like he's about to shed.. his tail shed a couple days ago bit now his body looks really dull so maybe thats contributing to his craziness.

 

[Noella]

When I got Allie as a juvenile, she used to jump all the time. I'd put her on the floor and it was like seeing an excited, happy toddler, leaping across the floor to get where ever she wanted to. Boy, she'd run all the way to the sliding glass window and sit there looking out for the whole time she was out of her tank.

Now she's got Tank Fever and can't wait to get out and smell the air with her tongue.

 

[PatsyB]

When I put Dexter on the floor she will just sit and take in her surroundings and focus on one area. The next time I put her down she will take off to explore that area! I have to really watch her because once she gets going, she is fast and I have 3 cats!

 

[ashley7988]

I have a dog but today he didn't bother him. After his bath today I kept him out, sat down on the floor and just hung out with him. He didn't jump, move, or anything! He just sat contently on my arm and kept looking around. Granted, he did poop twice in his bath so maybe he was finally feeling relief! haha

I even took a picture of him just hanging out. I kept him out with me for about 20 minutes after his 30 minute soak

 

[PatsyB]

Awe, he really is a cutie. See when you just give him time he will get used to you! I'm so jealous you were able to do a 30 min bath. Dexter can maybe tolerate it for about 10 minutes and then completely freaks out!