Hello! I recently purchased a bearded dragon from a pet store in May of 2018. He was tiny but seems to be full grown, I’m unsure of his age. I’m assuming so since he definitely isn’t shedding as much as he used to. And I made the mistake of not handling him much when he was younger. He was naturally skittish and I didn’t want to scare him with the handling.
Now that he’s much larger, I wanted to take him out and let him explore. I really want to put him on a leash and let him explore the outdoors when the weather is nice enough. Sadly, he doesn’t really seem to like anything that I do. I’ll take him out for a few minutes, and put him back every couple days. But it isn’t as easy or calm as it sounds.
Picking him up makes him a little skittish. I scoop my hands under him and make sure everything is supported. I have small hands and he’s large so it’s a bit tough to do comfortably. When he’s out and about he seems to be enjoying himself. He’s calm. I just lie next to him and pet him occasionally with soft strokes on the head. He will close his eyes slowly when that happens. I thought that meant he was content, like with cats. He does stare at me almost the whole time though. He’ll eat out of his viv and I associated that with being calm as well. But when I go to put him back, his major freak out begins. I’ll pick him up the same way, and he’ll flail and try to escape my hands.
What’s the best way to show him that I don’t want to cause him any harm and to help him learn that leaving the viv isn’t a bad thing? Any tips will help. Thanks! Attached is a photo of him. His name is Nibbler.
Now that he’s much larger, I wanted to take him out and let him explore. I really want to put him on a leash and let him explore the outdoors when the weather is nice enough. Sadly, he doesn’t really seem to like anything that I do. I’ll take him out for a few minutes, and put him back every couple days. But it isn’t as easy or calm as it sounds.
Picking him up makes him a little skittish. I scoop my hands under him and make sure everything is supported. I have small hands and he’s large so it’s a bit tough to do comfortably. When he’s out and about he seems to be enjoying himself. He’s calm. I just lie next to him and pet him occasionally with soft strokes on the head. He will close his eyes slowly when that happens. I thought that meant he was content, like with cats. He does stare at me almost the whole time though. He’ll eat out of his viv and I associated that with being calm as well. But when I go to put him back, his major freak out begins. I’ll pick him up the same way, and he’ll flail and try to escape my hands.
What’s the best way to show him that I don’t want to cause him any harm and to help him learn that leaving the viv isn’t a bad thing? Any tips will help. Thanks! Attached is a photo of him. His name is Nibbler.