How to better handle your bearded dragon?

[ARUTLOSJR11]

So, as most on here know by my post count, I am super new to the Bearded Dragon scene. My 7 year old son was gifted a 5 month old beaded dragon that he dubbed "Blue," after one of the velociraptors on Jurassic World, the movie.

As he's 7, I do mostly everything for "Blue" which is just fine by me, as I have grown quite attached to the little guy in just a week of ownership. Since coming onto this forum, I have learned a lot and I think "Blue" is doing quite well. My set up seems perfect, especially for a beginner.

I was told to not handle him much the first week or two, and I have done just that. Additionally, I have allowed my son to touch him only a handful of times, mostly when I feed him crickets (about 35-40 a day), as I do it in a separate container.

"Blue" is very active and is super observant. He loves to climb on his driftwood perch, and bask on his hammock. 100-105 degrees under the basking lamp and 75-80 on the cool side.

Now, as for the "handling"...

I take him out to feed and pet occasionally (since remember this is his first week home). Depending on the position of my hand, he sits there quietly, so long as I'm petting his head and body, When I stop, he wants to climb up my arm (or my son's arm). He's super fast!

I'm guessing that the more I handle him, the more chill he'll become, especially for my son, who I want to eventually take a bigger interest in "Blue."

I hear some are able to sit on the couch and watch TV with their beardy in their lap. I'm sure you are all able to provide your own stories, which I would love to hear.

Advice on how to get him to calm down would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Hdrydr31]

When I got Izzy she was about 4 months old and 31 grams she fit in my hand (not including tail) from the very beginning she was active but not "hyper" she really enjoyed being handled right away (I've always been good with animals, so I can "read" their actions) when she got antsy I put her back in her tank.
I think now that you've got a bit of time under your belt, you are going to be the best judge of how Blue is doing/feeling.
They are VERY fast when they want to be! I think it's important to let your kiddo know that if Blue does start to run off don't grab his/her tail... it's tempting to do when they are scurrying away..Their tails don't regenerate..
What I've done is I have a safe room (one that's escape proof, nothing that they can eat or get into) and I have a basking area with a lamp and rocks she can bask on. At first I just let her run around, and got used to me and the room. This might be a good idea for you and your kiddo that way your son can sit and get to know Blue and Blue get to know your son. That way if s/he jumps off he's already on the floor so injuries are less likely.
Izzy's enclosure is in our living room so we can see her and she can see us and our 3 cats and our dog moving about. They are social critters and do enjoy being held and hanging out on you or your chair...Now there are some Dragons that are little spaz's each are different.
Make sure that when you have her/him out monitor their heat when they start to get cool put them back so that they can warm back up.
Izzy LOVES to lay on my chest during the evening. So what I do is I have a piece of a blanket I lay across my chest safety pinned to it as now as she's over 200grams, then I put on my fleece vest she will poke her head out the top of the zipper and when she's tired she scoots down and falls asleep for the evening. Once I'm getting ready for bed or I got to move around alot I put her under her hide on the cool side of her tank for the night.

hope that helps... as I type this Izzy is fast asleep on my chest..

 

[PatsyB]

When I first got Dexter she was super chill loved playing in her tank and eating everything including fruits and veggies. She loved climbing up my arm and snuggling, even loved trying to climb my head. Since she was so chill I would take her out for brief periods and let her run around. We have cats so I had to make sure the cats were okay with her before I let her run around. We have a front room and dining room that is connected to each other and we can close it off from the kitchen and bathroom where they can get under things. Eventually the couch became her jungle gym and she would run around on it and stay on it until she wanted to sleep. I always checked her and made sure she wasn't getting too cold when she did, she would go back in her tank.

Luci on the other hand was very wild and still is a bit. He never wanted to be held, never wanted to snuggle. Always hissed and bit at my hands when I put them in his tank. He always ran his tank until he got tired. We would let him out and he would just run. I don't know how he got so fat with all that running LOL! He got to a point where he would let me hold him but then would want to get down and run. The past few months he's calmed down with the running in his tank but if I get him out at night and try to get him to sit on my lap or shoulder, he runs away and finds a corner to burry in. Oh and he is 2 years old! I've been dealing with his running for 2 YEARS! He's a real sweetheart though and does give us ends of entertainment and the occasional lizard kiss here and there!

It's fun to own two completely different dragons. Luci eats EVERYTHING and always has. Dexter stopped eating her salads at about a year and a half. It's so interesting not only to see the different personalities but to see the differences between boys and girls.

 

[Hdrydr31]

That is pretty interesting! They really are soo different from eachother. I just love their personalities and quirks I am really getting to know Izzy's moods which are really calm. She really likes to run around the room that I have that is set up so it's safe for her to be in and I know where she will go to when she's tired. I have a rock pile set up with a basking light above it so when she want's to warm up she crawls back up there when she gets cool then all warmed up off she goes again
I am still trying to figure out what kind of veggies she likes.. Kale and collard greens are her fav green.
She is a snuggle dragon at night wanting to come out and nap in my sweatshirt pouch