VERY aggressive bearded dragon - need advice!

[kmj4690]

Hello, I am new to this forum and to bearded dragons in general, so please go easy on me if I ask any silly questions!

My brother adopted a female, 3 year old bearded dragon a few months ago. She is very aggressive and lunges at anything and anyone that walks past her enclosure/looks at her/tries to feed her/anything. She has bit him so now he grabs her neck with some kind of restraining stick whenever he opens to cage (I do not condone him doing this btw) in order to put things in or take things out of her cage. She puffs up, rushes people and hisses. She was owned by a 12 year old before my brother got her and the kid never held her and possibly abused her, judging by how she acts towards humans.

I've decided to take her and try to rehabilitate her. My brother doesn't work with her at all so I'm going to do my best. I have many other animals, including reptiles, but have never cared for a bearded dragon, especially one like this. I am researching this like crazy and will be very patient and understanding with her and will just make sure she has a good and trusting home the rest of her life. I am asking for any and all advice for this situation.

I am also not exaggerating on how brutal she is. My brother fed her a whole live mouse and she ate it without question. I have no idea why he fed her this and it was stupid of him but I can't imagine why a bearded dragon would accept it as food, considering adults are mainly vegetarians.

I am going to pick her up in a few days so any prep advice will be greatly appreciated. I will also update with videos of her actions so you experienced folk can determine the best course to take. I will also continue researching in the meantime. Thanks!

 

[CrazyLeopardGeckoLady]

Alright well live mice aren't too healthy for beardies they are VERY fatty and only recommend for females who just lay eggs and need to put on weight fast
You could try hand feeding her, it would be mainly to gain trust
Talking to her often and getting her used to you being there, as well as covering 3 sides of her tank to make her feel more comfortable
When holding her you should place your hand on the ground and slide it under her belly (of course do this when she is more comfortable with you)
You'll have to bathe her as well so be careful with picking her up, they have a small pin point scale on heir head that can sense shadows from above them and it freaks them out if things are over their head (like hands or red UVB lights at night)

Can we have a picture of her, her temperatures, and the diet she's being fed


-Maisie

 

[kmj4690]

Thank you for the tips. As soon as I get her I will upload pictures. I'm not sure about her temperatures but I know they aren't correct because he keeps her in a makeshift cage that has very little heat source. She is only on lettuce, squash and crickets regularly.

I keep snakes and I am familiar with each end of the enclosure being high and low temps so they can regulate their body temperature - I assume the same goes for bearded dragons? What temperatures are ideal and which type of heating bulb is best to ensure she can absorb calcium? I honestly think she doesn't get enough right now. I've seen a dragon have awful seizures over a lack of calcium and want to make sure she doesn't have to go through that.

 

[Hdrydr31]

I'm glad that you are going to try and rehab her.. Sounds like she was mistreated
Start by making her feel comfortable in her new environment, cover 3 sides, let her settle in for a few days. Get used to your voice, you being around talking to her.. if you have a shirt that you've worn that you can put in with her that will help, try to just have your hand in there not touching her slowly bringing it closer to her..If she was abused she won't trust quickly and she's learned that by striking out she gets left alone. Sooooo now to holding her wear garden gloves if need be but don't let her win don't let her know if your freaked out by her...once she settles put her down, do it again and again until she doesn't fight you. tong feeding her, hand feeding her all positive reinforcement.. It's going to take time...

 

[Hdrydr31]

Thank you for the tips. As soon as I get her I will upload pictures. I'm not sure about her temperatures but I know they aren't correct because he keeps her in a makeshift cage that has very little heat source. She is only on lettuce, squash and crickets regularly.

I keep snakes and I am familiar with each end of the enclosure being high and low temps so they can regulate their body temperature - I assume the same goes for bearded dragons? What temperatures are ideal and which type of heating bulb is best to ensure she can absorb calcium? I honestly think she doesn't get enough right now. I've seen a dragon have awful seizures over a lack of calcium and want to make sure she doesn't have to go through that.

take a look at the links below a few of our comments you'll find general care for new comers that will answer alot of questions

 

[kmj4690]

Great advice, thank you. I will check out those links. Once I get her in her new home how long should I wait before trying to hold/interact with her? Should I give her a week or so to adjust to new smells/surroundings? I will keep her in my room so she can become familiar with my smell and voice.
Are they pretty sensitive to sound? Loud noises in particular?

 

[CrazyLeopardGeckoLady]

Beautifuldragons.com has the food that they can eat and what they can't, squash is a great staple food, lettuce is just water so there is no nutrition in that and crickets are a good staple too
You will need to get her a good tank with paper towel, carpet, or tiles on the bottom (no sand)
Make sure to bathe her twice a week, it will help with bonding as well
I use mega Ray bulbs, I have two 100 watt bulbs over him and use a heat scanner to keep it around 80F-95F


-Maisie

 

[CrazyLeopardGeckoLady]

Yes give her a week or so to get used to it, like hdrydr said keeping a shirt you wear in her tank will help her get used to your scent


-Maisie

 

[Hdrydr31]

Talk to her while she is settling, tong feed her let her get used to your scent, voice etc...

 

[kmj4690]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I'm excited to make her a happy dragon again.

Beautifuldragons.com has the food that they can eat and what they can't, squash is a great staple food, lettuce is just water so there is no nutrition in that and crickets are a good staple too
You will need to get her a good tank with paper towel, carpet, or tiles on the bottom (no sand)
Make sure to bathe her twice a week, it will help with bonding as well
I use mega Ray bulbs, I have two 100 watt bulbs over him and use a heat scanner to keep it around 80F-95F


-Maisie

Question about the no sand - I read that females need a place to dig so they can lay eggs (even if they haven't mated). Someone recommended 5-6 inches of wet/compact sand. Should I not do this? Or should the sand be in a separate container in her enclosure that she can climb into if needed?

 

[CrazyLeopardGeckoLady]

I have only had a male so I'm not sure about the egg laying
If you feel the need to use sand use washed playsand, it is safer then calcium sand and if you use it you will have to feed her in a separate container so she doesn't eat any on accident


-Maisie

 

[Canicke]

yeah - umm, generally we don't recommend the use of sand even with females. if they need to lay - they will exhibit signs and you can build her a "lay box" at that time. sounds like you have a challenge on your hands. when I got my first beardie, he was in a small tank and had been roomed with a young boy who was umm rather loud. I don't think he had much interaction, either. it may take a few or even several weeks for her to calm down. my little boy took a long time. totally worth it !!! (my boy only bit me a couple of times - and I'm not sure that once wasn't just an accident (trying to get the food)) be prepared for a long haul. Adults will eat insects - both my male and female LOVE their dubias and superworms. When I got my female (as an adult) she wouldn't hardly eat greens. she does now - LOVES cucumber. I offer them greens every day and protein once a week. Some folks give protein twice a week, but my schedule doesn't readily permit that.

 

[kmj4690]

Thanks for the info. I will keep an eye out for egg laying behavior. I'm getting her tomorrow morning so I'll have more to go by then. Apparently my brother fed her another whole mouse yesterday. Can I expect her to have issues eating regular dragon food since she expects mice?

 

[Canicke]

I wouldn't give her any protein for a while. AT LEAST a week - maybe 2. How big were the mice? Mice are nice and fatty (hence they are good for females after laying to up their body mass) offer her greens every day. maybe start off with some super worms. I'm not that familiar with the other worms available - cuz they're not so readily available where I am. I would offer her a few (I'm really thinkin a couple of weeks) and see if she eats them. if she doesn't - keep giving her the greens and wait a few days. offer the worms again. if she doesn't eat them, wait a few days. etc. after she gets the idea that there are no mices forthcoming, she might chomp down. I would stick with the worms for a bit before offering the dubias. she might be good to go with anything - kinda depends what she was fed before your brother got her. My boy caught a fly (!) last week - didn't know he had it in him.

 

[kmj4690]

Thanks for the advice again everyone. I got her today and not only have I already hand fed her, but I've also spent time petting her. She has shown no signs of aggression and is doing very well. She has already eaten a bunch of cabbage, squash and cucumbers. It even appears her favorite treats are raspberries. I got a few live superworms from the pet store to see if she would take them and she is obsessed! She scampers across the entire enclosure to get one haha. She is doing great. This is her current setup:

I've got a thermometer, different basking bulbs for warm and cool sides with UVA, a UVB bulb, a worn t-shirt with my smell on it, water and some fun climbing stuff. Please let me know if there is any way I can improve it to make her happier - it's a work in progress! Also, if you want videos of her I'm not sure how to post them here but I just posted two on my instagram that shows me petting her. Never would have thought she was aggressive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BERgz-2n17Z/?taken-by=snake_mom
https://www.instagram.com/p/BERQfSJn1w0/?taken-by=snake_mom

 

[Elders]

Thanks for the advice again everyone. I got her today and not only have I already hand fed her, but I've also spent time petting her. She has shown no signs of aggression and is doing very well. She has already eaten a bunch of cabbage, squash and cucumbers. It even appears her favorite treats are raspberries. I got a few live superworms from the pet store to see if she would take them and she is obsessed! She scampers across the entire enclosure to get one haha. She is doing great. This is her current setup:

I've got a thermometer, different basking bulbs for warm and cool sides with UVA, a UVB bulb, a worn t-shirt with my smell on it, water and some fun climbing stuff. Please let me know if there is any way I can improve it to make her happier - it's a work in progress! Also, if you want videos of her I'm not sure how to post them here but I just posted two on my instagram that shows me petting her. Never would have thought she was aggressive.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BERgz-2n17Z/?taken-by=snake_mom
https://www.instagram.com/p/BERQfSJn1w0/?taken-by=snake_mom

Hello!

That's awesome to hear!

It's nice to meet someone kind enough to take in and take care of an animal in need even though they aren't looking for a new animal.

I am happy that she's doing well!

On a side note I had a royal before and he was such a kind guy, I had to give him away when I moved to Japan. But it's nice to meet others with appreciation for the not so commonly appreciated and misunderstood.

I may have missed in the conversation but have you given her a name?

Can't wait to see/hear more.

 

[kmj4690]

Gotta love those royal pythons. Sorry you had to give yours away! And I named her Joanna. I loved The Rescuers: Down Under when I was a kid, especially the goanna named Joanna. So she's named after that bratty egg thief haha