Why is my beardie so aggressive?

[iris123]

Wow for a year old he is too old to be still doing the running and hissing and if hes licking the sand when in the tank is NOT a good thing -- that is why we tell people to not use the sand / clay or any loose substrate in the tank --- simply because of the licking --- have you been working w/ him since he was a baby? How old was he when you got him ? I have a 4 month old that is doing that now --- but he is still young - are you approaching him from the side when petting his head --- are you hand feeding him at all -- this will get him used to your hand as not threatening--- I would ditch the clay and get something else in there -- and get your hand in his tank as much as possible - even if you haft to wear gloves at this point--- like garden gloves or rubber gloves --- you need to start holding him more -- dragons are normally not aggressive ---

i come from the side to pick him up he was around 5 inches when i got him i got him as a surprise present for christmus my foster parents got him from petco and i have been working with him since and he is still hissy and he would be around 10 or 11 months not a year yet but still i ask the store if they ever handled him or her and they said no that i should just keep trying to hold him and eventually he'll stop the hissing and running and about hand feeding is that he thinks my hand is the food so i don't try to hand feed him
also i know my cusion has a bearded dragon about 15 years old and he has been housed on sand his entire life but i will get the money to get repti-carpet eventully

 

[iris123]

Please CK prices on the repti carpet last I looked that stuff is expensive-- your better off using the stuff I recommended if you are going bioactive anyway

i am going bioactive should i just take him out when feeding the crickets

 

[iris123]

I would put him in a tote and you can hand feed him just pull a leg off the cricket disabling him and feed him that way - that will get him tame

thing is that he will try to eat my fingers as well so i'ma use tongs cause him biting me really hurts now

 

[iris123]

That's good use tongs or tweezers- or you can wear gloves too

alright thank you

 

[iris123]

Blueberries are too sweet and should be limited --- watermelon is good for hydration - as well as cucumbers but that is it---- he needs to be fed things like squash any kind -- here is a website for nutrition I thought I gave it to you
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
There must be other staple vegies in your house that you can feed --- please look at it -- as they get older it will not be uncommon for them not to poop every day --- I am talking about more towards adult -- also shredded sweet potato is good for making them regular --

hey um i was wondering why my beardie prefers me to hold a leaf and him work at it by ripping off chunks rather than eating from his salad bowl i mean he'll still eat from the bowl but only round three quarters of it but if i hold leaf after leaf i'll sit there for an hour and a half and he'll still want more [one leaf takes him about a few mins to eat they are big straight strips] also was wondering how to feed cactus pads to him cause i found a store that sells cactus pads but they have spikes on them and also i read the forum about them but cactus pears have alot of seeds and some people say in the forums to just feed them the fruit cut up and that they eat the whole thing in the wild seeds and all and then some people on the forums sayed blend it [tried that didn't work out my beardie doesn't know how to eat liquid he was trying to eat his dish]
also can bearded dragons eat hemp seeds i was just wondering cause there are these food bars that only have fruit and hemp seeds in them and they are pretty good i like them and was wondering as maybe a once a month treat my beardie could have a little bit of it.

 

[iris123]

While beardies are able to eat a variety of foods, they definitely don’t have the iron-lined digestive tract to dissolve seed hulls! I would not feed the hemp seeds-------
As far as the cactus pads Yes absolutely!! Just make sure you take all the thorns off and cut them up into small enough pieces.. They can also eat the prickly pear fruit that is from the pads they are red in color..

okie thanks so i should just feed the prickly pears like they are but cut up do i remove the skin?

 

[iris123]

I would cut them up and leave skin on

okie thanks

 

[iris123]

I would cut them up and leave skin on

Um yesterday when i got home my beardie was still in his corner where he sleeps and he was sleeping but opened his eyes when i got in my room. But he was interested in eating crickets and ate like 10 or 12 but his collards not so much. And he was also super slow and when i tried to pet his head he got a black beard and was hissing like never before like i thought he was going to bite my finger off! Is this signs of burmation?

 

[iris123]

I would cut them up and leave skin on

he just turned a year old this month too

 

[iris123]

Around a year he could be doing the semi brumation thing but being aggressive is not one of them --- have your checked basking temps ? what about the substrate did you get it changed out ? is he pooping and what does it look like ? is it runny or formed dark and moist -? what about urate? should be formed moist not dry or chalky --- I need to see a pic of him --- if hes still on the sand I hope your feeding in a different container--- every time he eats anything on sand he can or could be eating it making impaction probable -- here is a link for sand substrates please read it
www.https://reptile.guide/best-substrate-bearded-dragon/
please post a pic of him and his tank again
black beard and was hissing like never before----------this is not good

i don't feed him in his cage anymore still have the sand i'm trying to save up money to get shelf liner but it may take a while

 

[iris123]

Around a year he could be doing the semi brumation thing but being aggressive is not one of them --- have your checked basking temps ? what about the substrate did you get it changed out ? is he pooping and what does it look like ? is it runny or formed dark and moist -? what about urate? should be formed moist not dry or chalky --- I need to see a pic of him --- if hes still on the sand I hope your feeding in a different container--- every time he eats anything on sand he can or could be eating it making impaction probable -- here is a link for sand substrates please read it
www.https://reptile.guide/best-substrate-bearded-dragon/
please post a pic of him and his tank again
black beard and was hissing like never before----------this is not good

and i think he black bearded because i tried to pick him up when he was asleep

 

[iris123]

The black beard is either hes in pain --- or he is sick ---- I need to see him --- what does his poops look like --- sand harbors bacteria and can cause illness --- has he lost weight? is he hydrated? there are so many factors that can cause a black beard -- how long does he have the black beard? is it constant or every once in awhile and hes acting lethargic????? You may need to take him to the vet --- we discussed this earlier --- how are the temps in the tank ?

he only black bearded for a few mins[maybe i held him wrong?] and when i came back he was normal and he just started to be lethargic until i offered crickets yesterday he was fine before then. His basking spot is 110 to 115 degrees.

 

[iris123]

The black beard is either hes in pain --- or he is sick ---- I need to see him --- what does his poops look like --- sand harbors bacteria and can cause illness --- has he lost weight? is he hydrated? there are so many factors that can cause a black beard -- how long does he have the black beard? is it constant or every once in awhile and hes acting lethargic????? You may need to take him to the vet --- we discussed this earlier --- how are the temps in the tank ?

i don't have enough money to take him to the vet and i'll try to get a pic of him but the only way i have internet is at school on the chromebook which means i'd have to take it home over the weekend and take pics and wait till monday to post the pics

 

[iris123]

i'm at school right now so i wouldn't know