My girlfriend and I just bought two bearded dragons. One female, one male, adults. They were breeding when we bought them. The female had laid half of her egss before we got them. Our friend had them and didint really take care of them so we didnt know enough about them to hatch the eggs. But anyway they were skinny and dehydrated because he fed them lettuce. We've been working really hard and spending alot of money trying to get them better, but we just dont know enough about them to really know exactly what to do. We bought them really fast because they were sick and we couldnt help but buy them because we couldnt stand to see them like that. Anyway since we bought them we've fattened them a bit. But we are kinda uncomfortable with handling and such because we've never had any reptiles. We'vbe heard that they are great pets and like attention. Our female dosnt have problems with being held but she seems sickly and slower to gain weight than the male even though we feed them the same and seperately. She also has a problem with moving one of her back legs. She is very active at feeding and it dosent seem to bother her then. The male is a different story completely. Sice we got them he is unwilling to let us hold him. He is very agressive and bobs his head and puffs his black beard out at us even when the female is seperated from him. He runs into the sides of the cage all night and periodically throughout the day. The female shows no intrest in getting out but we havnt been to the vet to tell if she's sick or not. We have a friend who has a female and she lets it out for hrs throught the day, so we thought perhaps he was used to having time out of the cage. We let him out to run around. He ran at us when we set him out and puffed his beard up bigger than we had ever seen him do before. He finally ran to the side of his cage and flattened him himself out and tried to get back in his cage. Since then he's put on weight is very active and healthy except his agression. We want to keep him but are wondering if any one has any advice for us on how we might help him be more comfortable with us
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Hi Ashley :)
first off welcome to the list :)
second...I'm gonna try to answer some of your questions as best i can.
i will ask some as well.
My AIM nick is lorifran57
My yahoo nick is lorifran_57
if you wanna talk faster please feel free to IM me :)
OK NOW...
what are your temps in the cage? hot side and cool side?
what are you feeding the beardies?
how old are they each if you do in fact know?
How big are they each from tip of nose to tip of tail?
have you taken either one to a vet yet since you got them?
what kind of a light are you using?
are you using a UVB light and if yes what kind?
what kind of heating source are you using?
are you using any supplements and if yes what kind?
what is the substrate in the tank and how big is the tank or cage and how is it decorated?
All of these questions answered will help with a good start to helping to solve your probs and worries :)
DO get them both to a vet for a complete checkup. it is not cheap but if they came from a pet shop chances are they they are both full of parasites. The vet will check both for any injuries and leg issues and such too. Please let us know the results of the check-up too :)
Some of these basic care set-ups can heal alot of wrongs in beardies within days to weeks. Some 'issues' of poor treatment can be reversed over time too. Patience is your friend.
As to the aggressive male that is normal. Although beardies are great pets they need to be gotten used to handling. Since he is like this already you will have to be patient. Although people let their beardies wander the house I personally in my years have never done so. i live in a cluttered apartment and I wait to take them out on harnesses in the summer and no they do not go willingly at first LOL. You must be FIRM with him. Get him regularly and hold him firmly but don't grab the tail. Don't squeeze to death either! Be firm be consistent and talk to them both daily. When you hold him be in control. Don't be afraid. They love to do the beard thing. And yes every living thing bites. Including children ;) Talk in calm soothing loving tones to them as you hold them and pet them nicely slowly on the top of the head to get them used to you. it will take time.
Answer the questions i asked and let's take it from there. We'll see what we can do to help :)
Lori
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Another way to tame your 'wild child' is to put on 2 tshirts, then put him between the shirts. The warmth from your body, and the darkness will most likely make him fall asleep. Kick back, watch tv, read a book...keep him there for a while. After you take him out, do not wash the shirts. Do this everyday for a while, and he will get used to your smell, and associate you with comfort and being safe.
PS.
Great job on your questions Lori. :)
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