Petrified of bearded dragon

[whodoyoufollow]

So we recently took on my partners sons bearded dragon crystal as he had no interest of keeping him...
Due to my SS living with his mum sadly she passed away.
I have no clue where to start or even how to bond with the dragon any sort of reptiles scares me literally. She does get fed but I'm too afraid to stick my hand in, I stick the lettuce in through the mesh lid and the bugs and panic. Can anyone advise me.
I've looked online but just seems to be the same advice. I'd give the dragon up but don't want to approach the subject with my SS due to going through some of his own personal issues.
Any advice or training would be greatly appreciated

[halfwitpicker]

Watching with interest

[spudlet7]

No advice but aw she's gorgeous 😍

[Heratnumber7]

Can't your partner help?

[userblablabla]

Why are you scared? If you’re worried it’ll bite/scratch you, rest assured they’re the most placed little things in the world!

[userblablabla]

Placid, sorry

[whodoyoufollow]

My partner won't handle him either 🤣

[Snowwontbelong]

Ours used to love sleeping on dh's moobs!!
All that heat!!
Dc loved them, try scratching under her chin!
We had 2 for 6 years, never showed any signs of aggression at all.

[whodoyoufollow]

@Snowwontbelong I'll give it a go see how she is
What about if I wear gloves first would that make a difference. I'm too scared to put my hand in 😐

[Youvegotafriendinme]

They are wonderful sweet animals and I’ve never known them to bite and I’ve kept them for years. With the bugs, they will happily eat a box in one go if you let them. Make sure your gut loading the bugs by feeding them salad/vegetable scraps and coating them once a week in calcium powder. Don’t feed them iceberg lettuce, it has no nutritional value. Try cabbage leaves, beetroot leaves, romaine lettuce. They can have tomatoes and strawberries as a treat. They will eat meal worms but make sure you put them in a dish with high sides or they will get out.
Try to let him out his cage daily if you can do he can exercise more. When the weathers better he can go in the garden.
As for handling him, try by slowly putting your hands in with a closed fist and let him sniff you so your not nervous and likely do pull back quickly. Do this till your comfortable and the. You can progress onto stoking him and holding him. They are gits for running and flicking their heads so it comes across aggressive but they really aren’t! Enjoy him, they are lovely creatures

[MistressDeeCee]

In nearly jumped a foot in the air when my sister bought a Bearded Dragon. But honestly..they are so lovely and placid. I'm sure her BD used to smile when sitting on Sis' shoulder. I think they like being touched.

I must admit I couldn't get into the feeding aspect tho..bugs crickets worms yuk. But with someone to help with just that bit I'd be fine otherwise.

Make sure BD gets some exercise

[Snowwontbelong]

You don't need gloves!! Woman up!!

[BalconyDoor]

Oh how gorgeous! I've always wanted one but can't cope with feeding them live bugs

[whodoyoufollow]

Thank you @Youvegotafriendinme I will definitely give this a go as for the bugs I never knew this glad I do now no wonder they were dying so quickly and not lasting.

[PhilomenaButterfly]

She's lovely! No advice, but they're really not aggressive.

[Youvegotafriendinme]

It’s not just to keep them alive longer it’s to gut load them so the dragon isn’t eating an empty shell

[Veterinari]

Sone basic info here:
www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Bearded-Dragon/

Yes you must dust the live food with calcium and vitamins to boost nutrition, and also feed it! Offer lettuce etc to keep love food alive and nutritious.

Also ensure your temperatures and UV lighting are appropriate. UV bulbs must be changed at least every 3 months

[themailfail]

My mom was like this when I brought my first hamster home. I convinced her to hold him a few times and she was much more comfortable then. I don't think she bonded with him as such but she became very fond of him (And the 2 more I subsequently brought home). She was upset when they passed away after a few years, so she definitely grew to like them.

He's not going to hurt you and he's v handsome. Try to give it a go with handling him a little.

[whodoyoufollow]

Thank you for all the lovely comments I will definitely have a go 2mrw I've got a friend coming down 2mrw to help me get over my scary ness so hopefully that will help x

[TooManyPuppies]

I'd give it up if you can't care for it properly. Cleaning the cage out and changing lighting will involve putting your hand in. I've had a few dragons who charge but don't do anything and when they are in a room where people are they get used to them.
They are harmless. We have around 35 different reptiles at the moment and the only one I'm hesitant with is the goanna. He is large and will only get larger but my husband is ok with him.
Where I am you need a license to own any reptiles and it is a good idea because it means people think twice before jumping into something that does have special care requirements.

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

Unless you're a locust, you don't have much to worry about. They're pretty placid and don't have proper teeth. In order to be looked after properly, she needs to be handled. Her welfare shouldn't be compromised because of your stepson having issues. Talk to him and come up with a solution (rehome, he helps you gain confidence handling, or he comes round to do it himself)

[AnotherOriginalUsername]

I'd also be concerned regarding husbandry - they shouldn't be kept on bark chips. They're easily accidentally ingested and can cause major problems (impaction mainly)

[TooManyPuppies]

they shouldn't be kept on bark chips.

Or sand which many people do. We use fake grass, another popular flooring is tiles.

[mummyhaschangedhername]

How's it going? Where are you located?

Most beardies are friendly sorts.

If you just can't manage there and lots of people willing to take in rescues.

[sweetkitty]

Beardies are just gorgeous, most are very placid and laid back.

If you feel you can’t care for her properly then try a local reptile rescue.

The best place for advice is the bearded dragons uk Facebook group. Our set up was all wrong despite advice from a pet shop. The lovely people on there soon sorted me out cannot recommend it highly enough. Ours loves spring greens, butternut squash and the odd blueberry as a treat. Locusts or dubia roaches every second day dusted with either calcium or nutrobol. Gut loaded as well.