help on handling a beardie...

[mistersprinkles]

Also this is going to sound a bit stupid but have you tried communicating with your lizard?

(ridicule shields up)

It first occured to me a few years ago that maybe animals were trying to talk to people the same way people speak to animals like they understand. So, I started to pay attention to the way certain animals acted, starting with squirrels and raccoons. On the first night I had a wild raccoon eating out of my hand. I was soon able to pet that raccoon and it spent a lot of time in my back yard. A squirrel in my back yard became so trusting that it would jump infront of me on my way out in the morning and ask for food and would even come inside the house and look in the fridge and take things.

So far with my bearded dragon I've noticed that direct eye contact followed by closing eyes for a few seconds then opening them again means I trust you (like with a bird). Leaning the head away and looking up is a sign of submissiveness, Trying to make yourself taller is a bit threatening, puffing your face up is threatening.

After I spoke some lizard with my lizard and mimicked him when he was eating crickets he pretty much looked at me like a lizard. He's much more trusting now. He was never flighty but you can tell he really trusts me now.