Do homework or read next to your dragon’s cage. Watch TV within sight of the dragon. Have a conversation on the phone while sitting next to the dragon’s cage.
Make sure that there are no other animals around when you let your bearded dragon walk around. Other pets, such as cats, may see the dragon as prey. Since bearded dragons are cold blooded, the area needs to be kept warm. If it’s not, the dragon should only be out of its cage for a few minutes at a time. Do not allow your dragon into the kitchen. Their skin carries salmonella bacteria, which could contaminate food. Do not let your dragon into a room with an open outside door or window. The dragon could easily escape.
If the dragon stands in an aggressive pose with its mouth open or lunges to bite you, you can be sure it’s stressed.
If you pick a dragon up suddenly from the rear, it may mistake your hand for a predator and bite you. Never pick a dragon up by its tail. Unlike other lizards, their tails do not regenerate. You could cause serious harm to your lizard by grabbing it by its tail.
If the dragon continues to act aggressively—or becomes even more aggressive—set it back in its cage. Wait 5 minutes, and pick the dragon up again. Be careful, however, as this effectively “rewards” the dragon for acting aggressively. If possible, it’s better to hold the dragon until it calms down and then replace it in the cage so that it learns that calm behavior will help it get what it wants. Aggressive dragons take longer to train, but don’t give up hope. Given enough time, they’ll get used to being touched and handled.
Dragons will become stressed if they’re handled for long periods of time. It’s better to have multiple, short handling sessions each day rather than a single, long session.
Prior to this point, you’ll need to feed your dragon in its cage using tweezers. Use the tweezers to drop mealworms down near your dragon.
