Bearded dragons are one of the most popular pet reptiles in the world. Not only because they are cute, easy to take care of and look like a dragon. Nope! They are also very calm and most of them can be petted and handled right from the start, without doing anything.
So, of course, this makes them good, so-called “starter reptiles” and further they are awesome reptiles for kids.
However, there are some bearded dragons which do not want to be petted, handled or even looked at. Those beardies will bite their owners and get in full dragon mode as soon as a human gets close to them. Others are pretty shy and hide whenever somebody gets too near to the terrarium.
So if you visit this article, you most probably want to know how to tame your bearded dragon quickly. Good news! You came to the right website.
In this article, I will show you that taming a bearded dragon is pretty easy and only requires three simple steps.
Before we get right into things here, I just want to mention one thing. Do not believe anybody who tells you that your bearded dragon can´t be tamed. That´s just not true. Every dragon can be tamed. So let´s start!
Step 1 – Let that beardie get used to you
The first step does not require real action. No matter if your bearded dragon is totally aggressive or if it is shy as hell, it needs to get used to your presence. Whatever you do, do it near the tank of your bearded dragon.
Don´t get me wrong here, I do not want you to carry your bearded dragon tank with you to the toilet so that you can always be near your dragon. Just do normal things near to the terrarium.
If you watch TV, do it next to your bearded dragon tank. If you call a friend, sit beside the tank, so that your dragon can see you. Spend as much time as possible near your bearded dragon.
There will be a point when the bearded dragon will see you as something normal. In fact, this is the technique I use to get my dragons used to everything new and it works perfectly fine.
When I bought a leash for my beardies I just placed the leash near the tank for a couple of days to let my dragons get used to the leash. Putting on the leash was sooo easy after that. In case you want to go outside with your bearded dragon, I recommend to use this leash.
Step 2 – Handfeeding, handfeeding, handfeeding
When you feed your dragon, do you just throw the food into the dragon’s cave and hope that this sacrifice offering will not make it kill you? Yes? ….. Beeeeeep, stop it, now!
Stop just throwing the food into the tank. If you really want to tame your dragon, you need to start handfeeding it.
In the first couple of days, you should just place your hand inside the tank, so the beardie can get used to your hand in its territory.
Especially with shy bearded dragons, this works great. Aggressive dragons might start to defend its territory and try to bite your hand. If so, you can skip this step, or put on a thick glove, so your dragon won´t hurt you.
Please note, that you should not overdo it. If your dragon is attacking you all day, it will get exhausted and that might be too much stress for your dragon.
Getting used to your hand also means that your bearded dragon should learn that your hand means food. So get your tweezers out or if you are very courageous feed your dragon with your bare hands.
At first, it might take a long time till your dragon will take the food out of your hand, but believe me, your dragon will take it after a while. If it does not take the food, simply skip feeding and feed it the next day.
The more hungry your dragon gets, the more it is willing to do to get the food.
Please note that this will do no harm to your dragon. In the wild, they are used to not eat for a couple of days if they can´t find or catch food.
If you own a baby bearded dragon I would not recommend to skip feeding, since your beardie is growing and it is better if they eat every day. It most probably will not be necessary anyway, since they are hungry as hell every day when they are growing.
Do not stop offering water!!
Tame and happy: Castiel – Owner: Stormie Schulte
Step 3 – Step on your hand
Now we come to the final step. You should have already handfed your dragon for a couple of days. Your bearded dragon is more used to you now since you are getting into that handfeeding you should take it to the next step.
If you feed your dragon with your right hand, place your left hand under the food you are offering with tweezers (or your bare hand if you are brave), so that your dragon needs to step on your hand to reach the food.
It most probably will be distracted at first and it will take a long time until it will be brave enough to step on your hand to get the food, but the hunger always wins.
If it does not work, simply do as I have described in Step 2, just skip one feeding and feed it on the next day.
Remember, the more hungry your dragon is, the more it is willing to do to get the food. On the second day without food, it most probably will jump on your hand without hesitating. Offering treats your dragon loves most, will make things easier.
For example, get some super worms whenever you want to train your dragon to get on your hand.
Photo by Bexter
Again, do not skip feeding if you have a baby bearded dragon or if you have a undernourished dragon. The health of your beardie is always the most important thing, never forget that.
Why taming a bearded dragon is important
Handling a shy bearded dragon means a lot of stress for the animal. However, sometimes you need to handle your dragon, for example, if you need to go to the vet or if you want to clean the habitat.
For shy bearded dragons even watching them can be too much stress for them and that´s not what you want. Too much stress will cause health problems, so in my opinion, it is very important that your dragon stays calm when you are near the tank or if you need to handle it.
Besides that, you can do a lot more things with your bearded dragon if it does not freak out if you touch it. Just have a look at this article: 10 Best Bearded Dragon Activities And Toys.
I have listed a lot of great exercises there, which are good for your dragon since they prevent depression, boredom, and sluggishness.
Without taming your dragon, most of those exercises would not be possible.
Further exercise
If your dragon steps on your hand while being fed without hesitating, you should get your dragon out of the habitat and do some additional exercises. Have a look at the video below:
Did you need to tame your beardie or was it already calm when you got it? Tell me about it in the comment section!
Before you leave!
Since I receive many comments and emails from bearded dragon owners that tell me that their bearded dragon is refusing to eat greens, I decided to help with this issue.
What most bearded dragon owners do not know is that a bearded dragon that does not eat greens might be sick or is on the best way to getting sick.
Bearded dragons are omnivores, which means that they eat anything they can find in the wild. The problem that most bearded dragons are picky when it comes to food only arouses due to bad husbandry.
If your bearded dragon is refusing to eat greens, and maybe even only accepts mealworms as food, I highly recommend that you get my ebook: How To Make Your Bearded Dragon Eat Greens Within 7 Days!
After going through the steps outlined in the ebook I will personally check on you and your beardie via email and will support you if needed.
Keep your beardie healthy!
Hi so my baby beardie (he is 7-8 in long) I’ve had him for 2weeks now. The first week he was fine the second week every time I put my hand in he opens his mouth to bite and has bitten a few times. I feel like I’ve tried everything. From resting my hand in the habitat several times a day, feeding meal worms with tweezers. I am able to get him with gloves on is this still effective in getting him to stop opening his mouth at me? How long should I keep it up with the gloves?
Hey Cheryl,
some dragons are slower that other when it comes to taming. Do not worry about it, continue to handfeed your dragon, or feed it with tweezers. Have you already tried to not feed your dragon for one or two days? It will make it much easier for you to get your dragon on your hand.
If you are afraid of the bite, continue to wear gloves.
When your dragon is really hungry I recommend to take him out and do the stuff you can see in the video in this article. That will build trust. Do not worry if your dragon is slower. It will become tame.
Cheers,
Pierre
My dragon is about 2 months old and from the very beginning she has had her mouth open and hissing and freaking out running around into the glass. She bit me today and I’m at the point I’m thinking I need to get rid of her because she shows no signed of being tame and scares me.
Hey Toni,
it takes patience to tame your beardie. I know that this is hard and if you really feel that you can´t handle the situation properly, giving the beardie away to someone who doesn´t mind it´s behavior might be a good idea.
I am sorry that I can´t give you a better advice, but from my experience I can say that this is the easiest and quickest solution.
Please make sure to get a responsible owner for it.
Your beardie is going to be happy, you are going to be happy and the next owner is going to be happy as well.
You should have fun with your beardie and if you feel scared nobody wins.
All the best,
Pierre
Hi Pierre. Just got my first Bearded Dragon today. She or he is 6 months old, very calm, curious, loves attention, looks for me when I leave the room, comes to the side of the tank closest to where I’m sitting. Held “Puff” (short for Puff the Magic Dragon, or Puff M.D.) as we sat in my recliner. Puff rested on my chest and moved only to my neck where it stayed. Later on after I had placed it back in the terrarium, Puff climbed the grapevine to the basking lamp and began waving, first one front leg and then the other. Either Puff had seen itself in the glass, or was accepting me as king dragon, showing submission. Is that cool or what? I felt attached the moment I saw it at the pet store. Maybe it senses this. I don’t know. I think Puff is awesome! Right now she, he is sleeping on the grapevine under the ultraviolet heat lamp. Goodnight Puff! Sweet dreams!
Hey Christopher,
Puff seems to be awesome! Take good care of him 🙂
Pierre
I just wanted to say thanks for this article it will help me in the future with my bearded dragon (mr.Cuddles is about 6ish inches) and he’s still a baby. I will us this in a couple of months. Just because I don’t want to stunt his growth or anything!
Hey Jill,
you are very welcome. I am happy that you read my article 🙂
As long as you don´t stress your bearded dragon it won´t affect his growth/health. So no need to worry 🙂
Have fun with Mr. Cuddles!
Pierre
I have had my beardie oscar for a few weeks now. I have tried all of these things. He is 3 years old and the previous owners never held him and I feel so bad for him. He’s never bitten me, but scurries away if i put my hand in his cage and it breaks my heart as previous beardies i have owned have loved to cuddle. What else can i do?! I refuse to give up on him.
Hey Deborah,
thank you for your comment.
The fact that your bearded dragon is shy and was never held does not mean that he feels bad or that he is lonely. Bearded dragons do not need human touch to be happy.
So no need to be sad in any way.
Other than that, just stay consistent and Oscar will calm down 🙂
All the best,
Pierre
Hi I am working in a childcare center we have 17 children in my room. We are thinking to get a bearded dragon as a pet. Is it good idea or not? Please guide me.
Hey Vedanti,
yes, keeping bearded dragons in classrooms becomes more and more popular.
I think this can be a good idea if everybody keeps in mind that the dragon is not a toy.
A bearded dragon will show you that it wants to be alone by showing a black beard or by showing dark colors overall. In this case, it is important to respect the dragon’s wish to be alone.
Have some hides in your bearded dragon’s enclosure so that it can can get away if everything gets a little too much.
Also, not all bearded dragons are friendly right from the start. Some need to be tamed, others never really feel comfortable when picked up.
Still, with the right setup and the right mindset, I think it is a good idea.
Here is how to set up a dragon tank
Here is why hides are so important and what hides you should get
Here is how to tame your bearded dragon
I really hope this helps, Vedani!
Pierre