Handling Bearded Dragons

Video Transcript

"The next thing we're going to talk very briefly about is handling a bearded dragon. When handling any reptile especially small ones when their little babies they can be a little skittish, you also want to make sure that you have both hands to handle to the dragon. You want to be soft, gentle. You want to give them a place to always jump to. They do tend to like to jump a little bit. So make sure you're giving them somewhere to go. Make sure you're always kind of second guessing what what his decision is going to be. Because he is not very smart, and they don't make the best judgment sometimes. And, unfortunately, but a drop from a human height could possibly damage your bearded dragon quite harmfully. Now as he gets larger these little spikes on his neck are going to start to get more and more pronounced. Those spikes are a defensive mechanism that he uses and if he doesn't like you and isn't in head with what you're doing, he's going to jam you with them. So always be aware of where his head placement is when you pick him up. Most bearded dragons are going to be relatively chill and relaxed. As this guy is right here. And as long as you keep them handled they'll stay that way. Just make sure you always handle them gently and with respect. You never want to be grabbing and squeezing or forcing the bearded dragon to really be doing anything it doesn't want to do. Doing things like this can result in lost toes, broken tail tips, and other injuries which will be unsightly and possibly harmful to the reptile's health."