Bearded Dragon Care - Handling

Holli Friedland: I am Holli Friedland, Program Director at the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show and this is How to Care for a Bearded Dragon. Next we are going to talk about how to handle your Bearded Dragon. When you reach in the tank, you can just pick them up by the body. You should never pick a bearded dragon up by the tail and you should support them underneath.

Bearded dragons are generally pretty docile and as long as they feel comfortable, like they have a branch to sit on, then they are going to be easy to handle. When they show signs of aggression, it's probably not a good idea to pick them up and one of the things that they do is they bob their head at you and that's kind of a single to back off. Another thing that they do is wave their hand and if they wave their at you that is just a signal that it is more friendly and picking them up should be no problem. You can still pick them up if they bob their head, you just have to be a little more careful. The little spiky things on them are really not sharp, but when they get agitated, they stick out further and they are more rigid. When a bearded dragon gets angry, he will puff up his chin, which is how they get in the Bearded Dragon and it will turn in a blackish color and that usually accompanies the head bobbing. And that's how you safely handle a bearded dragon. Next we are going to talk about feeding your bearded dragon.