Change in Beardies Behavior

Question
Hello. We have a bearded dragon here at our museum. We acquired him in March 2007 when he was still very young. We have really taken great care of him, fed him well, nursed him through a vitamin deficiency, and have witnessed a complete change (in the positive) in his diet. About two months ago he went from being force fed Nutri-cal to eating 30 crickets a day. He also started to grow. He used to be in a small tank (maybe 20-25 gallons.) We decided to move him into his new home that is around 40 gallons (and much bigger.) He has a lot of new trees and rocks to climb on and seems to be adapting well. He is also still eating and pooping. The problem is his behavior. He used to be so subdued with us. We used to carry him around us and he would close his eyes. I used to take him outside to sun him and he loved this. About a week before we moved him to the larger habitat, he would gape at us when we stuck our hand in to feed him. Now, in his larger environment, I cannot even get my hand near him. Today he lunged at me, ready to bite. I am not even sure how I will get him out to clean his cage. We need advice. Thanks.

Answer
Relative size, his age, and whether you are using UVB lighting is important to know. And in regards to force feeding of Nutri-Cal, that's not really meant to be for any length of time and as far as I know they do not make a Nutri-Cal for reptiles yet, only mammals. It is too high in sugars and too low in protein for extended use; so I would not advise it's use alone if this happens again in the future. Use Flukers Repta-Aid or Critical Care for Carnivores or Herbivores. When young they will be more carnivorous, but as they mature they will grow more herbivorous ( omnivore ).

As this Beardie matures he is going to get more hormonal, and especially during mating season he may get testy. As he grows he is going to feel more confident in challenging you too if he sees you as a threat.

Movement to another habitat is stressful for reptiles, and he will need time to settle. They get comfortable in an environment, and when that changes, their instincts tell them it may be dangerous. They aren't familiar with the area. Sometimes this change stresses them so much they won't eat. That may be what happened previously.

I might venture a guess also that being in a museum and being constantly handled is stressing this Beardie out. Beardies are known for being docile, but this does not mean they like being handled. I don't care what anybody tells you; handling a reptile is stressful for the reptile and though they may tolerate you, they certainly would prefer you leave them alone. I just left Petsmart a few days ago, where they told me seriously, that they handle their Beardies several hours a day to help them with stress!!! This is ridiculous. Nothing could more guarantee causing stress than taking them out of their habitat everyday to be handled by people for hours at a time. Taking them out once or twice a week for sunshine is beneficial to them though, and this occasional removal is less stressful.

I would also advise that if he is on display, that you put in one way glass or dim the backlighting. Constantly being gawked at by the public is highly stressful for reptiles too.

Think about how instinctual they are. What do most reptiles in the wild do when approached too close by people or other potential predators? They get the hell out of dodge, or they puff up, hiss, rattle, strike, etc...in preparation to defend themselves. If picked up, many will void their cloaca on you. But in an aquarium tank, they have no where to flee. They still go through all the stress of the encounter however.

This Beardie will require increasingly more space as he matures. An adult in my opinion should be housed in nothing less than 100 gallons, or a large outdoor habitat. In the wild, Beardies have a territory they roam and bask in several locations. They need space to be comfortable.

I recommend that you remove this Beardie from display, or perform the necessary lighting or one way glass changes, and refrain from handling as much as possible; until it gets quite settled in it's new habitat. You will have to change the way you interact with him it appears, and that is probably going to include less handling. You may get him to trust you again after he settles in his new homw, but I recommend you interact for a time by just leaving him in the tank and not taking him out very often. Also, make sure he has shaded places to hide.

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