exciting and exotic alternatives to the "normal" house
pet. Bearded dragons are easy to take care of and eat a
fresh diet of crickets, worms, and salads/leafy greens.
They can be potty trained and even walked outside
on a leash. Nevertheless, all of these amazing rela-
tionship perks come after the hardest and most basic
technique to "get a handle" on: holding your lizard.
First, familiarize the lizard with your hands by sim-
ply leaving your hand in the cage. Slowly stroke your
lizard with one finger. After a while, move into pick-
ing him up. Pick him up a few inches off of the floor of
his cage, hold him for 15-30 seconds, and then set him
down. Do not remove the lizard from the cage until
you have practiced this and gotten him comfortable
with the idea of being picked up.
Make sure the habitat is in a place that gets a good
amount of traffic so he gets used to noise and move-
ments, and never grab a lizard unless they're aware
and having it jump and run under
your fridge won't be fun for anyone.
Do not release or put down a squirming
lizard. Keep a firm handle on them un-
til they relax, then set them down. This will
teach them that wiggling and writhing will not get
them what they want.
No matter what kind of pet you invite into your home,
you and the animal should both be able to live togeth-
er harmoniously. If your pet is giving you trouble, be
sure to check for any and all signs of bad health or ill-
nesses before you begin training exercises. You want
to make sure that your pet is only misbehaving, and
not trying to tell you they're in pain. When in doubt
about the animal you hoped to bond with, check for
local obedience schools (sanctuaries for more exotic
pets) that will help teach you both one on one how
to coexist with each other. And remember, "They're
more afraid of you than you are of them," is
true in every sense.