How it hurts + How to stop it - Reptile rage (2023)

FAQs

How do you calm a reptile? ›

Blankets, newspaper and paper towels or all work well. Blankets are recommended particularly during cold weather. You can use a wet towel if your lizard requires a moist environment, or dry towels if it doesn't. This will also provide cushioning for comfort and your lizard will feel calm with something to burrow into.

Researchers said that the reason we have these semi-violent urges to squeeze or bite our cute animals is because our brain is trying to balance out the flood of positive emotions we are experiencing.

Give your dragon a nice warm bath, followed by cuddles in a soft towel. Simply pause as much noise as possible to give your dragon some quiet time. Try turning off the lights until your dragon is more calm (of course you wouldn't want to leave the tank like this for too long so your dragon doesn't get too cold).

There are many reasons why your bearded dragon might be showing you its dissatisfaction, and more often than not this anger is actually the manifestation of stress. Bearded dragons are very sensitive to their surroundings, and an incorrect set-up or unexpected or disliked changes can put your beardie in quite the mood!

Trust/Confidence

In humans and advanced mammals, trust is like love. But reptiles lack the brain development for a complex emotion like love, so trust is the next best thing. And they do show it!

We found that reptiles were assumed to be capable of the following emotions and states; anxiety, distress, excitement, fear, frustration, pain, stress, and suffering, in 37 articles. We also found four articles that explored and found evidence for the capacity of reptiles to feel pleasure, emotion, and anxiety.

Developmentally-related motivations for animal cruelty may include curiosity, peer pressure, forced abuse, and animal phobias. Every act of violence committed against an animal is not a sign that a person is going to turn out to be homicidal.

This study tested the hypothesis that a history of substantial animal cruelty was associated with a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder.

Researchers say that a child's violence against animals often represents displaced hostility and aggression stemming from neglect or abuse of the child or of another family member. Animal cruelty committed by any member of a family, whether parent or child, often means child abuse occurs in that family.

Music – Classical Many reptile species, including bearded dragons, enjoy classical music without words. This could be due to the fact that most songs have an instrumental sound that appears to calm the reptile's nerves and relax its muscles.

How not to handle a bearded dragon? ›

Go slowly. Particularly if you have a baby Bearded dragon, you should avoid making sudden movements or loud noises when you are going to handle them, as this can make them feel threatened if it isn't something they are used to.

Bearded dragons can only experience the basic emotions of fear, aggression, and pleasure. Your bearded dragon may enjoy the simple pleasure of being with you, as they have come to associate you with providing food and care, but they can't love you in the sense that you can love them.

Bearded dragons typically only hiss when they feel threatened. If your dragon is new, he may need some time to get used to the new environment and you. Your dragon may also hiss if he sees his reflection, or if you are reaching for your dragon from above.

It's probably safe to say that snakes and lizards aren't as sentimental or affectionate as dogs and cats, but there's no true way to say for sure. That said, reptiles can and do get quite attached to their owners. Bonding with a reptile will take time and patience, but it's not impossible.

There's no real way to know for sure, but you can say that they aren't as affectionate or sentimental as cats and dogs. Reptiles can and do get quite close to their humans. Bonding with reptiles isn't impossible. It just takes time and patience.

Reptiles have the anatomic and physiologic structures needed to detect and perceive pain. Reptiles are capable of demonstrating painful behaviors. Most of the available literature indicates pure μ-opioid receptor agonists are best to provide analgesia in reptiles.

A more controversial emotion in reptiles is the concept of pleasure, or even love. Many feel that they have not developed this emotion, as it does not naturally benefit them. However, most reptiles do seem to recognize people who frequently handle and feed them.

Blood Loss and Trauma

Hemorrhage can result from many different causes. Trauma is perhaps the most common cause in reptiles. Bites from prey, bites from dogs and cats, cuts from caging (glass, wire, screens, etc.) and combat with cagemates can all cause trauma that involves bleeding.

Birds and reptiles may not resemble humans in many ways, but they cry similar tears.

There may be cases where some kids with ADHD really shouldn't have a pet. Kids with severe impulse control issues or who are aggressive can harm an animal without meaning to. This doesn't mean these kids should never have a pet.

Why am I so emotional over animals? ›

Rather, it has to do with perceived helplessness and vulnerability. This can also relate to the human-animal bond many of us feel, as they require our attention, help, and concern. The natural affection we feel for animals can be compared to the affection we feel for our children.

What we know for sure is that animals do suffer psychological and not just physical pain, and that emotional abuse and maltreatment may be far more widespread and pernicious than physical abuse.

People and animals are both expected to act perfectly—and anything else is seen as a personal affront to the narcissist. They expect people and animals to fill their deep-seated insecurities—and the narcissist is never able to have that deep hole in their psyche filled. They physically abuse pets.

Surveys suggest that those who intentionally abuse animals are predominantly men under 30, while those involved in animal hoarding are more likely to be women over 60.

Hoarders frequently neglect their own health, nutrition, and social life because they spend all their time, money, and energy caring for their animals. They are emotionally overwhelmed and trapped by their indecision and sense of responsibility and are often sleep-deprived.

Care to guess what the world's most abused animal is? In terms of sheer numbers and the routine suffering inflicted on them, it's got to be the chicken. 50 billion chickens are raised for meat every year, with around 5 billion more kept for egg production.

Many infamous serial killers harmed animals when they were children, including Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgeway, John Wayne Gacy, and the Boston Strangler. It's long been a popularly held belief that children who are abusive toward animals are serial killers in the making.

Callous-unemotional traits remained stable from childhood into adulthood and are predictive of adult antisocial behavior and psychopathy. Cruelty to animals may be one of the first symptoms of conduct disorder, often evident around age 6 ½.

Baby beardies are more skittish and can panic when they are picked up. Try to keep the baby calm and keep one finger under its chin while holding it. Never grab or hold a bearded dragon by its legs or tail.

It's A Sign Of Affection Or Comfort

It does seem to be true that a bearded dragon is more likely to lick you if it trusts you and feels comfortable with you. However, this licking is not necessarily a sign of affection. It could be that it likes the way you smell or feels a sense of safety to have you around.

Why is my bearded dragon glass surfing? ›

Glass surfing is thought to be a result of stress and a bearded dragon may be stressed for several reasons: An enclosure or tank that's too small for it can stress a bearded dragon out. Another bearded dragon, even if they're not housed together, may be interpreted as competition for a bearded dragon and cause stress.

Darker Coloration

A bearded dragon can sometimes appear to be a bit darker in color. This could be a typical sign of some stress, but it could also signify that it is getting ready to shed.

Bearded Dragon Bites

Dragons rarely bite. When they do, it's rarely serious. A dragon bite may be painful because their teeth are sharp. If you are bitten, the site may swell and bleed.

Bearded dragons are the only known reptile to show affection for their human companions, which is why they make great exotic pets if a reptile is the kind of animal you are looking for.

Reptiles are well-suited for basking in the sun, which provides them with warmth and UV light. Make sure that your bearded dragon's home has a heat bulb that gets warmer than 95 degrees Fahrenheit (and a nearby rock to lounge on). A heat bulb will keep your bearded dragon warm, but it won't supply much-needed UV light.

Even the calmest bearded dragon will eventually become stressed out if you handle him for too long. What is this? In fact, it is important to understand that bearded dragons probably do not “like” being handled – they simply “tolerate” it.

Gently put your hand, palm upturned, under its body and scoop it up. Use your thumb and forefinger to support the front arms while the body rests in the palm of your hand. Make sure that all of the dragon's legs are supported. You might place a second hand under the tail as well.

If your bearded dragon stays calm when you pick them up, it means they trust that you won't harm them. That said, beardies can only tolerate so much handling before feeling uncomfortable and stressed, so be sure to give them a break after some time.

Although bearded dragons are not generally aggressive by nature, they may become mad and show signs of aggressive behavior if they feel threatened, they may feel threatened should you mishandle them or if they interpret something as an act of aggression even when it isn't.

Do bearded dragons want attention? ›

Beardies love their owners. They'll recognize you, look in your eyes, beg for food, and sometimes want to be held. Unlike furry friends, beardies don't need constant attention or handling. They need alone time but will miss you if you're gone for too long.

A bearded dragon that is shaking or moving in abnormal, jerky motions is exhibiting another sign of calcium or vitamin D deficiency. Not getting enough of these nutrients can lead to metabolic bone disease.

Beardies show anger in a number of ways, including trying to escape their enclosures, twitchy tails, fluffing their beards, and even biting. Obviously, no one wants to be bitten by their pet, so realizing your bearded dragon is angry is the first step in determining how to fix the problem.

Bearded dragons, or “beardies,” are diurnal, which means that, like most of us, they are up during the day and asleep at night. They tend to be very docile and easy to handle, which makes them fun and personable pets. They are active, inquisitive and hardy and enjoy lounging with and/or on their people.

Vinegar, lemon and chilli powder

Lizards hate the smell of vinegar and lemon, while chilli powder can cause irritation to their skin, eyes and nose. Create your own vinegar, lemon and chilli powder spray to repel lizards from surfaces sprayed with this mixture.

Some behavioural signs of stress while being handled include aggression (hissing, puffing up, biting) and cloacal evacuation (defecation). Reptiles that are comfortable with their owners will often display exploratory behaviour, e.g. tongue flicks while moving calmly around/on the owner.

Although the tears of mammals like dogs and horses are more similar to humans, there are similar amounts of electrolyte fluid in the tears or birds, reptiles and humans. Birds and reptiles may not resemble humans in many ways, but they cry similar tears.

Lizards will show aggressive behaviors when they feel threatened, or are protecting food, territory, or their mate, all of which are responses that ensure their survival in their natural habitat.

The most common emotions seen in reptiles are fear and aggression. These are basic emotions that contribute to the fight or flight response. Fight or flight is how all animals process a perceived threat. They will either act aggressively and fight when they're scared or they will run away or take flight.

What are lizards scared off? ›

The pungent odour of garlic and onions drives away lizards

Another thing that lizards despise is the pungent smell of garlic and onion. Keep a few cloves of raw garlic or slices of onion in various corners of your home. Over time, the odour will shoo away the lizards.

The skinks are known to have an ADHD-type behaviour, measure about 10 centimetres and weigh about 2.5 grams.

It has been concluded that most lizards have good auditory sensitivity over a range from 100 to 4,000 hertz and relatively poor hearing for lower and higher tones. This auditory range is not very different from that of humans, although somewhat more restricted than that of most mammals.

Reptiles have the anatomic and physiologic structures needed to detect and perceive pain. Reptiles are capable of demonstrating painful behaviors. Most of the available literature indicates pure μ-opioid receptor agonists are best to provide analgesia in reptiles.

A more controversial emotion in reptiles is the concept of pleasure, or even love. Many feel that they have not developed this emotion, as it does not naturally benefit them. However, most reptiles do seem to recognize people who frequently handle and feed them.

No. The charm has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with the charmer waving a pungi, a reed instrument carved out of a gourd, in the snake's face. Snakes don't have external ears and can perceive little more than low-frequency rumbles.

Ammonia: Snakes dislike the odor of ammonia so one option is to spray it around any affected areas. Another option is to soak a rug in ammonia and place it in an unsealed bag near any areas inhabited by snakes to deter them away.