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Have you heard about bearded Dragon bite? If not, then you can read this article to learn more about it. The bearded dragon is one of the most popular pets in Europe and America. There are eight species of bearded dragons. They are very humble. Most people want to pet a bearded dragon, so it is better to know about it in detail before getting one.
If bearded dragons are treated with care, they won’t bite humans for no reason. They bite someone when they feel frightened or mistake someone’s fingers for food. But you should know all the information about their bites.
Read along as we discuss some of the crucial questions regarding bearded dragons- Do they bite, why do they bite, what are the side effects of the bite, how to treat the edge, how to prevent it from biting you, and more. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
What is a Bearded Dragon?
A bearded dragon is a type of lizard whose body is covered with spiny reptilian scales. It also has a beard of spikes under the chin. Therefore, it is called a bearded dragon. This type of dragon has eight different species. The reason why many people consider buying it as a pet is that they are gentle, docile, and active animals.
Is it True that Bearded Dragons Bite?
Well, the answer to this question is yes. Bearded Dragons do not bite without any reason. They are docile in behavior. There must be something wrong if they are biting you or someone else quite often. They are the safest dragons to pet. So, you don’t need to worry about it. However, you should know the reason behind their aggressive move.
Why do Bearded dragons Bite?
If you have a bearded dragon as your pet, you should understand why they bite. Because then you would be able to take care of them accordingly.
Bearded dragons have friendly nature. They don’t bite people for their fun. Let’s discuss some of the most common causes of their bites. It would be best if you looked for these signs before getting to a conclusion.
- They might be hungry– A bearded dragon might bite you if they are feeling hungry. It is one of the common causes behind their biting. Just like other animals get excited about the food, a bearded dragon loves to eat too. So, sometimes they often bite you accidentally. Some of the causes how it can happen are as follows-
Hand-Feeding– Hand-feeding is one of the most common causes of biting. If you are hand-feeding your pet, make sure to feed it properly. So, be careful while feeding it with your hand. You can accidentally get hurt by it if
Always bite your finger instead of food. A good meal schedule should be planned to avoid this situation.
Food smelling hands– After feeding them, you must wash your hands frequently so that they won’t bite you for hunger. They can smell your fingers or hands. So, they might mistake your fingers for their food. Sometimes, your fingers look like delicious worms to a bearded dragon.
- Excitement might be the case– When bearded dragons get excited all of a sudden, then they can bite anyone. For example, when it is time for a meal, it arises a lot of excitement in a bearded dragon. However, it happens rarely as it depends on other factors as well. Sometimes, it becomes challenging to understand bearded dragons’ moods. They can either feel highly excited or stressed out. You should do some activities to manage the levels of excitement or stress of your pet. You should make sure to control a beardie’s emotional levels. In this way, you would be able to keep it happy, peaceful, and calm. And also prevent it from biting you or others as a result.
- They feel frightened or unsafe– Bearded dragons might harm anyone when they feel terrified or hazardous in an environment. Almost every animal reacts in the same manner. It depends on a lot of factors when your beardie feels unsafe and frightened. For example, if there are other pets around a beardie, it might mistake them as predators. Therefore, it is important to keep other animals away from a beardie. Another situation where bearded dragons feel unsafe is when they are brought into a new habitat. They might feel uncomfortable in a new habitat, and it increases their stress levels. You should always try to keep them in a calm and relaxed environment. Don’t force them to do anything. Let them take their time
- They don’t socialize with people– Some bearded dragons usually don’t socialize much with humans. They don’t trust the environment as well as people when they are young. Their lack of trust might become a reason for hurting you or other people. You should let them take their time to adjust to the new environment and people. And it would be best if you tried to understand their problem too, they might be a little frightened living with the new environment and people. If your bearded dragon is not feeling comfortable with other people, you should always look for the signs and prevent it from biting anyone.
- Improper way of handling– This happens when you are a new owner as you don’t know how to pick your bearded dragon with your hands. As they are quite small creatures, they should be handled carefully. Otherwise, they might get frightened and bite you. For children, it is more difficult to pick a bearded dragon up with care. They might squeeze, hurt, pinch it accidentally. You should always take care of those who are handling your bearded dragon. You should tell them the proper way of handling the pet; otherwise, it might bite someone.
There are some things that you have to keep in mind before handling bearded dragons:
- You should avoid holding your beardie tightly.
- Don’t squeeze the body of a beardie.
- Don’t try to pinch it.
- You should avoid picking them when they don’t want to.
- It would help if you comfortably held them
These are some of the common reasons why bearded dragons bite people. If you are a beardie owner, you should take care of these things to prevent them from hurting anyone. Bearded dragons should be brought up with utmost love and care. They are the humblest creatures in the world. Now, we are going to discuss some information about the bearded dragon bite.
No, bearded dragons are not dangerous or poisonous. Their bites don’t cause serious problems. In a few cases, their bites either cause swelling or minimal infection.
You might be wondering if a bite from a bearded dragon hurts or not. Well, different people have different experiences when it comes to getting a Bearded dragon bite. Some say that it doesn’t hurt ,while others say it hurts a lot.
It depends on the age of the bearded dragon too. If it is small, the bite won’t hurt that much, and however, if it is young or older, then the bite might be more painful. But it is not necessarily true in every case.
Bearded dragons usually have sharp teeth, and the bite might feel like a sting or pinch. The pain of the bite also depends on nature. If the bite is accidental, it doesn’t cause much harm; on the other hand, if it is intentional, then it might cause more harm. You should not be scared, whatever the case is. Because these bites are not as dangerous as it seems to some people, now let’s move on to the next question.
The honest answer to this question is a big no. Some people think that the bite of a bearded dragon is poisonous, but it is a lie. If your bearded dragon bites you, either accidentally or intentionally, keep yourself calm and don’t panic. It would be best if you also took care that the dragon does not fall to the ground. It might cause serious injury to your pet.
In some cases, a bearded dragon doesn’t let go of your hand. Again, in this situation, you should remain calm and gently remove the beardie’s mouth from your hand.
You should keep your Bearded dragon away from children because they don’t know how to treat or handle them properly. So, the children might get hurt from a bite.
It is safe to pet a bearded dragon as they are docile and gentle by nature. They are friendly animals who just want your care and affection.
A bearded dragon bite might not cause much harm to your body. Only two things can happen after getting bitten by a bearded dragon. Your skin either gets cracked, or it gets a scratch. If your skin is cracked then you need to wash it first and then clean the spot by using a disinfectant. You can also clean the area by using alcohol or Neosporin. This prevents your skin from any bacteria and infection. And after that, you can apply a pain relief ointment.
You should not avoid the step of cleaning the spot with a disinfectant. Because a bearded dragon often carries Salmonella. It can cause severe infection (not necessarily) in a few cases. This process should be done even if there’s not a big cut or scratch on your skin.
There are many ways through which you can save yourself or others from getting bit by a bearded dragon. Some of the most common prevention methods are as follows –
- You should try to wash your hands after feeding your bearded dragon. The smell of the food shouldn’t be there on your fingers for too long.
- You must pick, hold, and handle your beardie with utmost care. If your dragon is not handled properly, then it might cause you harm. It would help if you also taught your family and friends to hold it properly.
- When a bearded dragon is stressed out, you should look for the signs. And you should always try to make your dragon feel calm and relaxed in such scenarios.
When a bearded dragon is about to bite you or someone else, it might show these signs:
- It begins hissing all of a sudden.
- If you notice your bearded dragon fluffing up its throat, it’s a warning sign.
- The color transforms into a darker tone.
In any of these situations, you should keep away for some time. And if you want to console your pet, you should wear hand gloves for protection.
If you are a beardie’s owner or about to pet one, you should know how to pick it with care. Some of the things you need to take care of are as follows:
- You shouldn’t make quick movements before picking it up.
- If you are picking up a baby dragon, you should slide your hand under its belly.
- If your dragon is an adult, you should use both of your hands to support its legs.
- You should avoid squeezing or handling them too tightly.
- You should keep your dragon close to your body.
The warning signs include hissing, change in color, and fluffing up of the throat. You should look for these signs and see how you can handle your bearded dragon.
Yes, bearded dragons have sharp teeth. But it depends on the age of the dragon. Baby bearded dragons do not have sharp teeth, unlike big ones.
Conclusion
In this article, we provided extensive information about the bearded dragon bite. Bearded dragons are the safest animals to pet. Yes, they might bite you in some conditions. But you can prevent it with some techniques.
If you are bitten by your bearded dragon, you should analyze why it happened. So that next time you won’t make the same mistake. As you know that a beardie’s bite is not dangerous, you should not panic in those situations. And you should avoid punishing the bearded dragon for the same thing. You should respect your bearded dragons no matter what.
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