!!! First time actually holding !!!

Zimmer

New member
So. When we first brought Puff home at the beginning of September, he was crazy :yikes: Like, scared for his life, super fast, always hiding baby lizard that thinks I'm going to eat him.

After we brought him home and realized this, we started "boot camp". Every time I feed, I set my hand in his general vicinity for a couple minutes. At first, this was quite a distance away for just maybe 30 seconds. Got lots of defensive stance and tail waggling at first. Took a long time to get past that point without really freaking him out! I didn't want to risk dropping his tail or getting bit so I didn't push him, ever.

Eventually he came to me, even got a couple licks in. I was just able to start touching him and laying my hand in his path a couple weeks ago but he was still pretty sketchy. :sad:

Tonight, we are a day behind feeding because my bug shipment got delayed by a day. He is sitting on top of his hide, hands on the glass, looking at me like "lady, where's my roaches?" He NEVER does that. I decided he looked receptive, so I just kinda set my hand down right near him like normal for a second, and then took the next step and went for the scoop. He did great!!!! I held him for the first time, ever, for like 3 minutes, and then set him down before he started scrambling. Then gave him his last 2 dubia roaches for a reward of good behavior.

He is supposed to be my daughter's pet, and she has yet to be able to really enjoy him beyond watching him eat bugs, so this was a HUGE breakthrough for us!!! YAAAY! :cheer:
 

kholtme

New member
Gaz is still pretty skiddish at times, but whenever i do manage to pick him up and get him out of his tank its amazing!
 

JessJohnson87

New member
Before you know it, he will always want to come out and play! Ziggy never misses an opportunity to come out of his cage to play on the couch.
 
Only if I could get my titan to do that. He hates me:roll:
When I got him he screamed his little head off for like 5 seconds, all while he deflated like a balloon:crackup:. He snaps at me so loud it sounds like he clapped in my ear:yikes:, I think I would take my finger being bitten from a snake then him. I love my little screaming demon:roll:
 

Zimmer

New member
Only if I could get my titan to do that. He hates me:roll:
When I got him he screamed his little head off for like 5 seconds, all while he deflated like a balloon:crackup:. He snaps at me so loud it sounds like he clapped in my ear:yikes:, I think I would take my finger being bitten from a snake then him. I love my little screaming demon:roll:

Puff was like this as a teeny baby. He is starting to grow out of the major defense mode, as he realizes that instead of wanting to eat him, I usually just want to feed him. We have had him almost 2 months, and it was a MAJOR trial of patience, because I really want my daughter to be able to hold him and so I didn't want to rush into handling him and ruining it for all of us LOL but I think we are on the right track! It's all about consistency, I think. I have either had my hands in his house cleaning, or desensitizing by proximity, every day that we've had him and it's finally paying off!
 
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