My boyfriend and I just bought our Chinese Water Dragon and we take her out of the cage to get her used to people. She is lovely but I scared the crap out of her yesterday because she was sitting on his chest and she randomly jumped on my neck while I was intently watching a documentary about Komodo Dragons... Scary stuff. AND well, she startled me when she jumped on me and I grabbed her and threw her on the floor. I feel so terrible I'm still thinking about it. She wasn't hurt luckily but I'm afraid that any progress we made with her getting her used to being handled was compromised when I threw her. I also am beginning to think I am scared of my pet! I was fine with her when we brought her home but Chinese Water Dragons are So jumpy and I'm jumpy too so maybe this wasn't A good mix because every time she jumps I flinch. I am afraid of my pet and I don't want to be because I adore her. Any advice?
Hello, and welcome to the boards! The jumpiness you are describing is very typical of a healthy juvenile water dragon. The only thing you can do to overcome that jumpiness is to keep handling her on a regular basis. With frequent handling, they tend to become much more mellow, especially as they get bigger. Regular exposure to her flightiness will also get you used to her sudden movements. You obviously already love this animal. You will be surprised how quickly you can overcome a fear, even a knee-jerk reaction, when an animal you care about is affected by it. I used to be scared silly by the jumpiness of little crickets. Then I got attached to a little bearded dragon who needed hand fed. That fear pretty much went out the window after a few hand feedings, and now I scoop up crickets by hand on an almost daily basis. I've seen a lot of my coworkers and customers overcome crippling fears of certain animals with just a little exposure, so a little jumpiness on your part is really no big deal. Just keep doing what you are doing and I'm sure you will both calm down with time. If you have any other questions about your water dragon, please don't hesitate to ask. =)
