Dragons are not affectionate creatures and will not come to your call because they "like" you, they will come for food. If you feed them too much early in the day then they will become full and will refuse to fly, so you must make sure to keep them hungry but not starving.

In order to train your dragon to a high standard you must weigh him at the beginning of every day to find out his "flying weight". It's also a good practice to do so to determine whether or not your dragon is sick, because if he is suffering from parasites or disease he will eat but not gain weight.

When your dragon is nearing his moult, generally in Autumn and Spring, you will need to make sure to feed him extra food. You don't necessarily have to make him fly to do this, but it would be a good time to get in extra training. After he sheds his skin DO NOT fly your dragon, as he will be tender for the next few days.

This is a young dragon, about eight weeks, but learning quickly. I've found his particular favourite is dried mealworms, but I've had dragons in the past that have a huge appetite for cucumber and also millet seeds - what you need to train your dragon with depends on the dragon. When they get bigger your 'treats' will need to get bigger too, at about 10-12 weeks switch to defrosted mice or chicks.

(Oct 2011)