It is my understanding that most Beardies won't drink from a water dish or bowl. My Beardie is about 2 years old... he has a water dish that he came with (we adopted him about 2 weeks ago) but all he does is sit in the dish (we rinse and refill it daily to avoid any bacteria build-up and he is on slate not sand). He's had baths since he's been here, but he hates them. He doesn't drink in the bath, either.
His temps are 85F cool side and between 105F-109F in his basking spot. His greens get misted and he gets a bath twice a week in 95F-97F water for 15-20 minutes. He doesn't eat much greens, really that I can see. He gets fresh everyday - collard greens, mustard greens, sometimes kale, orange and yellow bell peppers, acorn squash and sometimes carrots or apple. He eats dubia roaches and superworms (usually about 5 each) every other day dusted with RepCal Calcium w/ D3 (he doesn't appear to like crickets and they just crawl on him so we switched to the roaches).
How do I know if he is hydrated enough? I bought a spray bottle today to try misting him - I did this while he was basking and he gave me the most offended look and his beard went all black. He was NOT happy. Is he hydrating through his vent when he sits in the dish??? There are white urates present every time he poops, and he is not lethargic at all.
Should I be alarmed that he doesn't drink in the bath and I've never seen him drink from his dish? Is there a way to check for dehydration in a reptile (like pulling on the skin of a dog and seeing how fast it snaps back, etc.)?
*added: did some research on the web and learned that the skin trick works for Beardies, too, so I tried it - I pulled a bit of his skin upwards on his back and it snapped right back into place, no hesitation. His skin is not wrinkled, and he is active, basking as normal, and very alert, eating well, etc. so I suppose I have nothing to worry about. Still, if anyone has any further info, I'll take it! You can never have too much, right? Or maybe you can... lol *overly-worried new mom is off to bed now*
His temps are 85F cool side and between 105F-109F in his basking spot. His greens get misted and he gets a bath twice a week in 95F-97F water for 15-20 minutes. He doesn't eat much greens, really that I can see. He gets fresh everyday - collard greens, mustard greens, sometimes kale, orange and yellow bell peppers, acorn squash and sometimes carrots or apple. He eats dubia roaches and superworms (usually about 5 each) every other day dusted with RepCal Calcium w/ D3 (he doesn't appear to like crickets and they just crawl on him so we switched to the roaches).
How do I know if he is hydrated enough? I bought a spray bottle today to try misting him - I did this while he was basking and he gave me the most offended look and his beard went all black. He was NOT happy. Is he hydrating through his vent when he sits in the dish??? There are white urates present every time he poops, and he is not lethargic at all.
Should I be alarmed that he doesn't drink in the bath and I've never seen him drink from his dish? Is there a way to check for dehydration in a reptile (like pulling on the skin of a dog and seeing how fast it snaps back, etc.)?
*added: did some research on the web and learned that the skin trick works for Beardies, too, so I tried it - I pulled a bit of his skin upwards on his back and it snapped right back into place, no hesitation. His skin is not wrinkled, and he is active, basking as normal, and very alert, eating well, etc. so I suppose I have nothing to worry about. Still, if anyone has any further info, I'll take it! You can never have too much, right? Or maybe you can... lol *overly-worried new mom is off to bed now*