Hydration

[Love.my.Loki]

My name is Rachel. My bearded dragon is about a year old. His name is Loki. It's very hard to keep him hydrated even after soaking him every other day. He never touches his water dish so I have to water feed him with a syringe which he sometimes laps up but sometimes doesn't. I bought him a neptolion reptile creation lizard drinker but I was looking for the water hitting water effect so he could hear it. He kind of looked at it but now isn't to interested in it. I will leave it in there for the mean time in case anything changes but does anyone have any recommendations on the best type of waterfalls that have worked for you? Or just any pointers on what might work best to keep him hydrated? Thanks.

 

[Sadie]

My name is Rachel. My bearded dragon is about a year old. His name is Loki. It's very hard to keep him hydrated even after soaking him every other day. He never touches his water dish so I have to water feed him with a syringe which he sometimes laps up but sometimes doesn't. I bought him a neptolion reptile creation lizard drinker but I was looking for the water hitting water effect so he could hear it. He kind of looked at it but now isn't to interested in it. I will leave it in there for the mean time in case anything changes but does anyone have any recommendations on the best type of waterfalls that have worked for you? Or just any pointers on what might work best to keep him hydrated? Thanks.

Waterfalls or any type of water instrument is not recommended humidity issues - dragons get their hydration mainly from the salads fed - you can rinse the greens before serving - if your dragon is not a big salad eater offer baths every 10 days - does he drink out of the bath? You can tell if a dragon is dehydrated by their poop-- the dark poop should be formed and moist- the urate white formed and moist

 

[Love.my.Loki]

Waterfalls or any type of water instrument is not recommended humidity issues - dragons get their hydration mainly from the salads fed - you can rinse the greens before serving - if your dragon is not a big salad eater offer baths every 10 days - does he drink out of the bath? You can tell if a dragon is dehydrated by their poop-- the dark poop should be formed and moist- the urate white formed and moist

He is not a big salad eater. He used to be but lately he's been only willing to be hand feed. He loves zucchini and butternut squash. No he doesn't drink out of the bath but I've read that they are able to do that from their vent and more than likely do that instead of drink with their mouth. Is that true?

 

[Sadie]

He is not a big salad eater. He used to be but lately he's been only willing to be hand feed. He loves zucchini and butternut squash. No he doesn't drink out of the bath but I've read that they are able to do that from their vent and more than likely do that instead of drink with their mouth. Is that true?

No - they will actually drink mine drink from baths but mine eat salads too - you can drop water on their noses to see if they will lick the water if he does keep.dropping on his nose till he stops

 

[Love.my.Loki]

s not a big salad eater. He used to be but lately he's been only willing to be hand feed. He loves zucchini and butternut squash. No he doesn't drink out of the bath but I've read that they are able to do that from their vent and more than likely do that instead of drink with their mouth. Is that true

No - they will actually drink mine drink from baths but mine eat salads too - you can drop water on their noses to see if they will lick the water if he does keep.dropping on his nose till he stops

I will keep doing that and keep up with the baths. Thank you

 

[Nathan Vanderslice]

He is not a big salad eater. He used to be but lately he's been only willing to be hand feed. He loves zucchini and butternut squash. No he doesn't drink out of the bath but I've read that they are able to do that from their vent and more than likely do that instead of drink with their mouth. Is that true?

I tried a small waterfall which from time to time Yindi would go and drink a bit from but also realized that it was not working because the humidity in the tank went ridiculously high. I have tried a small dish in the viv for her to drink from but nothing happens. Then I saw something, I think not that long ago, and even on this forum that beardies have t see the water moving, or feel it. What I do now, especially if she gets in a rut where she won't eat veggies, I use about a 10 cc syringe with a long small needle. (These are not "medical needles but blunt tip (cut straight across vs on an angle as in those for medical use. You can easily, and legally get them on ebay. Then just fill the syringe with water, put the needle on and slowly drip the water on the tip of his nose. It might take a little while for them to catch on to it but then will start licking it from their nose. If they don't want it, or have had enough they'll back away from it. I remember reading something somewhere that this is one of the ways they drink in the wild. by putting their nose under the dripping water and licking it off their nose

 

[Love.my.Loki]

I tried a small waterfall which from time to time Yindi would go and drink a bit from but also realized that it was not working because the humidity in the tank went ridiculously high. I have tried a small dish in the viv for her to drink from but nothing happens. Then I saw something, I think not that long ago, and even on this forum that beardies have t see the water moving, or feel it. What I do now, especially if she gets in a rut where she won't eat veggies, I use about a 10 cc syringe with a long small needle. (These are not "medical needles but blunt tip (cut straight across vs on an angle as in those for medical use. You can easily, and legally get them on ebay. Then just fill the syringe with water, put the needle on and slowly drip the water on the tip of his nose. It might take a little while for them to catch on to it but then will start licking it from their nose. If they don't want it, or have had enough they'll back away from it. I remember reading something somewhere that this is one of the ways they drink in the wild. by putting their nose under the dripping water and licking it off their nose

Yes! I tried a tiny waterfall as well and it did the same thing! I just bought a bigger tank though. Like 4 ft by 2 ft so I'm wondering if maybe in a bigger enclosure it won't affect the humidity so much. For now I took it out. I actually do the same thing with a syringe but it's one without a needle at all and sometimes he takes to it and so.etimes he doesn't. But maybe too much is falling on his nose and I will try it the way you do it to see if he likes it better.

It really is a bummer that the waterfalls affect the humidity so much, otherwise I feel like it might work really well.

 

[Nathan Vanderslice]

Yeah, the needle is because the opening is much smaller than that of the syringe nipple. The smaller the size of needle (in diameter not length) the more control you will get on it. I'm not sure if this is a factor or not but the longer the needle, the farther the syringe is from your beardie. Having a large syringe may bother it as a possible threat. I have no idea if that would be true but it's something to consider. Goodluck.

 

[Love.my.Loki]

Yeah, the needle is because the opening is much smaller than that of the syringe nipple. The smaller the size of needle (in diameter not length) the more control you will get on it. I'm not sure if this is a factor or not but the longer the needle, the farther the syringe is from your beardie. Having a large syringe may bother it as a possible threat. I have no idea if that would be true but it's something to consider. Goodluck.

Thank you I appreciate that. This is something I am definitely going to try. I'm always open to suggestions!

 

[Sam-E]

The syringe I use for my beardie is one the vet gave me in his Meloxicam prescription. Since he needs a fraction of the other animals, there was already larger syringes inside the box plus the ultra tiny one she gave me. You can go to any vet or pharmacy to get small syringes, usually for free. Or order pippetts online. Mine only drinks when water is dropped on his nose, or massive gulps in the bath. He does eat his veggies pretty well too.

 

[Love.my.Loki]

The syringe I use for my beardie is one the vet gave me in his Meloxicam prescription. Since he needs a fraction of the other animals, there was already larger syringes inside the box plus the ultra tiny one she gave me. You can go to any vet or pharmacy to get small syringes, usually for free. Or order pippetts online. Mine only drinks when water is dropped on his nose, or massive gulps in the bath. He does eat his veggies pretty well too.

Oh okay. That's good to know. Thank you! Yea mine will only drink when it's dropped on his nose as well, but only sometimes. Never in the bath though. He won't drink water like that at all (or out of any still standing water bowl) I don't think he's a real big fan of bath time to be honest. He either just sits there or tries to climb and splash his way out. Or both haha I'm thinking the kind of syringe you're using might be better than what I've been doing though so I'm gonna give that a shotAs far as veggies go, he used to be really good about eating his veggies but lately he just isn't havin' it. He'll eat certain things out of my hand but that's only sometimes too. Something's going on with him and I'm not sure what but I'm trying to figure it out:/

 

[Sam-E]

Oh okay. That's good to know. Thank you! Yea mine will only drink when it's dropped on his nose as well, but only sometimes. Never in the bath though. He won't drink water like that at all (or out of any still standing water bowl) I don't think he's a real big fan of bath time to be honest. He either just sits there or tries to climb and splash his way out. Or both haha I'm thinking the kind of syringe you're using might be better than what I've been doing though so I'm gonna give that a shotAs far as veggies go, he used to be really good about eating his veggies but lately he just isn't havin' it. He'll eat certain things out of my hand but that's only sometimes too. Something's going on with him and I'm not sure what but I'm trying to figure it out:/

Do you have any humidifiers for Loki? I have a snake one I put in to keep some moisture in mines tank. It was pretty cheap and can be set on automatic timers (like alexa) to go off only for set times. I usually do mine once a day in the winter (we have a home humidifier too then) and twice in the summer. It's pretty dry here in Wyoming. I do keep him towards the upper end of the humidity spectrum (40-60%) because of his skin issue. Mine loves his veggies, especially covered in powder. He eagerly jumps down to feed as soon as we set his plate down in the morning.

 

[Love.my.Loki]

Humidifier? No I'm actually looking into a dehumidifier because his humidity is too high. I need to get it lower. The one that is made by reptizoo though won't send to California off Amazon and that's the only one I can find that is actually made for the purpose I need it for. I'm not sure if I sure get just a regular one or what. I'm doing some research right now to see what I can find out. Aww I wish Loki did that. Even when he did eat his veggies he never ran to them like that. I've had to put a lot of energy into him eating. I've had to be really patient. He eats bugs no problem but we've had to slow down on those because he's a tad overweight and I'm trying to get him healthy and at a little bit of a lower weight. I've been pretty worried and concerned because veggies are important and I want him to get everything he needs so he can be happy and healthy.

You put the powder on veggies too? Hmm I thought I read somewhere to only dust the bugs. I tried with Loki awhile back and he wasn't a fan. He is soo picky.

 

[Sam-E]

Humidifier? No I'm actually looking into a dehumidifier because his humidity is too high. I need to get it lower. The one that is made by reptizoo though won't send to California off Amazon and that's the only one I can find that is actually made for the purpose I need it for. I'm not sure if I sure get just a regular one or what. I'm doing some research right now to see what I can find out. Aww I wish Loki did that. Even when he did eat his veggies he never ran to them like that. I've had to put a lot of energy into him eating. I've had to be really patient. He eats bugs no problem but we've had to slow down on those because he's a tad overweight and I'm trying to get him healthy and at a little bit of a lower weight. I've been pretty worried and concerned because veggies are important and I want him to get everything he needs so he can be happy and healthy.

You put the powder on veggies too? Hmm I thought I read somewhere to only dust the bugs. I tried with Loki awhile back and he wasn't a fan. He is soo picky.

That is weird, and sucks, that amazon won't send to you. Have you tried a few different types? I generally do three to eight different types in each veggie feeding (small quantities that add up to his dish size). Collins likes collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, broccoli, bell peppers, bok choy, carrots, parsnips, strawberries, black berries, apples, raspberries, zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans. He gets a little, and we eat the rest lol. He is not a huge fan of fruit, but I still try to get him some every couple days.

He won't eat the powdered bugs, and I have had better luck with dusting his veggies a couple times a week. Collins is really picky about his bugs, not so with veggies thank God lol.

 

[Love.my.Loki]

Yea it does suck... I'm just gonna have it sent to my dad's in Tennessee and have him send it to me I think because it's the only one I can find. That's funny our beardies are like exact opposites lol

I do feed him a variety of things and try to mix it up on different days. But I use a lot of the same things, like collards, mustards, dandelion, all the squashes, zucchini, endive, blueberries, and snap peas. I have literally gone through a whole list of foods that they're aloud to eat (more frequent ones; staples) and he's just kinda stopped messing with his bowl altogether. He will eat an occasional squash or zucchini out of my hand and would never turn down a blueberry but he can't have those too often. Ive read so much about what they can eat and how often that I try to stick to foods he can have on a daily. Lately it doesn't really matter though because he's not eating much at all so it's not like he's having it everyday to the point where it could be bad for him. I still have some on the list that I haven't tried so I'm just making my way down it trying to find out what he likes but at this point I don't know if that's the problem. I don't know I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with him. I'm waiting on a fecal test results so maybe something will come of that.

But yea you're lucky that Collins likes his greens cuz there's a lot of nutrients and vitamins and all that they get from veggies. I stay stressed out about it. I just don't want to be doing something wrong or bad that is causing him to be unhappy or unhealthy so I'm trying like heck to find out what it is and fix it. I wish he was picky about bugs. Haha he loves those things!

It sounds like Collins does pretty good though overall, (aside from his poor skin problem, poor baby) as far as everything in his enclosure and eating and all that. How's he doing with being handled and getting out of his enclosure? And how does he burn most of his calories or get his exercise? I'm scared to let him down and run around because I've heard of too many people losing their bearded dragons forever and never finding them. I don't want him to get away from me! It just makes me so sad and to think they can't survive like that... But I need to get him to burn some calories and get some exercise. One it's good for them and 2 he just needs to lose a little weight anyways.

 

[Sam-E]

Yea it does suck... I'm just gonna have it sent to my dad's in Tennessee and have him send it to me I think because it's the only one I can find. That's funny our beardies are like exact opposites lol

I do feed him a variety of things and try to mix it up on different days. But I use a lot of the same things, like collards, mustards, dandelion, all the squashes, zucchini, endive, blueberries, and snap peas. I have literally gone through a whole list of foods that they're aloud to eat (more frequent ones; staples) and he's just kinda stopped messing with his bowl altogether. He will eat an occasional squash or zucchini out of my hand and would never turn down a blueberry but he can't have those too often. Ive read so much about what they can eat and how often that I try to stick to foods he can have on a daily. Lately it doesn't really matter though because he's not eating much at all so it's not like he's having it everyday to the point where it could be bad for him. I still have some on the list that I haven't tried so I'm just making my way down it trying to find out what he likes but at this point I don't know if that's the problem. I don't know I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with him. I'm waiting on a fecal test results so maybe something will come of that.

But yea you're lucky that Collins likes his greens cuz there's a lot of nutrients and vitamins and all that they get from veggies. I stay stressed out about it. I just don't want to be doing something wrong or bad that is causing him to be unhappy or unhealthy so I'm trying like heck to find out what it is and fix it. I wish he was picky about bugs. Haha he loves those things!

It sounds like Collins does pretty good though overall, (aside from his poor skin problem, poor baby) as far as everything in his enclosure and eating and all that. How's he doing with being handled and getting out of his enclosure? And how does he burn most of his calories or get his exercise? I'm scared to let him down and run around because I've heard of too many people losing their bearded dragons forever and never finding them. I don't want him to get away from me! It just makes me so sad and to think they can't survive like that... But I need to get him to burn some calories and get some exercise. One it's good for them and 2 he just needs to lose a little weight anyways.

I let him out of his tank with a leash on so if he gets under something, I usually can see where he went. My cat and dog are also good about following him around (they do not attack, just watch). He doesn't come out too often because he is not a fan of being touched or handled. Since I have to pick on his skin during baths, he prefers to not be touched. He does really good when I let him go to daycare to see the kids though. During the summer he can go outside with us, but it's hard to get temps to 90 degrees sometimes here in WY.

He seems to run around his tank enough that he stays healthy weight wise. I know the vet was pleased with his weight and body size, so I feel good about that. Collins almost never eats from my hands, only bugs on tweezers and never any greens. He is also very toddler like and will literally turn up his nose when he doesn't want something.

 

[Love.my.Loki]

Hahaha Loki does that too. Hell turn his head up like you said and then he'll back away from me. I have a leash I use occasionally but he doesn't really like it. He starts puffing and rolling his beard to try and get it off. I just got him a new cage and it's 4 by 2 so I've been dropping his crickets across the whole enclosure so he has to run to them and chase them around. That's been working so far for.the most part.

That's good that the vet was pleased. That would make me super happy too. When I took Loki everything was all good. Tests and x rays but I felt like the doc didn't really know too much what she was talking avout. Or maybe she just doesn't know enough about bearded dragons specifically. She tried telling me he was a girl and I know for a fact that's not the case so that kinda worried me a little bit.

That's really cool that your other animals are so cool with him. I have a dog. He's a Pit mixed with Weimaraner and Lab and his energy level is through the roof so it took some time to get him to just be able to sit in the same room and not get all crazy. He gets pretty jealous too but they've been able to touch noses and lick each other without any issues but I won't leave them alone or trust Ruger (my dog) to watch after him haha

Now that you mention it I remember you saying that, about being handled. He probably associates you with taking a bath and being picked at. Youre amazing for taking care of him like that. I would be so sad if I could t handle him all the time. I literally have Loki with me all the time. He just sits in my shoulda and hangs out while I run my errands or go to my family or friends houses. At least you guys have a good time at the day care together. I bet the kids love that.

 

[Sam-E]

Hahaha Loki does that too. Hell turn his head up like you said and then he'll back away from me. I have a leash I use occasionally but he doesn't really like it. He starts puffing and rolling his beard to try and get it off. I just got him a new cage and it's 4 by 2 so I've been dropping his crickets across the whole enclosure so he has to run to them and chase them around. That's been working so far for.the most part.

That's good that the vet was pleased. That would make me super happy too. When I took Loki everything was all good. Tests and x rays but I felt like the doc didn't really know too much what she was talking avout. Or maybe she just doesn't know enough about bearded dragons specifically. She tried telling me he was a girl and I know for a fact that's not the case so that kinda worried me a little bit.

That's really cool that your other animals are so cool with him. I have a dog. He's a Pit mixed with Weimaraner and Lab and his energy level is through the roof so it took some time to get him to just be able to sit in the same room and not get all crazy. He gets pretty jealous too but they've been able to touch noses and lick each other without any issues but I won't leave them alone or trust Ruger (my dog) to watch after him haha

Now that you mention it I remember you saying that, about being handled. He probably associates you with taking a bath and being picked at. Youre amazing for taking care of him like that. I would be so sad if I could t handle him all the time. I literally have Loki with me all the time. He just sits in my shoulda and hangs out while I run my errands or go to my family or friends houses. At least you guys have a good time at the day care together. I bet the kids love that.

The kids at daycare always ask about him, so that's always fun. I wish I could do more with Collins, but damn Wyoming weather lol. This summer we will be able to do more. It's hard to even want to take him out of his tank when the house is 68 degrees and outside is anywhere from 30-70 right now.

I am sure he associates me to bath time. He does get calmer once he sees I am not heading to the bath. My wife doesn't handle him much, but he seems okay with her. She can't get him to eat bugs as well as he eats for me, so I'll take that as a win.

My dog Sancho usually gets really jealous, and with him being only 1 yr old I would not leave him alone with the dragon. The cat I would trusting she has never attempted more than sniffing him. The dog has opened his mouth around Collins tail, but never bit down.

My vet seemed to do better and answered questions abot dragon health, so I feel more comfortable with her being his vet. She said if the base of his tail at his back is nice and plump, but not overly thick, than his weight is good. I have to laugh because Collins actually has little dimples on the top of his tail, which reminds me of ome hot person with dimples at the base of their spine before their ass lol. So I call Collins sexy-fit lol.

 

[Love.my.Loki]

Yea that's hard. I hate it when it's cold because they like and need to be handled. I try to keep the house warm enough for him. He likes to sit on the back of the couch against the wall and just chill.

Well that says it right there. He do not like bath time! Which is totally understandable. At least he knows and doesn't stress out when he knows he's not going to the bath. I would try taking him out about as much as you take him out for baths just so he can get handled and get some good time and not just some uncomfortable times. Poor baby. Are his skin problems from how you to nd him you think or you don't know?

Yea my dog had gotten a lot better. And he did the same thing actually. He got lokis tail in his mouth but he didn't bite down. Oooh cats are unpredictable. I don't think I would leave the car alone with him. You never know. Plus they like to bring you presents every now and then. That's just a risk I don't think I could take. I couldn't stand the thought of him going out like that, the pain he'd go through.... But I do not know your cat so yea.

That's hella funny hahaha sexy fit. Yea I need to find a new vet for Loki. I did not like the one I went to!

 

[Love.my.Loki]

how you found* him is what I meant. Oops