Water?

[Renae_nae]

I got my beardie on Monday. It took me til midnight to actually get her in her tank and set up. On Tues we got some rocks (she came with me and loved hanging out in the sun) so her basking rocks would only be about a foot under her heating lamp (a heat lamp and UVB all in one 160w since she's in a 55g). Tue she ate a couple bites of salad (collard greens, apple, broccoli) and about a dozen crickets. Wed I gave her just some salad since my other dozen of crickets died (have to go get more today). She is always on her basking rock! I've tried to give her water several times with a spray bottle and a med dropper and she never opens her mouth. I've put a little water over the salad and even threw a couple of crickets in her bowl thinking that maybe she'll at least get a little water that way.

My fiance (who has had beardies before...this is my first) doesn't seemed concerned but I'm a little worried. I've read they don't know how to drink from a bowl (seems a little odd to me) but I don't want to assume she knows how since I've never seen it. I'm a new mommy freaking out! lol.

 

[ThDude]

Well give him a bath, what I did was give my dragon a bath and take my finger and get it wet with a drop of water on it the put it on his head while he's in the bath. Eventually he started licking and drinking off his head.

That's all I got.

 

[Germ]

The majority of BDs will not recognize standing water. Many of us don't provide a water dish, because they are rarely used & just raise humidity in the enclosure. They get ample hydration from their greens/feeder intake, regular mistings & warm soaks. Do you have an accurate thermometer to check your temps. Digital with a sensor or an infrared temp gun is recommended, the analog types have proven to be inaccurate & difficult to take the temps in the proper places. 95F-105F directly at the basking spot, with a heat gradient to 80F-85F at the coolest area of the enclosure, Cool side. What type of MVB do you have? The majority of MVB manufacturers have been having faulty bulb problems of late. You also have to be quite careful to follow the MVB manufacturer's recommended min/max distance specifications, in order not to harm your BD &/or provide the proper UVB strengths & wavelengths. They are generally used in much larger enclosures so minimum safe distances can be sustained. For instance, a BD should not be able to get any closer than 15" (18"-20" recommended by the manufacturer) to a 160W Mega Ray or serious/harmful issues can arise, so they can/should not be used in smaller enclosures where these minimum safe distances can't be provided.

A couple of links that may be of interest to you as a new owner ...
http://www.beardeddragonforum.com/index.php?threads/basic-bd-care-sheet-a-place-to-start.5177/
http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutritionframeset.html

Post some pics of your BD & setup, everyone loves to view pics.

Good Luck

 

[Renae_nae]

I've tried the misting and the bath but she never opens her mouth. I'm just going to keep trying for a few days and see what happens. As long as she's active, eating, and acting normal I'm not going to worry to much.