Hello, I am new to the forums and this is my second bearded dragon. My first one died from dehydration... Anyway, The first day I got my new dragon it would twitch a lot and it would always have its head titled. I looked this up in my dragon manual and it was a sign of iinner ear infection. He wouldnt eat or drink water so I planned to take him to the vet the next day. But fourtunatly he started eating crickets but still had no intrest in the water. I've tried dropping water by his mouth with a syringe and water dropper but he just wont open his mouth to drink. My first dragon began drinking the next day after purchase but my new one still wont drink... I've been misting him every day just to see if he wants to drink, and I put him in his water dish to stay cool. I also put an ice cube above his drinking dish but he still has to intrest in the dripping water. Temps are about 85F-90F and he is in a 15 gallon tank with newspaper on the bottom. I think he is only a baby still and he is only a little bigger than my middle finger... This morning I went to his tank and I saw that he was gaping on his basking spot, could this be from not having enough water??? Can anyone please share some drinking methods so my bearded dragon can drink? He hasn't drank any water since I baught him and that was almost a week and half ago... please help thanks, Gabe
Hello and welcome, Bathing is a great way to hydrate. You may never see them drinking, but they will absorb water through their skin and vent. read http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections+index...-19-page-1.html They will gape, this is normal. They just can't be bothered to move to a cooler spot so they gap to help regulate their heat, simular to a dog panting. Make sure you are measuring the temps correctly with a digital gauge (the dials are useless). You actually could do with it being hotter 105-110 under the basking spot and low 80s on the cool end. This may be quite difficult in a tank that size though.
Re: RE: Help please, my bearded dragon wont drink his water Ok thank you for replying, I will bathe and mist my dragon everyday since he can absorb water. The link you provided shows a much bigger dragon than the one i have, could i still bathe him like that? my dragon is still small. Also, could he not be drinking water because of something else, like an inner ear infection?
RE: Re: RE: Help please, my bearded dragon wont drink his wa A daily bath should be more than enough. They don't tend to go for still water so try moving it or using a dropper to drip some in. If he is wanting more you really need to make sure your temps and everything else is right. Copy and paste the questions from here and we can see if there is anything else that may be effecting him. http://www.reptilerooms.com/forumtopic-19945.html
RE: Re: RE: Help please, my bearded dragon wont drink his wa OWNER INFO Is this your first bearded dragon? no What area are you located in? placentia, ca, usa PERSONAL HISTORY (Dragon) Dragons name: havent named him yet Age, weight and length if you know? he is still little, thats all i know How long with you? about a week What is his condition recently and if it changed, when? at first i thought he had an inner ear infection, but the next day he seemed fine and stopped twitching. Is he active, clear eyes and bright? he seems to bask most of the day like many dragons, but he becomes active when food is presented Is the beard, chest or tail tip darker than the rest or than normal? no, i dont think so Walking/moving normally? yes Any physical features that do not appear normal? none that i know of From Breeder or Pet Store? (this may make a difference) pet store Has he every been treated by a vet, no If yes, for what and what meds were used/dosed and time if know? Basking or sleeping during the day? he would sleep during the day the first day i bought him but now he is normal Is he going to the bathroom, how often? yes he goes, i dont know how many times a day though. it seems normal to me. If not, when was the last time? Is it formed/normal or runny/smelly - my friend says its normal and sometimes smelly Alone or with others? alone If with others, what sex"? Soaking or misting at all and how often? misting and soaking everyday ENCLOSURE Set up info tank size? 15 gallon Temps -what do you use for heat? a red heat bulb 50watt Basking point? 87-90F Cool area? dont know, certainly lower than basking area What are you measure it with? a liquid sticker thermometer What Substrate? no substrate, only newspaper UVB Lights type (detailed) i have a uvb light but, no details on it How old? About 2-3 months How close to UVB light when he bask? he is mostly in the red heat bulb when basking What hours for day/night? normal hours. I shut off his uvb light at 10pm at night and turn it on when i wake up, around 9-11pm Do you use any type of nighttime heat, if so what? just my 50watt heat lamp FOOD How is his appetite? IS there a change? Its certinaly changed since the day of purchase. he eats a lot of crickets What size, kind and how many/much insects does he eat daily? he eats about 24-30 and sometimes veggies (lettuce) What do you feed the insects normally? flukers gutload, and gel water with calcium added. also they are sprinkled with calcium at times Is the dragon eating greens/veggies? sometimes What and how much? he eats lettuce, and only a few bites Supplements? What kind of calcium/how often? he is given calcium on crickets and lettuce everyday What kind of vitamins how often ? no vitimins How are these given to him? with food
another great way i have found to keep my girl hydrated among many other benefits is to use the REP-CAL pellets added to there greens..You soak them in water first and its like there eating very healthy sponges..
I'd get yourself a digital thermometer for one. It could be a lot hotter or cooler than you think. The stickies can be 20+ degrees off. Also, your beardie can see red light. If you desire to keep using a red bulb (and most people here will tell you not to), turn it off at night. They don't need night heat. I'd read up in the Knowledgebase about what foods to be giving him for veggies. You really don't want to be giving him lettuce at all. Greens are much better. http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections+index...-98-page-1.html Also, I doubt the head twitching was from an inner ear disorder... it was most likely from a calcium deficiency. Can you get us the model of your UVB bulb? Do you know what kind of calcium you're using? Does it contain D3? You need to get some vitamins, too. They need the extra stuff in a multi, also. Hopefully you can get us this info soon so we can help you out even more
My 2 yr. old beardie Rosie has never drunk from a dish. When active, she seems to get all of the H2O she needs from misting and her food. But she's brumating now, so I offer here water from a syringe with no needle. I squirt the water slowly on tip of her nose and around her mouth. She will take long drinks this way and it assures me she is getting hydrated. I mist her twice a day and soak her good with a spray bottle so the water is dripping from her body. If she's thirsty, she'll start licking water dripping from her head. I then offer the syringe. Ask your vet for a syringe with the long, curved point--it works great! I should mention she's not keen on baths either. Good luck!
