I also have an angry, anxious
bathing beardie. It's Ginger. She panics, climbs my arm, puffs, hyperventilates and occasionally hisses. I don't
bathe her in the tub or sink because it seems worse there. I have a rubbermaid tub that is a few inches longer than and wider than her with sides that she can't climb but they are not so tall so she feels like she is in the bottom of a big tub. It is clear so she can kind of see out. I fill it and sit in the living room next to it and put her in there. That way she is not in some big white thing in the bathroom. She chills in the living room with us every day, so she knows where she is, she is just in water.
Also I have a regular washcloth that I have wet and folded into a 'bundle' and secured with a large rubberband. I leave that washcloth in her tub and when I put her in there I put her on the washcloth so she feels like she has an island to support her. Sometimes she will try to get on it and get out of the water but I just patiently reposition her and she will calm down.
ALSO I
bath her last. I
bathe her as late as I can so she is getting tired, but not too late because she will try to sleep in the water and drown. :roll: I make sure after her
bath she either has time in her tank to get under the lights to make sure she is DRY or I spend the extra time to really dry her off if she is going straight to sleep after her
bath. This is so she doesn't stay damp and get fungus.
That has helped. She still puffs but she doesn't PANIC.
I would try the suggestion of lowering the water temp, too. I've tried all kinds of temps with Ginger and she does get upset if it borders hot.