Hydration Advice!

Hello,

What is a good way to keep a beardie hydrated? I took Drogons water dish out of the cage since he never used it and it just increases the humidity.

The reason I ask is every morning he looks dehydrated: sleepy eyed and wrinkly. He hates when I drip, mist, or squirt water near his face. Hes okay with baths but I dont want that to be his primary source of hydration.

Were still trying to get him to eat greens and once in a while he’ll munch on a leaf or two but he isnt loving veg yet.

How can I know if Drogon is getting enough water? Are bearded dragons just wrinkly sometimes?

Happy Thanksgiving!
Selkie

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just saw a trick on YouTube where you float a treat worm like BSFL, waxworm, or small mealworm on the surface of the water, and the dragon will snap it up and get some water that way. I've been meaning to try it myself. I can't even get Figment to drink from the bath - he HATES baths, and just tries to get away from the water - so I've been worried about his hydration, too.

I'll be watching this thread for other good ideas! The more experienced posters will probably want you to post a pic so they can see Drogon's wrinkles, too.

What does his urate look like? It should be formed and moist -- not chalky or dried out looking- you can try misting him w/ a spray bottle and see if he will lick the water off his nose - you can use a syringe and see if he will drink from that ---- Hiccup used to never drink from the bath either when little but as of lately he has been drinking from the bath water and he is now almost 2 as of the end of Jan-- does he eat his salad - you can wash or rinse the leaves before serving - I have been doing that w/ Blaze and he has extra water coming out every morning when he goes poop--
Karrie

KarrieRee":1m40q25j said:

What does his urate look like? It should be formed and moist -- not chalky or dried out looking- you can try misting him w/ a spray bottle and see if he will lick the water off his nose - you can use a syringe and see if he will drink from that ---- Hiccup used to never drink from the bath either when little but as of lately he has been drinking from the bath water and he is now almost 2 as of the end of Jan-- does he eat his salad - you can wash or rinse the leaves before serving - I have been doing that w/ Blaze and he has extra water coming out every morning when he goes poop--
Karrie

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Hi Karrie!
Actually Drogon hates getting misted. He closes his eyes and shakes his head then runs away. As for urate, his poop is usually pretty large and formed while the urate is fairly loose. Reminds me of bird poo. For salad, hes very picky :/

Im just not sure about the wrinkles when he wakes up. Does that always mean he’s dehydrated or are they just sometimes wrinkly?

Selkie

No they get wrinkly- doesn't mean they're dehydrated--- could be the way they are sitting sometimes-- mine do the same--
Karrie

KarrieRee":d4hbbtek said:

No they get wrinkly- doesn't mean they're dehydrated--- could be the way they are sitting sometimes-- mine do the same--
Karrie

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Hey Karrie,

So not to be gross, but I got a pic of his poop. When it comes out, you can hear a gush of water. Sorry to be graphic, but I figured that detail is important. Also, he's been looking a bit round in the belly. Hopefully it's because he gained weight from the waxworms and treat raspberries

Thanks for your help!
Selkie

Hi Selkie,

I agree with the others, the urate really is the best way to determine hydration status. Wrinkly skin and eyes really aren't a good indicator.

What you want to look for in a well hydrated urate is a couple things.

• 1. You want it to be pure white. Any off color or yellowing could indicate oversupplementation or slight dehydration
  2. You want it to be a bit soft. If it's hard and chalky, thats another clear indication that your dragon could probably use a bit more hydration.

That being said, in the picture you provide the urate looks nice and white. And it's hard to tell but at least the poo looks well hydrated, which is a good sign

-Brandon