I have only had my 11 week old dragon just over a week now and am looking for some advice about bathing him, eg how often, where, water temp/depth, drying etc He is still not keen with me handling at the moment so want to make it as stress free as possible for him. Thanks
Soak your beardie 1-2x/week in warm (90-100 degrees) water no deeper than shoulder height. You can use your sink, bathtub, designated bathing tub, etc. as the place to do it, but be sure to disinfect and rinse afterward. Dry your baby by sticking him back under his heat lamp afterward. If he will tolerate it, you can also pat dry with a towel.
Yes and no. While they can't absorb water through their skin/vents/etc, regular bathing gives beardies an opportunity to drink as much as they want, and actually helps hydration.
Pooping while in the bath still isn't dehydrating, as bathing does not force a bearded dragon to defecate any more than it needs to expel. The poo that a dragon produces in the bath is the same that they would produce in their terrarium, with the same potentially dehydrating qualities. There are plenty of other causes for dehydration — too high temps and dry food being two of the most common — but bathing is nowhere on that list.