drying off after a bath?

[coastergirl946]

OK.. so I totally feel stupid asking this, but what is the best way to go about drying your beardie off after its bath? I know you're supposed to get them dry and them immediately back in the viv so they can warm up, but what is the best way?
I wrap Curt in a towel with his head poking out so the towel can absorb the moisture (beardie burrito :mrgreen: ) and cuddle him as he dries. I usually have to unwrap him and get a second dry towel to absorb the rest of the moisture.. he's a pretty big beardie at 15 inches from nose tip to tail tip. It is effective in drying him off, but not quick, because by the time he is dry from this method, he's pretty cold. I do put him on his basking spot afterward.
Simply laying him on a towel doesn't work.. he wants to explore. If I burrito him up, he will stay.
Once I took a towel and gave him a gentle rub down with the towel (with the direction of the scales, of course).. oh, he made it clear he didn't like that. :lol:
If I am doing something wrong, please let me know.

 

[quigleysmom]

I think you are doing fine. I wrap mine up in a towel and then pat him gently all over and kind of rub him through the towel. Then before I put him back I make sure to gently get the towel up under his legs where it meets his body. I have had no trouble with this and he is still slightly warm when I put him back. One thing you might want to think about is if you use softner in your laundry this can keep the towels from absorbing water as fast or effectivly. I don't use any softner because I am allergic to all of it. Just a thought.

 

[coastergirl946]

I wrap mine up in a towel and then pat him gently all over and kind of rub him through the towel. Then before I put him back I make sure to gently get the towel up under his legs where it meets his body.

Thanks for putting me at ease, that's exactly what I do when I burrito him up. I try to use like a hand towel.. a wash cloth is too small for that big boy, and rolling him up in a big bath towel would just freak him out. I just wasn't sure of the correct way.. I don't like seeing him cold afterward.

 

[AHBD]

Keep in mind that they don't need to be 100% dry....just a quick pat down, then back under the heat lamps. I;ve done for many years with no problems. People have to be EXTRA careful with a baby, their little limbs are so fragile, so no rubbing at all. Just a quick blot with paper towel, takes a few seconds. We must remember that since they don't generate their own body heat, it's impossible for them to warm up until put back in the tank.

 

[coastergirl946]

Keep in mind that they don't need to be 100% dry....just a quick pat down, then back under the heat lamps. I;ve done for many years with no problems. People have to be EXTRA careful with a baby, their little limbs are so fragile, so no rubbing at all. Just a quick blot with paper towel, takes a few seconds. We must remember that since they don't generate their own body heat, it's impossible for them to warm up until put back in the tank.

oh he is far from a baby.. he's 15 inches from nose to tail tip and 3 years old! Thanks for your advice as well.
I suppose I am just worried about him being too cold. My thread was the heartbreaking "Collapsing after passing an impaction" .. I just don't want any chance of him not being able to pass his stools again after everything he has been through.

 

[Slave2Scarlett]

Usually what I will do is lay Scarlett on a towel on my chest and wrap her up for the few seconds she will lay still..lol She's a wiggle worm and quickly starts looking for the best escape route..

 

[hawthorne]

I'm not sure if I am doing something wrong but my beardie is quite warm after his bath and drying in his towel. I usually will let him run around the bathroom for a little bit afterwards as well. I haven't had any problems with him cooling down too much, he remains very active until I return him to his viv. He will usually run around for about 10 mins.

 

[coastergirl946]

yikes.. I just realized that I've been taking him out of the bath, and laying him on the sink while I look for a towel.. it just dawned on me that the sink surface is porcelain and therefore is not warm. I feel (and probably look) really stupid now.

 

[AHBD]

It's just a precaution....they are cold blooded and so they should be in a hot place after a bath. A person out in 60 degree weather [ as an example] might feel fine unless they became wet. So our comf. room temp. would feel quite a bit colder to a semi-wet dragon that is used to being in 80-105 degree temps.

 

[coastergirl946]

Thank you everyone, as always, for your kind and helpful advice, and for not judging when people like me ask odd questions like this one and then remember one detail that could have caused the whole thing. I'm aware that we live and learn, but sometimes I'm just not the brightest crayon in the box. :lol:

 

[AHBD]

There's nothing wrong with asking.....smart people look for answers from others when they are not sure.