how does everyone else hydrate ther dragons

[Soulscapex]

im curious i have not found a effective way to give them water... i give them a bath about every 3 days but i never see them drinking.. i try not to keep water in the viv to keep the hum. down but i get scared that will become dehydrated and put some in but never see them drink. most of the time i dip my finger in water and drip it on ther mouth and lick it off....
please any suggestions..

second question,,, how does everyone feed ther dragons salad...and what commonly do u put in it.. ive tried parsley , mustard greens,
and endive... do u dice it.. spray water on it,, and how do u go about putting in ther viv.. when i put it in a dish they never mess with it... and sometimes my boy sparky if i wave it in from of him he will get it... whats everyone else do .

if u could give me some thoughts ...id appr.. it..

thanks,, sparky and scarlett.

 

[Gail]

Jupiter is hard to keep hydrated, he won't drink, is currently not eating greens and won't drink when water is dripped on his face. I have to resort to force feeding water which is miserable for us both. If your will lick droplets, try getting a needles syringe to offer water from. You slowly squeeze the water out while the dragon licks.

Greens are touch and go for a lot of dragons. Jupiter only likes collards and dandelions, occasionally mustard greens. The new baby will eat almost any green as long as its not tough or strong flavored. She doesn't like parsley or mustard greens.
I cut the greens into bite size pieces and serve in either a really shallow dish or on a small paper plate. If serving from a dish, mist the greens with water to help keep them fresh.

 

[ATXdragon]

I sometimes soak the reptilworms in water for a few minutes before i feed them to our beardie seems to work good to hydrate her

 

[MrWhite]

I don't use a water bowl.

I offer a bowl of collard greens, kale(I don't think he like these), shedded parsnips, and shedded carrot. I also mist the greens after they have been placed in the bowl.

he gets ~25 crickets in the morning and ~25 at night. there's lots of hydration with plump gutloaded crickets.

he gets 2 to 3 baths a week.

I mist him at night when I think of it.

I make sure his poops are formed and moist and has good gooy urate.

that's all I do for hydration.

 

[Soulscapex]

sorry if im stupid,, but is urate.

 

[Gail]

Urate is the white part of the poo, ts basically dragon pee. Ifs it dry or hard, it could mean the dragon is dehydrated.

 

[MrWhite]

sorry if im stupid, but what is urate.

Urate is the whitish substance that comes out first before the main dark poop, kind of like the preview before the main show . It's usually pretty wet and slimmy.

btw, there are no such things as stupid questions here

 

[danab]

In addition to baths and dripping some things on a few of their noses for them to lick off, I inject my dubias. Acidophilz+, Electrolytes, water or any other liquids can be injected quite easily. It is the only way I can get 3 of my dragons to take liquids or medications without having to pry their mouths open and they refuse to eat salads. Just dont inject more bugs than what you know they will eat because they will die by the next day.

 

[EmilyRussom]

Tiki wouldn't drink water if it was shaped like a damn waxworm.

So, I sprinkle her greens with water all the time (she's pretty good with greens) and she gets a nightly bath, about 10 minutes long in the kitchen sink while I get dinner ready, LoL...

Good luck!

 

[AllysonM]

My little Beau won't drink water from a bowl (from what I've seen anyway..) though he does have a small water bowl on the cool end of his tank, he gets baths every other day (or everyday depending on what we're doing that day), i mist him every other day or so, and i mist his veggies twice a day. Needless to say, he's THOROUGHLY hydrated

And, on the veggies, mine loves collard greens, sometimes kale, butternut squash, and he gets a few of the Nature Zone Bearded Dragon Bites. Haven't found any fruit that he likes yet...though I did get him to drink juice from a grape last night

 

[Randeen]

We give ours baths a few times a week. If we miss a bath, the next one our young guy Hades will drink his water out of the tub. But they wont ever drink from their dishes if I offer it to them. We mist our greens too.

 

[blue11]

hi!
i dont keep a water bowl in Blue-Belles viv...it would do more harm than good. I give her baths everyday or every other day. I have alwas been told they absorb water NOT through skin but through thier "vent" ..... their poop holes to put it bluntly ha! yups. so misting and warm water soaks are key i think. And yes, they do get water through their veggies and their superworms and such, but key hydration is baths and soaks. misting down over their heads, if the dragon is thristy, he/she will open their mouth a bit and let it in or lick at the water droplets coming down. just like nature, simulationf like a rain shower. To me, water bowls in viv's are just a breeding ground for bacteria, they will often poop in it (like a good soak will do...that is where Blue Belle does most her pooping, in her tub!) and it creates that extra humidity that they just dont do well in. But its totally up to the individual, keeping that water bowl clean would be the number thing if thats what you are gonna use. But the baths and the misting is the bestest!!!!
As far as salad.....im in the same boat, when she does eat her sallad it is collard greens, squash, and sprouts. Seems like one week she LOVES her salad and the next two weeks she wont touch it. Persistence, ugh. lol. One day!! It's so touch and go, ya know? i know its frustrating!! Every Beardie is so so different. But yup, that is how i keep Blue Belle hydrated
xoxo Em and Blue Belle

 

[Soulscapex]

well so far everyone has givem such good tips thanks so much,
i read a couple times it wasnt good to mist them.. but i do c ppl do it.
thankx so much everyone u guys and gals are great.

 

[blue11]

maybe they were saying misting over their heads wasnt a good idea IN the viv? b/c it would create humidity and get the viv wet? hmmmmmm...when i do mist Blue Belle she is out of the viv. i wonder if that is what they meant? now im curious! ha! :study:

 

[Sherri]

I have always been afraid of misting...thinking it could cause a URI or RI or something :?

I have read many posts here from people who mist their dragons daily with no problems.

I *do* see how it could mimic rain...as the occasional rain they would get in Australia would certainly be used, yes?
Or, do they just hide from it? LOL I would love to see a beardie in the wild under a rain shower...and drinking it as it falls to its lips...

I see where it is likely that the shape of the grooves in their head do lead water to their mouth. *sigh*.

Now a second vet I saw on Tuesday is a big believer in misting. Just wet the head, wait, see if they drink, repeat. Try it a bit at a time as to not frighten them.

I worried about them getting it in their nose and getting an infection. Vet said, no way...? Then he explained beardie anatomy in regards to their nose and where it goes etc. Made sense at the time, but no way can I repeat it :mrgreen:

My guy will not drink water period. He won't eat greens unless they come from a syringe or a rubber tipped spoon (should be a silver spoon!!LOL).

So, I am ever so slowly trying to overcome my fear that I will do something horribly wrong while misting him that will cause terrible, awful, dire circumstances to come about :roll:

Anyone else ever feel *any* of this? Or am I alone...in the dark...askeered?! :lol:

Sherri