my beardie was kinda freaking out in the water.

[ShadowLizard]

He was scratching his head, and kinda swimming,
i had the water about, not even an inch. room temp.

 

[1happymommy]

I have read on here that many beardies scratch during baths. Mine is always trying to get out of his bath for the first 20 seconds and then he calms down and scratches his head and back and then relaxes before he poops. So I think your dragon is normal.
Just make sure your water is warm like a newborn babies bath. Not hot or to cold.

 

[diamc]

ShadowLizard, only an inch of water is not deep enough for a bath. He may have been moving around in the water because he was trying to swim but there wasn't enough water. You can add enough water so that it covers his front legs, make sure the water is warm so it needs to be a little warmer than room temperature. Test the water temp by the inside of your wrist, you want it warm but not cold or hot. He could have been scratching his head with his legs because he may be getting ready to shed and since that causes their skin to feel dry, it gets itchy.
Make sure you put a washcloth or a small towel down in the bottom of the sink or container when you give him a bath as that will keep him from sliding around and help him enjoy the bath more. Make sure you stay right with him when he takes his bath as it is possible for them to drown, but don't be surprised if he puts his head down to get a drink.
I noticed that your beardie isn't a baby as I saw one of your other posts on the forum, that's good that he's not real small as they are a little fussier with their needs.
Did you remove the red basking bulb and replace it with a white household lightbulb as others here have suggested? That really would be a good idea, petstores try to sell those bulbs to make money when a standard lightbulb will do the same thing and a white one will make him much happier, will give him more energy, increase his appetite and be easier on his eyes.
I also read that others wanted you to turn the coil (curly) UVB light off right away. That would be best too as the coil bulbs have caused some serious health problems. You can get a good UVB light from here and you would want one just like this, the Repti-Sun 10.0 strip fluorescent bulb. http://www.petmountain.com/product/bulbs/504983/zoo-med-reptisun-10.0-high-output-uvb-bulb.html Some petstores carry these too but you will pay a lot more for one from there. You will also need the hood for it and can go to Walmart, Lowe's or Home Depot. Go to the lighting section and get a standard fluorescent light like some people use over their kitchen sinks, in their garage or basement. Take out the fluorescent bulb that comes in it and replace with the UVB tube and be sure to leave the plastic cover off or that will not give him any of the ultra violet rays.
Your beardie will be better off without any UVB for a couple of days rather than using the dangerous coil bulb.
Also, the strip thermometers do not give good readings and can be off by as much as 20 degrees. Here's a picture of a digital thermometer with a probe on the end that you can find at Walmart for about $12.00 and that way you will know what the real temperatures are:

If you have any other questions, let us know. :wink:

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

It could be possible that your little guy got some water in his ears,that would cause him to scratch his head.
It sounds as if your bd loves the water, alot of them don't and it makes it hard for their owners to bathe them.

Dawn

 

[RioReptiles]

I love it when they do that! The first time supprised me though. A couple of mine love to swim, especially when they're in shed. They go crazy in the water scratching with their back legs and rubbing on things. I reach down to scratch Vyllyns lower back and he arches up hard and turns in circles. I have a big jaczuzzi tub with a slanted bottom so one end can be over an inch deep and the other is barely covered, he goes back and forth like an alligator for around 30 minutes.

 

[diamc]

I love it when they do that! The first time supprised me though. A couple of mine love to swim, especially when they're in shed. They go crazy in the water scratching with their back legs and rubbing on things. I reach down to scratch Vyllyns lower back and he arches up hard and turns in circles. I have a big jaczuzzi tub with a slanted bottom so one end can be over an inch deep and the other is barely covered, he goes back and forth like an alligator for around 30 minutes.

gee, I'd love to see a picture of him i his jacuzzi tub, that must be neat.

 

[RioReptiles]

If you look closely, you can see him smiling! LOL At first he acts embarrassed or scared but once you get him going he won't stop. I have video but I can't get it to play on my computer, only on my camera. I'll try to figure it out, it's even better.