New beardie owner with concerns

xp29

BD.org Sicko
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Beardie name(s)
Sinatra, Zsa Zsa, Stumpy, Lucy
Thank you for clarifying why no standing water! Kai doesnt poop in his water dish (yet) but the exotic specialist told me he doesnt keep a water dish in his tank and I had wondered why. It seemed so cruel...but now it makes perfect sense. Should I eyedropper Kai too instead of misting? Mist/eyedropper how often? I rinse his veggies and give him fresh greens daily. He is an adult...a year and 2 months.
Adults I offer water 1 to 2 times per week. I also feed hornworms, they are great for hydration. If he eats his vegs misting or rinsing them provides hydration also.
If Kia doesn't take to an eyedropper straight away you can use just a little fruit punch or fruit juice to flavor it. Try to find something without citrus.
Also if it run down the chin use a wet cloth to wipe it off. The sugars in the juice might could cause bacteria or fungus to start growing in the scales if not cleaned away.
Personally I don't mist. Adult dragons won't lick up enough water to stay hydrated that way. Also constant misting could cause mold in some materials. Another horrible myth is that soaking beardies hydrates them. That's just dead wrong, they have to have water orally to be hydrated. The only time they ever need a bath is if they are actually dirty. Even then I rinse mine under a faucet.
Oh my adult dragons usually will drink 1 to 2 droppers full at a time, babies about a half to 3/4 if a dropper.
 

AHBD

BD.org Sicko
Adults I offer water 1 to 2 times per week. I also feed hornworms, they are great for hydration. If he eats his vegs misting or rinsing them provides hydration also.
If Kia doesn't take to an eyedropper straight away you can use just a little fruit punch or fruit juice to flavor it. Try to find something without citrus.
Also if it run down the chin use a wet cloth to wipe it off. The sugars in the juice might could cause bacteria or fungus to start growing in the scales if not cleaned away.
Personally I don't mist. Adult dragons won't lick up enough water to stay hydrated that way. Also constant misting could cause mold in some materials. Another horrible myth is that soaking beardies hydrates them. That's just dead wrong, they have to have water orally to be hydrated. The only time they ever need a bath is if they are actually dirty. Even then I rinse mine under a faucet.
Oh my adult dragons usually will drink 1 to 2 droppers full at a time, babies about a half to 3/4 if a dropper.
There is a way to give them a drink from the spray bottle that hydrates them the same way an eyedropper or syringe does, you just have to lightly pull the trigger lever. You can see Youtube videos of this method with babies and adults. And sugar is really bad for them so plain water is generally the best. If a dragon is really dehydrated and not eating greens or drinking then just a few drops of real fruit juice mixed with water , not high fructose punch or anything. Misting is fine now + then as well, all my babies were misted when they were very small and would drink the droplets. But definitely not ebough to make the enclosure too damp.
 

xp29

BD.org Sicko
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Sinatra, Zsa Zsa, Stumpy, Lucy
There is a way to give them a drink from the spray bottle that hydrates them the same way an eyedropper or syringe does, you just have to lightly pull the trigger lever. You can see Youtube videos of this method with babies and adults. And sugar is really bad for them so plain water is generally the best. If a dragon is really dehydrated and not eating greens or drinking then just a few drops of real fruit juice mixed with water , not high fructose punch or anything. Misting is fine now + then as well, all my babies were misted when they were very small and would drink the droplets. But definitely not ebough to make the enclosure too damp.
I'm much to clumsy to use the spray bottle lol. I tried early on and failed miserably 😁
I agree misting babies works just fine, but after they are larger it would be a slow process.
I was also in Fort Myers Florida when I got my first beardie. I had done tons of research but just like every newb I made tons of mistakes. I actually caused mold misting the habitat. (in my defense humidity there reaches 99% daily) between the mold and giving poor Puff (Christina insisted on the name) a shower every time I tried to give her water, I gave up on a spray bottle lol.
 

Mushu1

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
MooShu
Mooshu licks a lot. The floor, rocks, etc. is that normal?
 

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ChileanTaco

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Taco
Mooshu licks a lot. The floor, rocks, etc. is that normal?
Totally normal, especially when new in their environment, or when new things were added.
Also, when your dragon is older and you can touch and pet Mooshu, you can expect to see more licking behavior after you take your dragon out of the enclosure and back in.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
Now she’s gaping a lot lol
Boy does she have the stress marks going --- word of warning w/ the grass hammock they are notorious for causing nail and feet injuries -- if you want a hammock I would suggest a fleece or cloth one found on Etsy.com search bearded dragon
 

Mushu1

Member
Original Poster
Beardie name(s)
MooShu
Boy does she have the stress marks going --- word of warning w/ the grass hammock they are notorious for causing nail and feet injuries -- if you want a hammock I would suggest a fleece or cloth one found on Etsy.com search bearded dragon
What stress marks? Is it the dark coloring under her? How do I lower her stress?
 

xp29

BD.org Sicko
Photo Comp Winner
Beardie name(s)
Sinatra, Zsa Zsa, Stumpy, Lucy
That is the stress marks yes.
They will go away as your beardie settles in. It's normal in the beginning.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 5
What stress marks? Is it the dark coloring under her? How do I lower her stress?
Her surface basking temps and uvb being on par will help get rid of those as it will help her acclimate faster to her tank and surroundings-
 

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