Odd bath behaviour

[MythrilDelight]

Hello, I have 2 rescue bearded dragons. My boy is Ridley. He’s approx 3 years old. He came to us after he was abandoned in a rental property. He was not well handled and terrified of just about everything. Fast forward today, he’s the biggest cuddle bug I’ve ever seen.

I was told he had never really had a bath and it took us a while to get him used to being bathed. He’s really good about it now and seems to enjoy it. He doesn’t really know how to swim and tends to kick and dig only on one side lol. Recently, he’s started doing this weird almost stomping/waving and only when he’s in the bath and only with that one hand.

Anyone able to shed some light on why he’s doing this? Here’s a video

 

[Luh.mama04]

Hello, I have 2 rescue bearded dragons. My boy is Ridley. He’s approx 3 years old. He came to us after he was abandoned in a rental property. He was not well handled and terrified of just about everything. Fast forward today, he’s the biggest cuddle bug I’ve ever seen.

I was told he had never really had a bath and it took us a while to get him used to being bathed. He’s really good about it now and seems to enjoy it. He doesn’t really know how to swim and tends to kick and dig only on one side lol. Recently, he’s started doing this weird almost stomping/waving and only when he’s in the bath and only with that one hand.

Anyone able to shed some light on why he’s doing this? Here’s a video

My bearded does that when he wants a bit more water, maybe that will help

 

[xp29]

The stomping is a show of dominance or agitation. The waving is trying to shake the water off.
Please do not add more water, and NEVER try to get them to swim. Beardied use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe. They cannot do both at once. They can drown in just a few seconds if they can't stand up or hold their head up any longer from being tired.
Water should be no deeper than their elbows. Never leave a beardie unattended in water even long enough to fetch a towel.

 

[MythrilDelight]

The stomping is a show of dominance or agitation. The waving is trying to shake the water off.
Please do not add more water, and NEVER try to get them to swim. Beardied use the same muscle group to walk and to breathe. They cannot do both at once. They can drown in just a few seconds if they can't stand up or hold their head up any longer from being tired.
Water should be no deeper than their elbows. Never leave a beardie unattended in water even long enough to fetch a towel.

I don’t put him in water deeper than his elbows. I always have a towel and if I need to step away, I make one of my girls watch him. Better safe than sorry. I’m thinking he just doesn’t like baths and you’re right with shaking the water off…he usually keeps his tail up and out of the water too. He’s also pretty quick with telling me he wants out. I try to keep baths short unless he makes a mess in his tank

 

[Groggyfroggie]

So interesting I’ve never seen that before. Maybe it’s just one of his quirks? He doesn’t seem to be distressed or trying to get out. Mine does that quick hand waving thing when I’m tickling him there

 

[MythrilDelight]

So interesting I’ve never seen that before. Maybe it’s just one of his quirks? He doesn’t seem to be distressed or trying to get out. Mine does that quick hand waving thing when I’m tickling him there

He tolerates baths but when he’s done he’s done. He’s also the master of intense eye contact lmao!!

 

[Groggyfroggie]

He tolerates baths but when he’s done he’s done. He’s also the master of intense eye contact lmao!! View attachment 75802

Staring right into my soul! Still cute tho

 

[xp29]

He is a cutie!

 

[MythrilDelight]

He is a cutie!

Thank you! He’s such a sweetheart!

He was so afraid of people when we first got him. He would gape and lunge at any movement. It was the first time I saw a beardie run on back legs. My vet was convinced he was a female because he had stunted growth. His head is more female, his hemipenes are smaller and he must’ve had mild MBD at one point.

He’s healthy now and the biggest lovebug. He needs his cuddle time and loves to be up nuzzled in people’s neck. He will fight to stay on a person instead of going in the tank lol

Here’s a pic from his “gotcha” day

 

[MythrilDelight]

Here’s a pic of my boy now

 

[xp29]

He is very handsome and look at that THICK tail!!!! I don't think he looks like a girl. At least not now, maybe more so in the earlier pic.
People are always caught of guard by how lovable and down right clingy they can be lol, especially rescues, it's like they are afraid of being marginalized or recognize a good thing and are not giving it up lol. If you read through the post here you see that over and over, and i see it in my rescue to.

 

[MythrilDelight]

He is very handsome and look at that THICK tail!!!! I don't think he looks like a girl. At least not now, maybe more so in the earlier pic.
People are always caught of guard by how lovable and down right clingy they can be lol, especially rescues, it's like they are afraid of being marginalized or recognize a good thing and are not giving it up lol. If you read through the post here you see that over and over, and i see it in my rescue to.

I have another rescue. A female named Evie. She was a class pet who ended up abandoned and left in the classroom over a long weekend when the teacher retired. She was in really bad shape. We rehabbed her too and although she has chronic issues that resulted in the need to amputate her tail. She knows she’s a princess and plays it. She is so loving and has such a will to live.

I will have to post their stories one day

 

[AHBD]

Hello, I have 2 rescue bearded dragons. My boy is Ridley. He’s approx 3 years old. He came to us after he was abandoned in a rental property. He was not well handled and terrified of just about everything. Fast forward today, he’s the biggest cuddle bug I’ve ever seen.

I was told he had never really had a bath and it took us a while to get him used to being bathed. He’s really good about it now and seems to enjoy it. He doesn’t really know how to swim and tends to kick and dig only on one side lol. Recently, he’s started doing this weird almost stomping/waving and only when he’s in the bath and only with that one hand.

Anyone able to shed some light on why he’s doing this? Here’s a video

All beardies react differently in the water, it's a different sensation . Some will act like they're swimming or even scratching in the water, all these movements are pretty common.

 

[MythrilDelight]

All beardies react differently in the water, it's a different sensation . Some will act like they're swimming or even scratching in the water, all these movements are pretty common.

Hahaha he does do a one-sided “swim”. My girls think it’s hilarious and cheer him on. He usually stops and looks at you after with this derpy little smile as they say. We bath him in a smaller bin because he panics in anything bigger.
He’s definitely my special little guy

 

[xp29]

Yes please post pics and vidoes, personally the rescues steal my heart, so do the people that take them in. There is something that is just special about both.