Rocco is shedding... and hates the world while he is at it!

[Rocco]

Hey all!

I just got my first Beardie about 2 days ago, and my fiance and i named him/her (not sure yet) Rocco. He's going through a shed right now and seems to really want his peace. I read that if you give them a bath in warm water (95-98 degrees) for about 15 minutes, with the water being shallow enough as to only go up to his chest, that is would help the shedding and help hydrate.

Problem is: Rocco hated it!

This is probably the first bath he ever had, combine that with him being so grumpy because of the shed.... Well, what I'm asking is:

Does your beardie like baths?
Did he/she when you first started?
Should I take him out if he's constantly dashing to the sides and trying to get out?

I figure I should give him some space and some time to get acclimated to the new terrarium, not just because he is shedding but because he is new to the house and all... but it's so hard! He is just so cute, last night I had him out and he was watching TV on my chest as I was laying down.... So cute!

 

[sunkist]

You know little kids don't like their baths either! I make Lindy suffer through his because I want to ensure he is probably hydrated. If he gets up on the edge I just plop his little but back in. He's getting better with them each time he gets them.

 

[Rocco]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I'm going to wait until hes done shedding and calmed down/situated in his new home a bit more before I give him another bath. I just don't want to stress him out with too much too soon!

 

[Ethelia]

Hi there,
2 days is quite soon to be introducing something as new as bathing, on the other hand it really does help with shedding.
Id say if you are going to bath her not to handle her too much during the day, they need time to acclimatise. Most dragons are grumpy monsters when they are in shed so she probably wont want to be disturbed.
Other than that you should be fine.

Dexter used to love her baths, but is recently on strike, but she has them anyway because she will only ever drink from her bath water and hates being misted.
What I could suggest would be changing where you bathe her.
Every dragon has a different preference. Dexter absolutely hates the bath and sink and she scrabbles up the sides and doesnt like that she cant get out.
So i tried her in a large casserole dish and she was much more calm. She seemed to appriciate that she could see over the sides so is much calmer. She'll usually drink, have a little splash around, then at about the 9 minute mark will start huffing and puffing in a "MOMMA ive been good now GEMMIE OUT"
Just an idea, but it might be worth a try for you.

 

[Rocco]

Yea, I really didn't want to introduce any more new things to Rocco than I had to, but i thought that the bath would really help ease his discomfort. Guess he wants to stick this one out solo

With all the changes to his tank it's going to be a while before he can even get really settled in (see my post on the habitat forum), so I'll try to avoid new things the best i can for the next few weeks.

Thanks!

 

[sunkist]

Yeah I believe in tough love. His butt goes in there twice a day every day from day one. :twisted: I think they get use to the routine quickly and don't like it when you change anything.