Say 'Hello' to Hugo!

[xp29]

I just want to chime on water.
Soaking and or misting is absolutely pointless. (Unless they lap the water). I say this so much i need to just make it into a note so i can copy and paste lol. They absolutely have to take water orally to be hydrated. The soaking through thier skin or their vent is one of the most horrible and detrimental pieces of misinformation there is.
If he will drink from a bowl your a step ahead, most NEVER will.
If he doesn't you can use an eyedropper to drip it on his snout. He should start lapping at it. Go slow and at his pace, if you try to force it you can aspirate him. Babies dehydrate a lot faster than older beardies so you need to offer water a lot more frequently.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

I just want to chime on water.
Soaking and or misting is absolutely pointless. (Unless they lap the water). I say this so much i need to just make it into a note so i can copy and paste lol. They absolutely have to take water orally to be hydrated. The soaking through thier skin or their vent is one of the most horrible and detrimental pieces of misinformation there is.
If he will drink from a bowl your a step ahead, most NEVER will.
If he doesn't you can use an eyedropper to drip it on his snout. He should start lapping at it. Go slow and at his pace, if you try to force it you can aspirate him. Babies dehydrate a lot faster than older beardies so you need to offer water a lot more frequently.

It honestly saddens me how much misinformation I've received from the few people I know in RL that own/previously owned Bearded Dragons, apparently this is one those things To date I've been told by two separate people to only feed him insects once every other day, which led me here.
As for the water bowl, he's fully immersed himself once. I haven't seem him lap, so I've been dutifully cleaning his daily veg with filtered water and spraying that.
I came home from work today and he'd eaten the mix (Finely chopped Mustard Green, A pinch of cilantro, small bits of mango & chopped snap green bean) but left the green bean. Offered him a pinch of apple as a treat and he ate it from my hand. If I see him avoiding the basking area too much, or acting lethargic / uninterested in feeding time I'll try water droplets on his nose along with misting his veg.
Thanks for the due diligence! I won't forget If you think I should be dropping water regardless of misting his veggies, I'll do so! Hugo is a joy to interact with and he's slap full of personality, I'd like him to live his best life for as long as possible.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

@KarrieRee - as previously mentioned, I picked up his brand spanking new UVB bulb kit today. The mail is taking a bit longer on delivering my digital probe thermometers. Distance from the screen covering his tank to his basking rock is just about 10 in.

 

[KarrieRee]

@KarrieRee - as previously mentioned, I picked up his brand spanking new UVB bulb kit today. The mail is taking a bit longer on delivering my digital probe thermometers. Distance from the screen covering his tank to his basking rock is just about 10 in.

Mist the salads- watch his urate it should be white formed and moist- if it's dry and chalky looking he's dehydrated - is your screen a fine mesh or a wide hole type?

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

Mist the salads- watch his urate it should be white formed and moist- if it's dry and chalky looking he's dehydrated - is your screen a fine mesh or a wide hole type?

Because this is a Beardie site ... I took a pic when it happened

The screen is fine mesh.

 

[KarrieRee]

Because this is a Beardie site ... I took a pic when it happened

The screen is fine mesh.

Poop looks good - please either place in tank or cut the screen for the uvb to shine thru or take the screen off - w/ it being unobstructed distance should be 12-15 inches directly above the basking decor - if you want better substrate and easier to clean get some textured NON adhesive shelf liner cut to the size of the tank-- clean w/ vinegar and water 50 50 wipe down w a wet clean cloth-

 

[xp29]

Even with the misting of his greens, i would offer liquid water at leat a once or twice per week. Better to have runny poops than a dehydrated beardie. Chronic dehydration leads to liver and kidney diseases.

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

@KarrieRee - The lamp is essentially the entire length of his starter tank so I'll most likely cut the mesh or cut the entire lid to size. I'll pick him up a lower basking stone and move his hide to the cool zone of his tank so he's got the appropriate distance from bulb to stone. TYVM!

@xp29 - "Better to have runny poops than a dehydrated beardie." Cheers to that! I'll grab a dropper and give it a go

Pic is from this morning after his breakfast

 

[Groggyfroggie]

Welcome!! Hugo is very cute It's awesome that you already did a lot of research.

 

[xp29]

He is a cutie pie

 

[HandsomeHugosMa]

@Groggyfroggie @xp29 He's always giving me that adorable, bombastic side eye Thank you both!