So... My beardie hates water more than anything...

[KristineM]

Batman is just over 6 months old and 14 1/4 inches. He's been swimming like that for a LONG time. He loves bath time! Again, we started him immediately at 20 minutes a day and hasn't missed one in 6 months

 

[DoctorevoL]

Lol I wish my dragon would swim again. She'd just look at me like I'm stupid and then poop lol.

 

[KristineM]

He swims, floats, swims again...poops, gets rinsed, if it's before 20 minutes he goes back for what's left of bath "time" and black beards at that point. Hahaha!!!! He's cool until the pooping, rinsing ordeal. He's pooped in his bath forever. I love it...hate it...but love it as I don't have to wash his tile I'm spoiled, he's spoiled, the other two reptile babies are spoiled...not to mention my 2 humans!

Parenting is tough, reptile or human! Just never let any one of them doubt who's boss

 

[serenity516]

hey all my girl, spyke, HATES water with a firey, burning passion too, so this thread has been UBER helpful to read i have a question for the masses tho: when you bathe your beardie in the bathtub, how do you fill the tub? (this is not a stupid question, i assure you, i'll explain myself lol) since speaking with people from pet stores and what not, i was told to go strictly organic and purified with everything pertaining to my girl. so, ive been bathing spyke in the sink (ive had her for almost three months now and she's about a foot long,but it works), and ive been filling the sink with warm, filtered/purified water. do you guys just fill the tub from the faucet (tap water) and bathe your beardies in that? is that okay?

 

[aegillesp]

I've always filled mine from the tap. I usualy rinse the tub out pretty well first to make sure theres nothing harmful sticking around, then I just fill it and then lay Simon in. I used to put one of his climbing plastic toys in there and he would put an arm on it and relax while I pet him. Simon is pretty mellow as far as bath time is concerned.

 

[TSSRoku]

Hi there,
I've only had my baby beardie for a few months but I had the same problem.
One thing I found to have helped is where exactly I bathed him at.
I have a small tupperware container that I use solely for baths- however, every couple of days, when I put him in the container I would give him a few treats first. Now, if I even put the container in the tank he jumps right in.
Him being comfortable in that container has really helped him warm up to bath time. I saw improvement within a week, and now he seems to love it. Puts his head under the water and gulps, and even swims around in circles for 10 minutes at a time- never trying to escape even though he very well can if he stands up on his tail.
It may not be a commonly used practice but it worked for me so maybe give it a try!?
Good luck!

 

[serenity516]

I've always filled mine from the tap. I usualy rinse the tub out pretty well first to make sure theres nothing harmful sticking around, then I just fill it and then lay Simon in. I used to put one of his climbing plastic toys in there and he would put an arm on it and relax while I pet him. Simon is pretty mellow as far as bath time is concerned.

okay, that puts my mind at ease...i mean, of course i dont want any harmful chemicals or minerals to get into spyke's system if i bathe her in tap water, which is why ive been strictly following the "all organic and pure everything" rule...but i mean come on. she's a growing girl, very soon to outgrow the sink, and the process of filling a pot with enough purified water for her to swim in, heating it on the stove, letting it cool, and pouring it into a bathing container or the bathtub and then bathing her seems a bit excessive -_- lol

 

[serenity516]

Hi there,
I've only had my baby beardie for a few months but I had the same problem.
One thing I found to have helped is where exactly I bathed him at.
I have a small tupperware container that I use solely for baths- however, every couple of days, when I put him in the container I would give him a few treats first. Now, if I even put the container in the tank he jumps right in.
Him being comfortable in that container has really helped him warm up to bath time. I saw improvement within a week, and now he seems to love it. Puts his head under the water and gulps, and even swims around in circles for 10 minutes at a time- never trying to escape even though he very well can if he stands up on his tail.
It may not be a commonly used practice but it worked for me so maybe give it a try!?
Good luck!

that is a REALLY good idea, i never even thought to offer her treats around bath time! ive been offering her treats when i handle her, so she'll warm up to me more and start seeing being handled as a good thing, but not so much at bath time..thanks for the advice!

 

[simondear]

I've found that even when Eric didn't feel like taking a bath he'd usually enjoy a mist from a spray bottle. He doesn't like very warm water so you might need to experiment with that, but if it keeps him happier it might be worth a try. Eric also likes to lick the water from his snout so he gets a drink that way too.
Hope it'll work for your little buddy.