Tips on keeping young beardie hydrated?

[addy dunk]

Hi! I am a new beardie owner and I am just wanting some tips on how to keep him hydrated? He doesn’t lick the water if i spray his glass enclousure or if i spray his rock, and he is too young to know how to find still water in a water dish! He just seems to absolutely hate water! I spray his veggies but since he is young he doesn’t eat them a ton. I have started to spray some of his crickets before giving them to him and I have also been feeding the crickets cucumbers in addition to other food to get more water in them! Is this enough or should I be doing more? I also soaked him yesterday hoping that would help! I don’t think he’s dehydrated but I just wanna make sure he has the water he needs.

 

[KarrieRee]

Hi! I am a new beardie owner and I am just wanting some tips on how to keep him hydrated? He doesn’t lick the water if i spray his glass enclousure or if i spray his rock, and he is too young to know how to find still water in a water dish! He just seems to absolutely hate water! I spray his veggies but since he is young he doesn’t eat them a ton. I have started to spray some of his crickets before giving them to him and I have also been feeding the crickets cucumbers in addition to other food to get more water in them! Is this enough or should I be doing more? I also soaked him yesterday hoping that would help! I don’t think he’s dehydrated but I just wanna make sure he has the water he needs.

Gut loading the insects before feeding -- spraying the salads and offering water on his nose by dripping water is all good ways of getting him water --- watch his poops they will tell you if hes dehydrated - white chalky urate or dried out looking is a sign of dehydration - you want the poop formed moist and dark - urate white formed and moist - get him some BSFL www.symtonbsf.com you will need a bowl like this https://www.amazon.com/MACGOAL-Rept...uGQB&pd_rd_wg=tLkwE&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d
to keep the BSFL in - feed on top of his salads around 20-25 first thing in the morning - he will get some salad while trying to get the BSFL

 

[ChileanTaco]

Can agree with what KarrieRee wrote, and can add to that:

Bearded dragons need relatively little water, as they don't sweat, have thick skin and also won't loose water by licking their body (as they don't do). So much less water loss than a mammal would experience. Does not mean they cannot get dehydrated, but generally it is not an issue. If the poop looks fine that's how to tell.
On "gut loading": I use a second smaller insect box where I put in the insects in I want to feed tomorrow, and as food only vegetables (otherwise: oats and vegetables). Then, in the insect bowl in my dragon's enclosure, I always add some veggies primarily for the insects to eat. I do this as my dragon usually won't eat when it's served but might eat hours later - plenty of time for the insects to get some more veggies into their bowels.
Regarding a water dish in the enclosures: Most, or let's say better, almost all bearded dragons won't use it. I also don't have one.

 

[Chris.]

Personally I use an eyedropper to put a drop of water on their snout. After a couple of days of trying, mine did both get the hang of it and will drink the drops now.
None of mine will drink from a bath and if they don't, it won't hydrate them.

They need very little water though.
They don't sweat through their skin but they will loose some water for thermoregulation by opening their mouth. Basically like a dog would.
Unlike mammals they do also need water to metabolize protein. So an adult will need very little water as you would feed them maybe once or twice per week. A baby will need a bit more water as you would feed them multiple times a day.

For example my boy (adult) drank half of the eyedropper today, which I offer every other day for him. That is about half an inch of filling.
My girl (5 months) on the other hand did drink the whole filling three times and I offer it to her every day.

 

[ChileanTaco]

None of mine will drink from a bath and if they don't, it won't hydrate them.

Agree on this. And: I don't bath my dragon; I would only do so if he gets dirty or there are any other problems but there weren't any so far.

 

[ChileanTaco]

They need very little water though.
They don't sweat through their skin but they will loose some water for thermoregulation by opening their mouth. Basically like a dog would.
Unlike mammals they do also need water to metabolize protein. So an adult will need very little water as you would feed them maybe once or twice per week. A baby will need a bit more water as you would feed them multiple times a day.

Agree on this.
(Despite I did not "feed" my dragon multiple times a day - I put in all food in the morning and then leave for the day, works well, he's not wolfing it down in one sitting - , when he was younger he ate multiple times a day plus also relatively more w.r.t. his body size. Absolutely clear why.)