Zeus before his shower :) (opinions?)

[tattykassy]

Mine is still a young feller' but the way I convinced him to give bath's a try is holding him in my hand over the bath and using my fingers to run water on his back and legs. Every time he had his bath I'd put him lower and lower towards the water, finally I had my hand resting in the water with him sitting on it so that his legs and tummy were in the water. If he started squirming I'd try and calm him by petting him. Now thats how he usually likes his bath, he sits half on my hand half in the water and I sorta give him a "bird bath" using my fingers.
No idea if it would work for your Zeus because yours is an adult, but I dunno maybe it would help. I'm new to the world of Bearded Dragons but I figure like any animal they'd probably like knowing that your there and if he really wants out all he has to do is crawl up your hand.

 

[MarleyMoe]

Moe will quite happily have a bath and shower at the same time without doing crazy dancing trying to climb the sides. Marley doesn't like them much at all though... found she loves a shower though so i've started leaving the plug out while the showers on and she gets her back end underneath it lol.

Shes got Dawn to thank for that idea after seeing the piccies of her two enjoying the showers, we've got a happy Marley now at bathtime instead of miss grumpy pants lol.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Shes got Dawn to thank for that idea after seeing the piccies of her two enjoying the showers, we've got a happy Marley now at bathtime instead of miss grumpy pants lol.

Aww! Glad to hear that Marley is loving her showers and not a miss grumpy pants anymore!

 

[Tami8161]

Ha! Zeus doesn't look like he'd be bothered by anything! Such a majestic looking fellow I know, even the most striking and God-like among us have little issues....

My big boy, Whip, LOVES his baths, and in fact, I often find him sitting in his water dish...which he doesn't even remotely fit into, so maybe it's better to say he sits over it...sometimes he'll put a foot in, sometimes he'll lay his belly over it...just seems like he's always wanting more! Was thinking about putting a longer dish in his vivarium once in awhile so he can just soak himself if he wants to, but I am a little concerned about adding more humidity. And he always seems thirsty...I have taken to dropping water on his fat head several times a day, and allowing him to drink (mind you, I keep water in his cage at ALL times, and give him fresh greens several times throughout the day--and a bath every day to every other day....but I think he might actually be a crocodile in beardie clothing, because he really, really loves water!!

I wanted to mention that I keep a plate in the center of the bathtub for my beardies to step up onto whenever they feel like it. I think it is a big help in adding to their security. It's a 2 inch deep ceramic type plate with a very rough bottom (and of course, I flip it upside down, so the bottom is up...or it wouldn't help at all, and they climb up on it occasionally, but quite often they'll just rest their chins on it after they're done drinking. I think we need to consider how this bathtub thing looks from their perspective. It would be scary...there's no way for them to get out, and I think this causes panic in them sometimes. So, providing something for them to climb on to makes perfect sense to me, and it really seems to ease things a bit. My boy Dash is 3 1/2 yrs., and never had a soaking before he came to me about 2 months ago, and he is NOT excited about it at all. But he DOES calm down once he finds the plate...and then of course he goes and scratches at the sides of the tub for awhile anyway, but then he calms down.

But, I'm wondering about our little hatchling, Gojira. She's about 20 days old or so now, and I'm wondering if we should be soaking her yet. I've been giving her water several times a day with a little syringe that has a tube at the end (no needle!), and she happily drinks several drops, then backs away when she's done. So she definitely gets enough water (I read that the NUMBER ONE reason for hatchling deaths is dehydration, so we started this little regimen immediately, and she is doing GREAT!!) but I know she needs moisture to help with shedding too. SO, do you suppose I should be soaking her? Or should I just mist her? I have put her in baths (I used a jar lid with a small amount of water in it) and she didn't seem the least bit stressed out by it, so should I continue with this, or should I just mist her?

Anyway, I enjoyed this thread immensely...loved seeing the beardie in the shower...he looked like he was REALLY enjoying himself...you could almost hear an "ahhhhhhh" God, I LOVE THOSE BEARDIES!!

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

Wow! 20 days old! She is very young. Did you hatch her yourself or buy her that young?
No, she is not too young for the baths. The jar lid sounds so cute and if that works for her then keep on using it. I would love to see some pics of her in the lid. I am sure since you have other beardies you know not to leave the tiny ones unattended while in the bath. They can drown easily.

 

[MarleyMoe]

She used to enjoy her baths but daily ones have put her off (reason why in my other threads). I used to keep one hand in the water for her to climb on but even that doesn't pacify her now. I'll try the dish idea when i re-introduce her eventually (I still think their little jacuzzis are cute though )

Looking forward to seeing the diddy dragon in the jar lid.. she sounds adorable :love5:

 

[Tami8161]

You bet! We never leave any of our beardies unattended while in their soak...we have an old guy (age 9), and I'm terrified he'll just fall asleep and drown himself. I doubt he will, but I just want to make sure. I can't tell you how many times I've almost had a heart attack when he's drinking...he lowers his bottom jaw into the water just enough and closes his eyes...so there have been several times I've jumped up from my watching spot (okay, the toilet...but there's not a lot of other places to sit in the bathroom, right?) to grab him up to make sure he's okay When he was in brumation, I literally held his head the entire time, just to be absolutely certain

I DO have some pics of my baby in her jar lid I'll find it and post it. I didn't breed her, I bought her when she was just 3 days old. I know it's not the best idea to buy a hatchling that young, but couldn't resist, the breeder was selling ALL of her hatchlings, and if I didn't jump, I would've missed out. We've been incredibly careful with her--to the point of absolute obsession. In fact, her tank is literally right next to where I sit and do all of my work all day, so she receives 24 hour attention...I spend waaaayyy to much time just watching her and talking to her (my hubby calls it watching lizard t.v.), but she is doing incredibly well--has grown an entire inch since we got her at 3 days old. We do all that we can to keep her environment as stress free as possible, and with all that, we are just hoping for the best. We absolutely DO NOT recommend that people get beardies at this early age!! I'll post that pic as soon as I find it

 

[Tami8161]

I found some pics of Goji in her first bath--we put her in a jar lid with just enough water to barely reach up her sides. Just as a warning--baby beardies can drown easily, so watch them carefully even in a tiny bit of water!!

She was/is incredibly calm during her soaks, and we limit her time in the water so it doesn't have a chance to get too cold! But isn't she too cute?

 

[ZeusAlmighty]

Z is nearing year five but I will keep that in mind.

 

[lizbeth5655]

you can let them in the shower instead of a bath? i've never heard of this. isnt that dangerous since it could drip into the holes in the side of their heads?

 

[ZeusAlmighty]

Can't see how it would be any more harmful than actual raining

 

[MartianMonkey]

My baby doesn't like baths either...when I put my hand in the water she runs straight over to it and up my arm. I have noticed that she likes me to turn the water on just a little to where it makes a small splash. She doesn't want to go to it but will sit and watch the water splash down.

 

[diamc]

If you aren't using a washcloth or a small towel in the bottom of the sink or container, that can make a huge difference as it keeps them from sliding around so it helps them feel more secure.

 

[Screamin99]

I would try and just get him used to a bath as its a lot better. They do not soak water in through their skin, but rather their vent (unless he drinks it while your misting) A bath that comes up over the back/rear legs or comes up just to the top of the arms at his shoulders would be a better choice just put him in and leave him there for 15-20 minutes.