Bearded Dragons Drink Water? (A to Z)


Water is very important for all living creatures. The lack of water for your pets can have dire consequences. Therefore, when you decide to keep a bearded dragon in your home, provide it with enough food and water.

So, do bearded dragons drink water? Bearded dragons drink water for survival, just like any other living being. In the wild, bearded dragons can go for days without drinking water, but their diet helps them avoid dehydration. In captivity, a bearded dragon will have problems drinking straight from a bowl, and for a new owner, it can be concerning. Sometimes, you have to help your bearded dragon drink water.

Reptiles can go for an extended period without food or water. This characteristic does not mean that your bearded dragon can survive without drinking water. It’s vitally important to know how to get your bearded dragon to drink water, how often it needs water, and how to tell your bearded dragon is dehydrated.

If your cat or dog is thirsty, they will drink water from their bowl without any help. However, it is hard for bearded dragons to drink from their bowl, and if you are not careful, your bearded dragon might not drink water at all. There are ways to help your bearded dragon drink water.

One method you can use to keep your bearded dragon hydrated is spraying it with water. Misting helps your bearded dragon shed its skin properly, but it can also help in hydration, allowing them to drink some of the water. Bearded dragons love to play on watery surfaces, and when you spray their habitat, they will lick a few water droplets as they slide around.

Therefore, you should make sure the habitat is clean before misting. You can mist the habitat once or twice a week. Too much misting can increase the humidity level, which is bad for their respiratory health.

Another method you can use to get your bearded dragon to drink water is bathing it. Bathing a bearded dragon is the most popular way of hydrating it. Bearded dragons will drink some of the water when you are bathing them.

Your bearded dragon may not drink a lot of water, and you may have to increase the frequency you give it a bath to ensure it stays hydrated. You should also ensure the water and the tub are clean to avoid infections.

You can also place a water bowl in your bearded dragon’s habitat. Your bearded dragon may not drink from its bowl that often but having water in its presence could stimulate it to try and drink some water once in a while. You can teach your bearded dragon to drink from the bowl by making it move, and you can shake it or spray the top of the habitat.

The droplets falling in the water bowl might attract it to go and drink some water. You should keep the water bowl shallow; bearded dragons are not good swimmers. Replace the water regularly to avoid breeding harmful pathogens and bacteria in the bowl.

Foods with high water content are also a good way of keeping your bearded dragon hydrated. Most vegetables and fruits have high water content, and if you have trouble making your bearded dragon drink its water, you can feed them those fruits and vegetables. Those foods include bell peppers, cabbage, watermelon, strawberry, among others.

You can also mist your bearded dragon’s food before feeding it. The droplets of water on the food will help keep them hydrated. Do not feed your bearded dragons too much watery food since it might lead to digestive problems such as diarrhea.

Another method of getting your bearded dragon to drink water is using a syringe or eyedropper. Fill a syringe or eye dropper with water and push some water into the mouth of your bearded dragon. It is easy on the baby bearded dragon, but you may have to be patient and calm on adults.

Do not push the syringe or eyedropper inside your bearded dragon’s mouth, and do not use excessive force when hydrating them. Some bearded dragons will learn and might come to you every time you hold a syringe or eye dropper with water near them.

Ensure that your bearded dragon gets enough water, not too much water. In the wild, they are used to drinking a lot of water at once, but they also stay without it for a long time. In captivity, you have to control how much water your bearded dragon drinks. Some bearded dragons will retain their overzealous nature to drink too much water, which can be lethal.

How Often Does a Bearded Dragon Need Water?

As a bearded dragon owner, you should be aware that water is vital to your pet’s survival by now. In the wild, bearded dragons will drink a lot of water in the rainy season and spend most of their time in the dry season only eating. All bearded dragon owners would want to know how often they should give their bearded dragon water.

It is important to provide your bearded dragon with water daily. You can place a water bowl in your bearded dragon’s habitat or use other methods of hydrating such as misting and bathing. In the wild, a bearded dragon can go for a long time without drinking water. Not drinking enough water is one reason why bearded dragons’ life expectancy in the wild is very short. In captivity, you have the opportunity to provide your bearded dragon with water and extend its life expectancy.

Several reasons will make your bearded dragon drink less to no water for some time. One of the reasons is satisfaction, and bearded dragons do not need a lot of water; therefore, a few sips of water in a day can keep them satisfied for a few days.

Another reason is brumation. During the cold season, bearded dragons undergo brumation where they eat and drink too much. Keep the water bowl and food close, they may be in brumation, but they move once in a while to feed and drink water.

Another reason your bearded dragon might refuse to drink water is an illness. If your bearded dragon is sick, it might lose its appetite and stop drinking. If your bearded dragon is sick, you should take it to the vet immediately.

Stress can also make your bearded dragon not drink water for some time. Drinking water makes bearded dragons vulnerable to predator attacks. A sudden change in environment will make your bearded dragon cautious and stop drinking water as it is always looking out for predators.

How to Tell My Bearded Dragon is Dehydrated?

Bearded dragons have poor communication skills, and it is difficult for them to pass information to you. You have to be vigilant and watch for signs that show that your bearded dragon might be in distress. There are several signs that your bearded dragon is dehydrated.

One of the signs to know that your bearded dragon is dehydrated is lethargy. During lethargy, your bearded dragon will become inactive, making it less interested in going out of its habitat and will spend a lot of time lying in one spot. Another sign is saliva tackiness, and if your bearded dragon opens its mouth, you will see double strands of saliva. Decreasing elasticity of the skin is another sign of dehydration. The skin will form a tent if you pinch it.

Your bearded dragon will also lose its appetite if it gets dehydrated. It will eat less food and might stop eating if it gets severely dehydrated. If dehydration continues, your bearded dragon will get sunken eyes, have trouble passing waste, have weak muscles, and might even get gout. At this point, dehydration has reached a critical point, and you cannot treat it on your own at home, take it to the vet immediately.

The loose skin test is an easy method of knowing if your bearded dragon is dehydrated. Pick up your bearded dragon and gently pinch a part of its soft skin and see how long it takes for it to bounce back. If the skin forms a tent and is slow to bounce back, then your bearded dragon is dehydrated. Give your bearded dragon water to drink regularly until all the signs of dehydration go away.

Final Thoughts

It is important to ensure that your bearded dragon drinks enough water daily. Be on the lookout for all the signs of dehydration that your bearded dragon might exhibit. Use the methods described in this article to make your bearded dragon drink its water.

Bearded dragons do not drink a lot of water, and their bodies are well adapted to live in desert areas where water is scarce. Even though they can go for a few days without drinking water, you should make sure they have a water source in their habitat if they want to drink some. You should also be careful when giving your bearded dragon water to drink. Some methods, if carried out incorrectly, may cause harm.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is an owner of several pets including reptiles, cats and dogs. An avid writer, who loves to share her insights into caring for pets.

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