Bearded Dragons or “Beardies” are lizards native to Australia and are considered desert reptiles.
While they are generally considered to be easy to keep even for beginner reptile owners, they do have relatively complex needs when it comes to drinking water and remaining hydrated that you’ll need to be aware of.
In this article, I will cover some key information about Bearded Dragons, including signs that your Bearded Dragon is dehydrated and techniques on how to rehydrate them.
Keep reading to find out more.
While Bearded Dragons are natives of the desert and have evolved over the years to be able to survive extended periods with water, this doesn’t mean that water isn’t vital for their survival.
Signs that your Bearded Dragon is dehydrated
Typically speaking, healthy reptiles have wide-open eyes, moist gums, and supple skin. If you suspect that your Bearded Dragon isn’t getting enough water, then you’ll need to be able to recognize the signs that they’re dehydrated.
Signs that your Bearded Dragon is dehydrated include but are not limited to:
- Wrinkled skin – When your Bearded dragon’s skin is wrinkly it could mean that your Bearded Dragon is dehydrated or that they are underweight.
- Thicker saliva than usual – Double strands forming when their mouth opens is usually a sure sign that your Bearded Dragon is dehydrated.
- Decreased elasticity in the skin – If your Bearded Dragon’s skin tents when gently pinched, then they are most likely dehydrated.
- Sunken eyes – You can tell a lot about the overall health of your pet by examining your Bearded Dragon’s eyes. If they appear sunken, then it’s highly likely that they haven’t had enough water.
A lizard showing any of these signs should be soaked/misted with warm water to provide immediate hydration.
To perform the pinch test, gently pinch a bit of their soft skin and see how long it takes to bounce back. If the skin is slow to bounce back then dehydration is likely.
However, it’s important to do this when you know that your Bearded Dragon isn’t dehydrated so that you have something to compare it to. It’s also important to remember that their skin isn’t as elastic as ours.
If you suspect that your bearded dragon is dehydrated, then it should be examined by a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause and to receive the proper treatment.
5 ways to rehydrate your bearded dragon
1. Mist your bearded dragon
If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘misting’, it is when you spray fine droplets of water on your Bearded Dragon’s head and body to rehydrate them. In addition, misting can be good for their skin.
The idea behind misting is to either wet the head so that the Bearded Dragon can drink the water as it runs down their face or to soak the skin to keep it soft. This can be especially handy when a Bearded Dragon is struggling to shed its skin.
A guide on how to mist your dehydrated bearded dragon
Step 1 – Find a spray bottle that sprays a fine mist with water. Make sure that you don’t use a bottle that once had cleaning chemicals in it as some of the chemicals may still remain and could end up harming your Bearded Dragon.
Step 2 – Fill the bottle with mildly warm water. Bottled water is best because of the purification process it goes through.
While you can use tap water, I would recommend using a water conditioner beforehand as this will ensure that the chemicals in the water such as chlorine are removed.
Step 3 – Mist the water onto your Bearded Dragon’s head until the water forms droplets.
Step 4 – Let your Bearded Dragon lap up the water droplets with their tongue as they run down their face.
Step 5 – Repeat the process until your Bearded Dragon stops lapping up the droplets.
2. Provide your bearded dragon with a water bowl
To ensure that your Bearded Dragon remains hydrated throughout the day, you need to provide them with fresh, clean water in a shallow water bowl that they have easy access to.
Even if your bearded dragon doesn’t always drink from the water bowl or dish, it is likely that they will bathe or stand in their water bowl at times.
As a result, you need to make sure that the sides are low enough that the dragon can get in and out of it. This provides your Bearded Dragon with some environmental stimulation while soaking in the water allows it to rehydrate through its vent.
It is also important to mention that you will need to ensure that you keep their water bowl on the cool side of the housing. Warm stagnant water in the habitat is a breeding ground for pathogens and a variety of parasites.
However, it’s worth noting that Bearded Dragons can become dehydrated even with a water bowl in front of them. They don’t always instinctively know to drink from a bowl of still water and become dehydrated as a result of this.
Bearing this in mind, you will need to encourage them to drink to ensure that they’re getting enough water.
You can encourage your Bearded Dragon to drink by making the water move. You could even try putting a droplet of water on its snout. You could also try misting the water bowl with a spray bottle directly into the bowl.
That being said, it’s important to have patience with your Bearded Dragon and to persevere if they seem to lack enthusiasm for learning how to drink from their bowl. Every reptile is different.
While it may take your Bearded Dragon a few hours to get the hang of it, it might take another owner days or weeks to encourage a Bearded Dragon to drink from a bowl. Be patient with your pet!
On the other hand, you might find that your Bearded Dragon enjoys walking through or laying in their water bowl.
However, you will need to make sure that you are keeping their water bowl fresh by refilling it daily as you can expect that some poop may be left in the water dish.
As a result, you will need to make sure that you are consistently cleaning your Bearded Dragon’s water bowl so that they have access to fresh, cold water at all times.
A guide on how to encourage your Bearded Dragon to drink from a water bowl
Step 1 – Give your Bearded Dragon a water bowl. You can get a water bowl from your local pet shop or online. Fill the water bowl with water up to the dragon’s elbow height.
Bearded Dragons often like to bathe in their water bowls, so you will need to make sure that the sides are low enough that the dragon can get in and out of it to ensure their safety in their tank. Failure to do this could result in them drowning.
Step 2 – Fill a spray bottle with water. Fill it up with water that is room temperature and make sure that the water bottle is completely cleaned before you fill it.
Residue from cleaning chemicals and solutions can be dangerous for your Bearded Dragon.
Step 3 – Spray the mist on your Bearded Dragon’s bowl. Reach into the cage and spray a mist directly over the bowl. This will create a sort of rain effect.
Your Bearded Dragon will see that it is raining into a pool of water and this, in turn, will encourage them to drink from the water bowl.
Step 4 – Repeat the process until the dragon will drink on its own. Consistency is key when it comes to training and encouraging your Bearded Dragon to drink from their water bowl.
Until you have noticed your Bearded Dragon drinking water on its own, you should repeat this process on a daily basis. Once your Bearded Dragon understands that the water bowl is for drinking, it will start to drink the water on its own terms.
Bearded dragons may defecate in their water bowls, so it’s very important to clean their bowls every day so that they don’t become sick from drinking contaminated water.
3. Bathing your Bearded Dragon
Bathing is a popular way to hydrate bearded dragons. However, bathing alone is unlikely to be enough to ensure your bearded dragon is hydrated. As a result, bathing your Bearded Dragon should be used in conjunction with encouraging your Dragon to drink from their water bowl.
Some bearded dragons enjoy bathing and others can become quite distressed when it comes to bath time, so you’ll need to be patient with your Dragon if they appear scared to go in the water.
If placed in water deep enough to swim and it continually swims towards the edge and keeps swimming against the edge, the odds are it is scared. As a result, you should use a smaller volume of water to ensure that your Bearded Dragon is as comfortable as possible in their bath.
Bearded Dragons, like all animals, can soil themselves in their water bowls, so it’s important that you consistently clean the bowl after they’ve been bathing in it.
A guide on how to bathe your Bearded Dragon
Step 1 – Find a water bowl that is the right size. This is extremely important. If your Bearded Dragon’s water bowl is not big enough, it will not recognize the bowl as something that it can bathe in and it will be harder for them to make that association.
Make sure the bowl is full of fresh, clean water.
Step 2 – Pick up your Bearded Dragon gently. To pick up your Beardie, place your hand under its abdomen and scoop it up with a very gentle grip. Curve your fingers around its abdomen so that it feels secure as you transfer it to the water bowl.
Make sure that you are being gentle and move slowly to ensure that your Bearded Dragon is as comfortable as possible throughout the process.
Step 3 – Place your Bearded Dragon in the water bowl. Slowly place the dragon into the bowl of water. The majority of Bearded Dragons should be willing to lie in the water and enjoy the feeling of getting a bath. However, you should make sure that the water is not hot or cold to the touch.
If the water is too hot, your Bearded Dragon will try to get out of the water and will seem as if they are uncomfortable.
While this can be mistaken for distress, the easiest way to know that the water temperature is right is to make sure that you have monitored it properly.
If your Bearded Dragon still seems uneasy, you can put a piece of cloth on the bottom of the bowl for traction or place rock for them to climb upon. This can comfort Bearded Dragons who are uneasy about baths.
Step 4 – Sprinkle water on your Bearded Dragon if necessary. Your Beardie may still not understand that the bath water is also for drinking. Splash a little bit of water from the pool onto its nose and head. This will encourage your Beardie to drink some of this water if it’s thirsty.
Step 5 – Clean your Bearded Dragon if necessary. If your dragon is dirty or has fecal matter on its body, let it soak for 10-15 minutes, and then scrub it gently in the water with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Once you have dried your Bearded Dragon, dry them off thoroughly after the bath.
Aside from cleaning the bowl after their bath, you need to clean the water bowl very well each day regardless. Many Beardies will defecate in standing water, and drinking from this dirty water can be bad for their health.
4. Provide your Bearded Dragon with foods with a high water content
Arguably the easiest and most important method for your Bearded Dragon to absorb water and to remain hydrated is through their food. Maintaining a balanced diet is not only necessary for your Bearded Dragon’s protein and vitamins intake, but also for their hydration as well.
The different types of fruit or vegetables that you can offer your bearded dragon contain a certain amount of water that will assist your bearded dragon in staying properly hydrated.
If you believe that you should be doing more for your bearded dragon’s hydration then you can also mist the fruits and vegetables before serving them to your bearded dragon.
Misting your Bearded Dragon’s food will add to the natural level of fluids in the food and together, likely providing sufficient hydration for your Bearded Dragon. This is a gentle and non-intrusive way to hydrate your bearded dragon.
This process will add moisture and allow for your bearded dragon to rehydrate just by eating their food. This makes it great for fussier Bearded Dragons that you might be struggling to encourage to drink from their water bowl.
It is also important to remove any food from your bearded dragon’s enclosure after mealtime as the heat from their lamps will cause the fruits and vegetables to dry out and shrivel up.
Some foods with a high water content include but are not limited to:
- Watercress (95.1% water)
- Zucchini (94.7% water)
- Romaine lettuce (94.6% water)
- Cabbage (92.1% water)
- Strawberry (92.1% water)
- Watermelon, peeled (91.6% water)
Which foods you decide to feed your Beardie will depend on you and your preferences. However, if you begin to notice that they are exhibiting signs of dehydration, then you should incorporate foods with high water content for an extra boost of hydration.
This is especially important for Bearded Dragons that seem disinterested in drinking water from their water bowl.
5. Contact your veterinarian
If your Bearded Dragon is refusing to drink water and isn’t eating their food, then there might be a bigger problem at fault. If your Bearded Dragon is still dehydrated after the methods I have suggested above, then the safest option is to visit your veterinarian.
While Bearded dragons can survive quite readily for literally weeks without food in the wild and they’re built for it, you need to find out why they’re not eating or drinking properly as something more sinister could be at fault.
Getting to the root of the issue is fundamental to their health and survival, and this is when veterinary intervention is necessary.
As a trained professional, your vet will be able to give your Beardie a proper examination and make suggestions on how you can increase their hydration levels.
Your veterinarian might suggest that you switch up your Beardie’s diet if you’ve been giving them the same types of food for an extended period of time. Their lack of interest in eating and drinking may just be down to boredom with the food that you’re providing them.
Under serious circumstances when your Beardie is very unwell, your veterinarian may suggest that you feed your Bearded Dragon water through a syringe.
Syringe feeding is not a quick solution and can be dangerous if you’re not careful. As a result, syringe feeding a Bearded Dragon is the last resort if there’s no other way to rehydrate your pet and should only be done after a veterinary consultation.
How much water does a Bearded Dragon drink on a daily basis?
The amount of water reptiles need per day is around 10-30 ml per kilo per day based on the ideal weight for the animal. At the rate of 10-30 ml per kilo per day, the average amount of water a Bearded Dragon would need a day is around 2 teaspoons worth of fluids (5ml per teaspoon).
Do Bearded Dragons absorb water through their skin?
The short answer to this question is no. Bearded Dragons do not absorb water through their skin, although people commonly believe that this is true of their species.
Since they are built to survive in the harsh conditions of the desert and Australian outback, Bearded Dragons have many innovative ways to stay hydrated. However, a variety of theories and confusion revolves around whether or not they absorb water through their skin.
This myth has derived from the innovative techniques that bearded dragons have to survive and maintain their hydration levels, such as water droplet storage and taking in water through their vent.
Bearded Dragons have a vent on their underside near the base of their tail that they urinate and defecate from. However, this vent has another purpose, as it can also be used for taking in water if they need to.
To summarise, while Bearded Dragons can’t absorb water through their skin, they can take in water through their vent when they soak in a pool of water. This fact, then, is part of the reason why the myth that Bearded Dragons can absorb water through their skin exists.
In summary
Bearded Dragons require water to maintain a healthy, balanced life. Ensuring that your Bearded Dragon is achieving the right level of hydration on a daily basis paired with the methods that you use to help them often comes down to trial and error.
Not all bearded dragons prefer to take in water in the same ways. While they need water, you might find that your Bearded Dragon needs to be encouraged to drink from their water bowl to ensure that they don’t become dehydrated.
On the other hand, you might find that your Bearded Dragon prefers to get their hydration through bathing in their water bowl.
As their owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your Bearded Dragon gets enough water throughout the day and lives a happy and healthy life.
If you suspect your Beardie is dehydrated, make sure that you try one of these methods to rehydrate them. However, these methods should never be used as a replacement for your veterinarian’s advice.
Therefore, if you believe that your Bearded Dragon is suffering from dehydration you should call your local vet and seek further advice to ensure that they receive the best care possible.