While bearded dragons have unique characteristics and behavior, they generally require the same level of care and have the exact basic needs of other reptiles. So, does that translate to water and hydration too? Do bearded dragons drink water?
Bearded dragons do drink water. To be exact, water is crucial for their body. That is why they must stay hydrated throughout the entire day. On the other hand, dehydration is a serious health concern, possibly leading to death.
But how do bearded dragons drink water? Also, is it possible for a bearded dragon to drink too much water? Stick around if you want to know everything about the topic in detail.
Do Bearded Dragons Drink Water?
As hinted earlier, water is crucial to bearded dragons’ overall health and well-being. Like humans and other animals, these reptiles will not survive without water. In fact, being dehydrated for a couple of hours can lead to severe health implications.
That said, for bearded dragons, water generally helps moderate the body temperature. It also aids digestion and ensures that the skin and scale are healthy and hydrated.
Water Requirements of Bearded Dragons
The bearded dragons require constant access to clean and fresh water. You must always keep a shallow bowl of water in their tank. And make sure to change the water of the bowl from time to time.
Talking of which, you can keep tap water inside the bowl. Yes, bearded dragons do drink tap water. They can also absorb water through their skin. So, make sure to give them occasional baths.
What Determines the Water Intake of Bearded Dragons?
A couple of factors can affect the water intake of bearded dragons. For example, older bearded dragons that are large in size will drink more water than others. On the other hand, younglings will drink less water than juveniles and adults.
In addition to the size and age, the bearded dragon’s diet also comes into play. To illustrate, when these reptiles have a high overall appetite, they will eat more food and drink more water.
Moreover, when you feed the bearded dragons with more dry foods, you will notice an increase in water intake.
How Much Water Should Bearded Dragons Drink?
Bearded dragons need to have constant access to fresh and clean drinking water. Although they don’t need to drink too much of it, putting a bowl of water is recommended.
That said, in general, bearded dragons should drink 10 to 30 ml of water for each kilogram of their body weight per day. That means if your bearded dragon is around 500 grams, the pet should drink 5 to 15 ml of water daily.
Signs of Dehydration in Bearded Dragons
Bearded dragons will become dehydrated without easy access to clean and fresh water. And once dehydration kicks in, they will output signs of discomfort and distress.
Sunken eyes, tacky mucous membranes, decreased appetite, and lethargy are the common signs of dehydration among bearded dragons. Other signs of dehydration include constipation, wrinkled skin, flakey skin, urate changes, and shedding issues.
How to Check Whether the Bearded Dragon Is Dehydrated?
You can easily check whether the bearded dragon is dehydrated. To do so, gently pinch and pull on the skin of the back or side. Let the skin go, and observe how quickly the skin is returning back to normal.
If the skin is returning back to its normal state quickly, it indicates that the bearded dragon is hydrated. Wondering why? Well, when these reptiles are hydrated, their skin will be properly moisturized.
On the other hand, if the skin takes time to get back to its normal state, the bearded dragon is dehydrated. And you must take the necessary steps as quickly as possible.
Complications of Dehydration in Bearded Dragons
There can be several health complications in bearded dragons when they are dehydrated. For example, the reptile can face kidney failure, gout, impaction, abnormal shedding, behavioral issues, and many others.
The bearded dragon’s skin can lose its elasticity, and there can be wrinkles all around the body. Also, the skin may discolor, and there will be less frequent urination.
In extreme cases, bearded dragons can experience major organ failure and seizures. They can potentially die due to dehydration.
Water Sources for Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons can intake water into their body through different mediums. Here’s a brief description of each to give a better idea about the topic:
Water Bowl Inside the Tank
As mentioned earlier, you should place a bowl of fresh and clean water inside the tank. This bowl will act as a primary source of drinking water. The water you put in that bowl can be tap, bottled, or filtered.
Through Leafy Greens
The leafy greens you include in the meals of the bearded dragons can provide the bearded dragons with water. For example, kale and collards have high moisture content. At the right amount, those can fulfill the daily water intake requirement.
To make sure that the bearded dragons get enough water content from the leafy greens, you can even mist the veggies. That will enhance the water intake further.
Baths
Bearded dragons can intake water directly from their skin. And if you occasionally let these reptiles take a bath, they might not even drink water from the water bowl inside the tank.
Why Won’t My Bearded Dragon Drink Water?
Some things can explain why your bearded dragon is not drinking water. For example:
Water Intake from Food
If the bearded dragons are not drinking water, they might be intaking water from other sources. For example, you might be feeding them a lot of leafy greens. If so, that is probably where the reptiles are getting the water requirements fulfilled.
Through Bath
Are you giving the bearded dragons frequent baths? In that case, their skin is absorbing water, which is why they are not drinking any extra.
Illness
Certain health conditions can cause a lack of appetite. They can eventually reduce the bearded dragon’s interest in drinking. Maybe, your pet is having trouble swallowing water. In such cases, you should consult with a vet immediately.
Water Quality
You might not know it, but bearded dragons can be a little picky about what water they drink. So, if you are providing them with too cold or too warm water, they might not drink it.
Along with that, the water’s odor and taste come into play. For example, these reptiles will refuse to drink water if it has a strong smell or taste.
How to Encourage Your Bearded Dragon to Drink Water?
Is your bearded dragon not drinking water? You can do some things to encourage it to drink water. Such as:
Offer Fresh and Clean Water
You can encourage the bearded dragons to drink water by offering them fresh and clean water. If you kept tap water in the water bowl, it would be time for a change. Tap water sometimes contains contaminants that can throw these reptiles off.
Make Sure the Bowl Is Clean
Just offering fresh and clean water might not cut it. The bowl needs to be clean too. In general, bearded dragons are a little scurry over the water bowl. Some drag along food and substrate into the bowl.
On the other hand, some are known to even defecate inside the water bowl. Therefore, you need to clean the water bowl from time to time. That is, offering these reptiles water in a clean water bowl can encourage them to drink water.
Add Fresh Juices to the Water
Did you make sure that you are offering fresh and clean water in the bowl? Are the bearded dragons still not drinking it? In that case, add a small amount of fresh papaya or strawberry juice to the water. That will encourage them.
Install a Water Fountain
Some bearded dragons do not like to drink water from a still source. There’s a chance that your pets are one of them. Installing a water fountain inside the enclosure can help if that is the case.
Can Bearded Dragon Drink Too Much Water?
Bearded dragons do not usually drink a lot of water. But sometimes, they can overdrink it. The thing is, bearded dragons can mostly self-regulate their water consumption. However, they can be opportunistic and drink too much of it.
Just like dehydration, excess water consumption has some consequences. Too much water will lead to diarrhea, which results from the lack of absorption of essential nutrients.
That said, as mentioned earlier, bearded dragons need to drink 10 to 30 ml of water per kilogram of body weight. So, you can monitor the water intake by considering their weight and giving a measured amount of water.
Final Words
So, the answer to whether bearded dragons drink water would be a yes. In fact, they should drink around 10 to 30 ml of water for each kilogram of body weight each day. Drinking too less leads to dehydration, resulting in different health issues.
On the other hand, drinking too much water could lead to diarrhea. Considering that, you need to monitor the water intake closely. And make sure that the bearded dragons constantly have access to fresh and clean water.
