Do Bearded Dragons Drink Water? (Complete Guide)

The bearded dragon is a type of animal belonging to the lizard family originating from Australia. They live in desert areas, steppes, in forests with arid rock, on branches or in bushes.

A bearded dragon has a triangular head, flat body. The thorns on both sides of the head and their bodies look dangerous but they are very soft so there is no danger to the farmers.

But many parents wonder if this deserted creature is in high demand for water? Does their habitat inhibit them from the drinking regularly? And how will we take care of their water source when having them as pets?

We have read many articles and studies to find the answer for you. If you keep reading, there are even more interesting facts you never know about the beardie.

Let’s get to it.

Page Contents

Overview

Because the bearded dragon is native to arid deserts in Australia so their drinking regime and activities are very special compared to other reptiles.

The desert environment has very little water, so they rarely drink water directly but through other foods like insects and plants that they eat. Bearded dragons desperately need clean and fresh water in captivity. You should give them clean water every day so they can stay hydrated.

Water Demand for Bearded Dragons

Do bearded dragons need water? The answer is always yes. But we often make the mistake of giving bearded dragons lots of water to drink.

Remember that they are most accustomed to living in a desert environment where there is very little water.

Therefore, they do not need to drink as much water as you think. In fact, if living in a desert environment, bearded dragons only drink water at certain times of the year.

It’s like a polar bear hibernating for a long time before starting to feed.

Water demand of bearded dragons

In the wild, bearded dragons sometimes drink water at times. They instinctively drink water during periods of rain throughout the year. During the sunny period, they usually eat quite a lot.

Sometimes bearded dragons become dehydrated when they are kept in captivity. If you see sometimes they don’t drink a drop of water even though they are very thirsty. The bearded dragon is fine when it’s dehydrated if it’s not due to diarrhea.

Don’t worry if your bearded dragon doesn’t drink water but still follows a regular diet. Most of the water they get in their bodies comes from the plants and insects they eat every day.

How much water a day do bearded dragon drink?

The amount of water that reptiles need to maintain their daily life ranges from 10-30 ml based on the ideal weight of the reptile.

Please calculate the weight of bearded dragons if they are dehydrated, obese or of irregular size. It is very necessary.

With the amount of water being 10-30 ml per kg per day, the average amount of water they need to sustain life would be something around 2 teaspoons of water. It is assumed the ideal weight of a mature bearded dragon.

For bearded dragons, the demand for drinking water is less. Don’t worry if you see them never touching a single drop of water. A bit of mist stays on plants to provide them with enough water for a long day.

Giving water to the Dragons

As I mentioned above, the bearded dragon doesn’t need to drink too much water. However, there are some bearded dragons who need to drink water but do not drink it for a variety of reasons.

Here are some training methods for how to give bearded dragon water.

1. Use the bearded dragon water bowl

You can buy a bowl of water at the grocery store or you can make it yourself. You should note that the bowl is moderately sized (not too big or not too small). If it is too big, bearded dragons can “take bath” in it because they are very naughty.

When you fill the bearded dragon water bowl with water, add fruit juice to lure the dragon into it. It could be apple juice or pear. You should not put too much juice in the water and avoid making the solution too thick.

Got some products beardie parents to prefer right here:

Senzeal Reptile Food and Water Bowl

OMEM Reptile Water Fountain Water Dish

STAYbowl Tip-Proof Bowl

You should repeat that process until they drink water. The purpose of the fragrance of the juice is to lure them into the water. If the smell of the juice is not strong enough, you should add a little more to the water.

Giving water to the dragons

If the bearded dragon still doesn’t drink water, you should clean the disc by replacing it with a mixture of water.

Note: you should change water frequently because dragons can defecate into the water even if they do not drink water.

There is a bearded dragon farming community called Bearded Dragons World. They were surveyed to see how many bearded dragons were constantly supplied with water and how often they drank water.

2. Use a sprayer

You can fill the plastic spray bottle with water. You should pay attention to the temperature of the water (not too hot or not too cold) and make sure your water bottle is completely clean and free of sediment.

If your water bottle has detergent, it could be dangerous for your bearded dragon.

Do you remember that I said bearded dragon drinks water at a time of rain during the year? So you should spray mist on the bowl to create a rain effect.

This makes the bearded dragon feel like it is raining in a pool. he can lick the droplets of steam on his mouth or the droplets will automatically flow into his mouth.

Use a sprayer for Bearded dragon

Repeat this process until your bearded dragon realizes that the bowl of water is for drinking. Then they will obediently drink water without you having to spray.

Don’t forget to clean the water bowl regularly as they can defecate into it at any time.

Of the 21 bearded dragons surveyed, bearded dragons had a habit of misting from daily to once a week of 12, mistakenly if the weather was hot of 3, without bear misting habits of 9.

The data were taken from surveys submitted in the Bearded Dragons World Community.

3. Use the bearded dragon water dish

The most important thing is that your water dish is the right size. If the bearded dragon’s water dish is too small, he won’t realize it’s where he can take a bath.

You can make your own dish or buy it at your local pet store.

Make sure your dish is full of water and fresh. Then, you fill the dish with water.

Here are some bearded dragon water dishes you can purchase:

SLSON Reptile Feed Feeder Food or Water Ceramics Bowl

Moss Decorative Reptile Firm and Stable Resin Bowl Food Water Dish

REPTI ZOO Reptile Water Dish

SunGrow Reptile Food Bowl

Zoo Med Laboratories Repti-Rock Food Dish

Gently place your dragon on the platter of water and rub it on his stomach to create a sense of security. He should get comfortable feeling in the water and enjoy the feeling of being bathed.

Make sure the water temperature is moderate (not too hot and not too cold).

Maybe you don’t know bearded dragon bath water can also be drinkable. You can get some water from the dish on his nose and head. If he is thirsty, he can also drink some.

We do not recommend that your bearded dragon drink too much water.

Use the bearded dragon water dish

There are some bearded dragons that overheat if they stay in the water for too long.

If the amount of water in their dish is too high, you can lower the amount of water to ensure that he cannot dip his head into the water.

You have to repeat this until he learns not to submerge too much and inhale too much.

Yes, You can keep the amount of water low during the night in case he exhibits some serious respiratory problems.

You can stop showering your bearded dragon for a few days to make sure he is not in trouble anymore.

4. Use other food sources

They need to eat lots of insects so they can grow fast and stay healthy.

You should always keep fresh vegetables in a cage, and give them lots of insects as they can be eaten in short periods of 10-15 minutes. After the feeding period, you should remove the remaining insects from their cages.

The water in green vegetables and insects they eat contains water.

Therefore, feeding them fresh foods such as greens can improve their dehydration without feeding them water.

Do not let bearded dragons eat vegetables (also known as spinach) because they eat a lot of these vegetables can be harmful.

Lettuce should also be given to the dragon less because it has less nutritional value for the dragon.

You should feed your bearded dragon daily with vegetables, tubers, and fruits as fresh as possible.

Note: Vegetables for bearded dragon eat should cut the distance by the distance between their eye sockets because if feeding them the vegetables are cut too big will affect them such as paralysis, convulsions…

Here you can refer to the list of safe succulent plants for beardies’s cage and the best hydrating food for proper feeding.

How to Bearded Dragons Drink Water Better?

If your bearded dragon is not suitable for drinking in bowls then you can feed them with water bottles.

If a bearded dragon is dehydrated but they still don’t drink water, that’s a bad thing.

The difference between water bottles and bowls is that you can pour water directly into the mouth of a bearded dragon when they refuse to drink water.

You should use the water bottle to form droplets and your dragon will lick from the top of the bottle. This is great. This is like creating a small waterfall and your bearded dragon will enjoy the sound and movement.

With long experience in raising a bearded dragon, I encourage you to use some water bottle products to make drinking water of bearded dragon easier.

Sources

Adam Jones Sports Water Bottle:- Link

Pyuang Green Fierce Bearded Dragon Lizard Stainless Steel Water Bottle:- Link

Final Thoughts

The bearded dragon is a gentle reptile. You cannot judge them by their appearance with their rough skin.

Besides, their drinking regime is also quite complicated and almost uneven. You should be aware that your bearded dragon phenomenon may become dehydrated often.

I hope I can bring more bearded dragon water information to readers and those who are raising them. Wish your bearded dragon always healthy.

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1 thought on “Do Bearded Dragons Drink Water? (Complete Guide)”

  1. Hi I’m a proud new owner of a baby Bearded dragon named Draco he is only 4 weeks old I bought him from pet co 4 days ago and I haven’t seen him eat or drink anything what can I do to get him to eat he is just sleeping a lot and not very Active and stays in one spot

    Reply

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