Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Greetings,
My Dragon doesn't seem to be drinking much, if anything at all. I do offer the Water Bowl to him in his cage, and mist him as well, but I'm never really seen him lick any moisture off his skin. I also bathe him to, but again, he usually just sits there and eventually uses the bathroom in it. What I want to know is, should I really turn to forcing him to drink? The most I can say is, when I spray him on his mouth, his beard moves up and down, looking like it's drinking, but to me, it's more of a sign he's starting to feel threatened. What do you think I should do?

Dragon's Name: Rufio
Dragon's size: 9-10 inches
Dragon's weight: N/A
UVA: 100 Watt Basking Bulb and a 150 Watt CHE for more heat temperature.
UVB: Yes, it's near the two lamp, where he can climb up the log and get close to it.

with our dragons since they were little, we hold them "near" the faucet in our kitchen and have a little stream going , in the beginning i would just drip the water on their noses until they drank and then over time when we go to the sink now the tongue is going even before the water is on and they immediately drink i put them close enough that if they put their tongue out they get water i dont stick there face under the water (just want to be clear) sometimes they drink and take a break and then drink again, its easy to figure out when they are done.

I also have a reservior type water dish for them, that they also have "learned" to use mostly in the summer it becomes more necessary. I put their paws on the edge, swish the water so they realize its there and do the drops on the end of their noses with my finger and once they realize the water is there they put their heads down and drink.

I find it interesting that some very simple behavior can be learned over time with the dragons.

Well I hope this helps......

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Life is what happens when you are making other plans.......

In their natural habitat there is rarely standing water around for them to bath in or drink. They get most or all of their water from the food they consume. I'd just mist his salad well when you serve it and whenever convenient. None of mine drink from their water bowls that I have seen. And I don't mist the Dragons directly (they hate it so i don't do it anymore now that their adults). I do offer water from an eyedropper maybe every other day. One of mine never takes any. The other 2 occasionally partake.

If your dragon is small (under 12" I would spray him. The theory being that some moisture is absorbed through the skin. Otherwise, I'd make sure the live food has adequate water before feeding it to him and mist the salads. Occasionally try offering water from an evedropper. I bath mine about every 2 weeks and have never seen any of them drink from the bath either.

I wouldn't worry about it unless they appear dehydrated.

we use ceringes( got from doctor.. to give them water .. they just drink right from it ...