Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is Candy Cane (breeders name) I have named him Eragon like his sire.

Soaking... I no longer would advise this practice for rehydrating sickly dragons. It leaves them vulnerable to upper respiratory infections. And the chill of cooler water and warm up etc puts a toll on their immune systems.

Use a syringe to give fluids. Pull down slightly on the nape of their necks to get them to open slightly then work the syringe into the mouth. squiiizzzirt

This guy was a super skittish dragon. He came to me and would not eat. I never gave up on him however, therefore... today he is fat and healthy.

He is doing so well and is a success story. The lesson learned?...

Never give up on a sickly dragon! Raise temps, isolate them if they are not already, use syringe feedings, get meds if needed. Read read read ask others for help... whatever it takes.

But never give up on them.

More recent pic from like 2 weeks ago of Candy Cane aka Eragon:

Ember and Eragon

Eragon is the smaller of the two.

That is the same sickly dragon from above. He is doing awesome for me now. Took lots of time and patience. He is no longer a skittish dragon either. It is a phase some of the skittish little ones grow out of.

Never give up on them!

Now that my friends is a comeback dragon.

Good for you ! Glad to see that he is rehabilitated.I also warn people that constant soaking is dangerous...many people think that wrapping in a towel and holding after wards is good,but they are freezing at air temps. in a wet OR dry towel after being wet. I use a spray bottle { like for plants } to hydrate...gently on the nose....they drink as it drips down to their mouth.

You should never open a dragons mouth and squirt water in it. It is too risky that water will get into their lungs. Occasional baths in 80-85 degree water is OK for cleaning and helping them deficate.

I agree here with BDlvr. I have never heard of giving a dragon a nice warm soak as being a bad thing. I do it occasionally myself and often times once the dragons hit the water they will start drinking. They also stop when they have had enough. Why force them to do something they can do on their own? I also like misting occasionally.

Soaks do not have to be limited to sickly dragons. A good soak can help to hydrate any dragon. I always give females a nice soak the day, or day after laying eggs. A good soak can also help to clean a dirty dragon. Sometimes I even take out an old toothbrush and lightly brush any heavier dirty areas on the dragon.

I would give the dragon ample time to warm up though and bask for awhile after a soak. I would not soak the dragon at night just prior to "lights out".

I believe forcing water or food into a dragon should be limited to dragons that are in dire need of it in extreme situations. Even after a round of meds I can't see having to force feed a dragon. I just finished a preventative round recently and none had to be force fed.

Soaking once a week is fine...I spray daily for the babies to drink. Here is the problem with " baths". Most people dote on their beardies just like kittens,puppies. They think " baths" are needed every day. No doubt,some beardies get chilled...who is an expert on proper water temps.,how long to stay in,etc.? If you look at a few of the beardie forums you will see a fair amount of dragons, babies especially with respiratory infections. Also,if you do a large number of shows monthly for years,you will meet many,many people and hear first hand of the most common health problems. What people do wrong is chill the dragons,that, by the way may not even HAVE proper temps. in the cage...even if they do,they swaddle the dragon { just like bringing them to a reptile show } in a towel and cuddle it. They think the dragon is cozy being held with it's eyes closed when it's really too cold to move and very miserable. So that may be what Dreamworks is talking about...daily soaks...which can do more harm than good without a doubt.

No doubt. But I was referring to this quote "Soaking... I no longer would advise this practice for rehydrating sickly dragons." and also squirting water down a dragons throat. I also suggested warm occasional baths....not daily. I would rather take a chance giving an occasional warm bath or misting/dripping water on them than forcing water down a dragons throat. Just my opinion.

Warm baths are over-rated. Some people are soaking dragons every day twice a day.

A sickly dragon that wont eat or drink needs a ginger forced squirt of fluids/food.

Pull down on nape of neck gingerly force in the syringe and squirt down the throat.

Raise their temps and dont over soak them.

Once or twie a week at most I would recommend. Once a day is far too much. They are from arid regions of australia and most people dont dry or get them reheated properly.

Thanks Angie...

yes... exactly... people who coddle and soak their dragons constantly need to read more. I have heard some people even good breeders profess to soak the dragon constantly if they are dehydrated.

I have read people say that they intake water through their vents and will absorb moisture etc.

This I have not found to be true.

They are not getting much if anything through their skin or vents. The only thing a bath is good for IMO is cleaning the dragon full of poo.

Once a week is more than adequate. (if your husbandry is adequate) And it is not a soak.

After lots of reading and observations...

These are my personal methods:

I use fairly warm almost toward the hot side with water.

I use my hand a reference and have the dragon in my hand the whole time. Very quick bathing process... leaving them to soak and cool... like a baby playing in the tub is potentially a bad thing.

They are not in the water that long... long enough to get a scrub with a toothbrush. About 1-2 mins total.

The water never gets cold. Then I wrap and place them under the heat.

When they walk away from the heat I place them back under the heat and let them walk away a second time.

The soaks are a thing of the past for me.

The coddling of the dragons is not good either Angie your right.

They are not mammals and need to be in the heat/uvb. Not paraded around like a snuggle bunny.

I am talking about a dragon who will not eat or take water from drops on the nose.

I always put drops on the nose first. Im talking about dragons that are on the bad side slipping into very bad.

Putting them into a long soak is not going to help them.

Once the water starts to drop in temp you're looking for trouble.

Im not talking about a giant squirt of water either... they need electrolytes/reptiaide/mashed live.

A gaint water squirt is not worth the time.

Raise temps... get their stomachs full of nutrients. Once they poo... repeat. Relentlessly

The extended water soaks are no good for sick redzone ill dragons.

But do as you wish. Im just sharing what has worked for me.

This is a beautiful dragon with a very unique color and pattern. Kudos to you for working so hard. WELL DONE.

Nick
Bearded Dragon Cages

Thank you... I will get some updated pics of him. He is doing awesome. Eats like no other and is sizing up quickly.

Makes me really happy.

Here is Eragon senior:

his dad

He is a Fire and Ice dragon.

What ever happened to Fire and Ice? Last time I checked their site was down. Anyone have the scoop?

You really should give credit where credit is due since both Eragon and his baby were not bred by you.

I dont breed them, I collect them.

Never claimed, nor implied that I produced him.