Are you getting a bearded dragon as a pet? Well, in such instances, it is common to think beforehand about what you can feed your bearded dragon, how to design the enclosure, and where to place them. There is another common question or doubt that arises, which is if you can place tap water in your bearded dragon’s enclosure for them to drink.
Can Bearded Dragons Drink Tap Water?
You can offer tap water to them, but it must be purified first using a conditioner or filter. This process will be safe for your beardie as the water will be free from chemicals, additives, and unwanted minerals.
Keeping them hydrated is highly essential.
How to Use Tap Water?
You can use tap water for your beardie, but the issue with using it from the tap is that it contains chemicals, unwanted minerals, and additives that are not healthy for them.
Unwanted elements such as fluoride, chlorine, and metals are, at times, present in tap water. Now, you must remember the unwanted substances will vary from area to area. Some localities or places even have lead in the water. The unwanted elements must be purified.
It is indeed hard to tell what exactly is in the water and how much is present. It is also hard to tell how they will react without purification.
That is the reason it is best to filter and condition tap water. You can even use distilled or bottled water.
Here is a tip for you: You can install a water filter or conditioner in your house. It is a cost-effective method. You will be able to purify the water and feed it to your pet without any hassle.
Through this process, you will be able to offer tap water to your dragon every time.
Can You Use Tap Water for Bathing Your Beardie?
You can use tap water for bathing your pet as long as you do not let your pet swim in the water and hold its neck above the surface.
While these reptiles are not natural swimmers, they can swim in shallow water.
This is because, during bathing time, tend to drink the water. If you are using tap water to bathe your pet, as mentioned before, the water contains chemicals and metals that are not safe. Hence, as long as you are careful, you can use tap water. If you want your dragon to play in the water, tap water is not recommended.
Check out this video of a beardie drinking tap water.
Are Bearded Dragons Prone to Dehydration?
Beardies are originally from the arid Australian desert. Reading this, you might think that they are used to hot temperatures and they will not be prone to dehydration. Well, that is not true. Even though they come from an arid desert, they do not like it dry.
These reptiles need water to stay healthy. If they are dehydrated, it can cause major health issues. So, you must keep them hydrated at all times and protect them.
Dehydration Signs to Look Out For
These reptiles do not need a lot of water, but they must be hydrated at all costs. If your pet is not consuming enough water, you will be able to see a few symptoms or signs.
- If you notice your dragon feeling lethargic and has sunken eyes, it means your pet is dehydrated.
- Monitor your beardie’s eating patterns. If it has a loss of appetite, you must hydrate your dragon.
- If you notice that your pet is constipated or is having bowel problems, you must act up quickly.
- Sometimes they have sticky thick saliva around their mouth.
- Even black coloring or stress marks around the beard and on the body indicate dehydration.
You can even perform a test to check if your pet is dehydrated. The test is called the skin pinch test. Use your fingers to gently and carefully pinch your pet’s skin. If the skin rolls back fast and you notice that it is elasticated, it means your beardie is hydrated.
If the skin does not roll back quickly, it means your beardie is dehydrated.
Keep an eye on all these symptoms to ensure your pet is well hydrated and to prevent health issues as well.
Best Ways to Offer Water to a Bearded Dragon
You can provide your pet in different ways. You can even provide filtered tap water through these methods.
- In a Bowl
You can place a clean water bowl in the enclosure for your pet dragon to drink from.
Now, you must keep in mind that these reptiles are not used to drinking from a bowl. Hence, in the initial days, your pet will not go to drink water from the bowl, even if your pet is thirsty.
To prevent that from happening, you can train your pet to drink from the water bowl. Keep in mind it may take some time as drinking from a bowl does not come naturally to them.
You can start by adding an insect or some juice into the water to attract them to the bowl. The smell of the juice, which is sweet or the insect, will tempt or attract your pet to drink from the bowl. This will teach your dragon how to drink from the bowl.
Remember: Do not add too much juice to the bowl. Too much sweetness is also not good. Also, having more portion of water in the juice will help your pet know that it is a water bowl.
Also, remember to change the water bowl regularly as these reptiles have a habit of excreting in the bowl, and sometimes they tend to drop their food in the bowl as well.
- Misting
These reptiles are from the wild. They are used to rainfall, and they lick rain droplets to keep themselves hydrated.
You can mist the enclosure. You can either design an enclosure with tubes or lines that provide mist to the enclosure at regular intervals. Otherwise, you can replicate misting by taking a mist bottle with water and spraying it across the enclosure and a little on your pet as well.
Remember, you can use any type of spray bottle as long as it serves the purpose. When you mist the enclosure, your beardie will lick the droplets on their face and on the walls of the enclosure.
This method will also make your beardie feel like it is in the wild. Additionally, you can even mist the food, such as vegetables that do not have enough water content.
- Misting or Hydrating Vegetables
The diet of bearded dragons contains different types of vegetables, fruits, and insects. There are a few vegetables on the diet that do not have enough water content. To provide hydration to your pet, you can mist the vegetables.
Also, try to add more vegetables, such as cucumber and celery, to the diet, along with fruits, such as grapes and watermelon.
Conclusion
You can offer them tap water as long as it is filtered. Unpurified water can cause harm to your pet. Also, investing in a filter will be extremely beneficial in the long run.
Remember to keep your pet hydrated and away from chemicals or metals present in the water.
