A trivial question - but why am I bathing Shadwell twice a week? I don't have a plant mister - and I forget to buy one every time I go to Zellers or Wal-Mart, besides; he seems to enjoy his baths in the kitchen sink. But why am I bathing him? Is it general cleanliness or is there more to it than that? Both my uro books insist upon it so there must be good reason?
Allie.

I know with our BD's, bathing helps them to get hydrated - they absorb the water through their vents?? Maybe this is the smae reason for your Uro's?

Well, that seems like a decent theory; the hydration of a desert lizard is always important. It's also fun - my kids, especially my seven-year old daughter, love to help him take his bath, and he looks adorable wrapped in a towel afterwards. Thanks for your input, Brittone.
Allie.

allie&shadwell,

If they like it, it's not hurting them!

Steve

Hydration and aiding in shedding would be my best guess.

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

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mine dont really like bathing so I dont do it often. just makes sure to dry his tail well. I believe water getting trapped in the tail can cuase tail rot(probably most likley when their getting ready to shed the tail and the scales are loose)

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0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx
1.3.0 Nigerian Uromastyx
1.2.0 Bearded Dragons
1.0.0 Green Iguana
1.0.1 American Toads
2.0.1 African Clawed frog
0.1.0 Dune Gecko Steno Petrii
0.0.1 Leopard Gecko
1.1.1 Red Spotted Newts
0.1.0 Red Eared Slider
0.1.0 Box Turtle

Is tail rot the reptile equivalent of gangrene?

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1.0.0. Niger Orange Uromastyx [Shadwell]
1.0.0. Great Husband [John]
1.2.0. Terrific Children [Diana, James, Aislinn]

No probs allie&shadwell - my 3 year old, Holly, also loves helping to bathe our bunch. she helps with the chams misting and then helps with bathing our bd's. She loves to see Spyro in the bath (he's too big for the bowl or sink lol) and thinks it is great when the babies have their turn - she even knows why we bath them and how inportant it is (teaching her early I guess lol)

Bathing
It is recommended to provide a bath once per week. If bathing is done in the cage, remove the tub at night, particularly for babies, as some Bearded Dragons will fall asleep and possibly drown in the tub. They tend to sleep almost immediately at lights out, and are heavy sleepers.

When bathing, the water level should be shallow to allow the dragon to stand up out of the water, and should feel of neutral temperature to you, if it feels hot to your hand, it is too hot for your dragon.


Dehydration & Impaction
If your bearded dragons' skin appears wrinkled, this is a sign of dehydration, and he should be given a bath.
Baths are useful also if your dragon appears to be slightly impacted (hasn't been pooping regularly). In this case provide daily baths and perhaps add a few drops of vegetable oil to help move things along. If this doesn't help after a few days see a vet.

From superworm.com

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Fran
January 9, 1940 - June 1, 2006 (R.I.P)