# Bathing Reptiles- Beginners Guide.



## IanF94 (Oct 12, 2008)

Many people new to the Reptile keeping hobby may have heard that people 'bathe' their reptiles. I myself as a beginner had no idea how to go about it or why people do it.

Hopefully this short guide will clear a few things up for you.

Firstly I'll start with *WHY* people bathe their animals. 
-The number one reason for me would be if they are constipated. A nice warm bath relaxes their muscles and 9 times out of 10, they'll leave you a little something to clean up.
-Some people bathe their Bearded Dragons, or animals similar, to hydrate them. I personally bathe mine weekly but it's really up to yourself. The Bearded dragon will absorb some of the water into it's skin and this will help keep it hydrated.
-Another very common reason is because their shed is not fully off. I have to bathe my leopard geckos because they generally don't get the skin off their toes.
- Lastly it may be because their Reptile enjoys a bath once in awhile. I don't find this to be the case with my animals but some people might.

Ok now that you know why, I'll try and cover *HOW* as best as I can.

Firstly, the temperature is very important. Reptiles are Ectothermic which means their body temperature changes with their enviroment.
Bear in mind when bathing your animal- this is not a bath for you. What you may find comfortable could damage your reptile.

Keep the water luke warm. This is somewhere in the mid 30s (C). Basically hold your wrist up up to the water and adjust the temperature until it feels slightly warm. 

For my Leopard geckos I keep it around 32 C.(Max since they don't require warm temperatures). I have it slightly over the reccomended as by the time the Gecko is in it has cooled down.









For warmer species a warmer temperature would be appropriate.


As for where you should bathe it you have a few options.

-*Sink.*
I use the sink for smaller species like leopard geckos, small Beardies, or young snakes.










-*Bath*
Generally used for larger snakes or lizards like Boas, Monitors, or any animals that would not fit, or would escape from a sink.










-*Basin*
I don't personally use a tub/basin to bathe mine but it would be no different to using the sink.



While batheing NEVER leave your animal unattended. This can lead to the escaping or injuring themselves.

Putting your animal in the water can pose a problem too. Just gently put them on the edge of the water and slowly encourage them in. Snakes will wrap themselves around your arm, or if the animals aggressive they may bite you.









*For Lizards,* the water should be no higher than the chest.
*For Snakes,* for Corn snakes I usually have it at 2 inches- a ground rule might be the height of the animal its self. (Note: NOT the length, the height flush with the ground.)





























Some animals will absolutely hate baths and thrash about trying to get out. If, after a minute or two, they still are trying to get out I offer them my hand and let them climb up onto it.
Don't give up hope if they don't like it- perservere and eventually they'll become use to it.










If they're aggressive they may even bite you. If that's the case, very slowly and carefully, drain or remove the water. Wait for the animal to calm down- then confidently reach in and remove them. They'll bite if you hesitate.

*Cleaning *is a must afterwards. Reptiles carry alot of bacteria that may be harmful to humans. Especially if they excrete in the water.
I just use bleach afterwards. Make sure you rinse the sink thoroughly afterwards. To be extra cautious- don't bathe an animal in that same area for at least a day, just incase the bleach is still present.


Anyway, I hope this has been of some if any use to you. Hopefully it will help beginners with their first bathing experience.


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## IanF94 (Oct 12, 2008)

Sorry if this was abit useless guys.:lol2: I thought this might explain a few things to people who didn't know.


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## swift_wraith (Jan 4, 2009)

some good advice there. i say get this stickied.


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## Antw23uk (Jan 12, 2009)

Good advice ... to a certain extent so I dont agree with it being a sticky im afraid. Beardie just dont need to be bathed. They come from a very hot and dry part of the world where access to fresh water is practically none existent.

They have evolved to become exceptionally good at getting there 'water' needs from the food they eat, albiet plant or live which is why dragons (among many other creatures) have developed the ability to survive very happily without the need to drink (or bathe) and extract their fluid needs from their food. Their kidneys act like a recirculatory system removing as much as possible and then excreting urates (a semi-solid) the cloaca then has another go and hauls out any more fluid it can leaving the final deposit as a semi-solid excretion.

I know people have varying opinions on this and i do agree if your beardie is constipated or having a bad shed (not just shedding but having a *bad* shed) then a nice bath can help. The other reason i would bath my beardie is after egg laying when not only are you heavily supplementing her food with calcium but also offering a rehydration in the form of a bath.

As above beardies kidneys are excellent at absorbing water through food so to then bath your beardie once a week .. well surely your putting pressure on there kidneys that could do more damage than good?


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## moody232002 (Jan 5, 2009)

very helpful


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## Mosha (Mar 6, 2009)

Having my baby Beardies for a few weeks now, im still deciding whether to ever bathe them or not. Im getting mixed signals, as one half of the internet and advice tells me its ok and the other says its not. 
Has anyone got any experience of bathing beardies regularly and has it affected them in any way? Surely, a bearded dragon doesnt go through its whole life without bumping into a pool of water, or rain etc, in the wild?
Im not an expert so wouldnt know 100%


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## IanF94 (Oct 12, 2008)

Antw23uk said:


> Good advice ... to a certain extent so I dont agree with it being a sticky im afraid. Beardie just dont need to be bathed. They come from a very hot and dry part of the world where access to fresh water is practically none existent.
> 
> They have evolved to become exceptionally good at getting there 'water' needs from the food they eat, albiet plant or live which is why dragons (among many other creatures) have developed the ability to survive very happily without the need to drink (or bathe) and extract their fluid needs from their food. Their kidneys act like a recirculatory system removing as much as possible and then excreting urates (a semi-solid) the cloaca then has another go and hauls out any more fluid it can leaving the final deposit as a semi-solid excretion.
> 
> ...


I'm sorry if it came across that I was suggesting you NEEDED to bathe A bearded Dragon. In all honesty I think it's a personal choice. I can't change what I've said now so perhaps a moderator could do it for me to make it a little bit less one-sided.
I completely agree with everything you have said there however I've also heard the other sides of the stories. Many people even suggest bathing it everyday.
So I made the comprimise as my Dragon in particular isn't a huge fan of vegetables and I don't want to take the risk of him becoming dehydrated. Although your reasoning is very valid and is something I may end up doing in the future- that is what I had been taught and what many people do as standard practice.

And I agree that it shouldn't be a sticky- I'm no way near knowledgeable enough yet to put something worthy of a sticky foward. I was more thinking if someone searched the forum they may find this and take some of the advice from it.


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## Antw23uk (Jan 12, 2009)

Mosha said:


> Having my baby Beardies for a few weeks now, im still deciding whether to ever bathe them or not. Im getting mixed signals, as one half of the internet and advice tells me its ok and the other says its not.
> Has anyone got any experience of bathing beardies regularly and has it affected them in any way? Surely, a bearded dragon doesnt go through its whole life without bumping into a pool of water, or rain etc, in the wild?
> Im not an expert so wouldnt know 100%


Hi Mosha, have a look at the sticky in the 'lizard' section called *Your Bearded Dragon - Its habitat and Water!* It is personal choice so only you can decide but having all the facts first is important to help make that decision.

Ian - i thought your post was informative and well written and i appreciate your constructive response to my post. We all know what RFUK can be like when people dissagree with each other :whistling2:


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## moody232002 (Jan 5, 2009)

[quote We all know what RFUK can be like when people dissagree with each other :whistling2:[/quote]
:lol2:aint that the truth


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## Mosha (Mar 6, 2009)

Antw23uk said:


> Hi Mosha, have a look at the sticky in the 'lizard' section called *Your Bearded Dragon - Its habitat and Water!* It is personal choice so only you can decide but having all the facts first is important to help make that decision.


Thanks, Ill have a read through it :2thumb:


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## Grond (Jun 17, 2008)

Some interesting info and well put.

People just need to pay attention to _why_ they are bathing and only bath when necessary for most species.

I found it interesting, that lizards and snakes were mentioned, but the one group of animals which most people would agree need a regular bath wasn't......tortoises!


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## IanF94 (Oct 12, 2008)

Antw23uk said:


> Ian - i thought your post was informative and well written and i appreciate your constructive response to my post. We all know what RFUK can be like when people dissagree with each other :whistling2:


Thank you. I completely agree with you there- I've had to be on the alert on these forums for awhile and arguments end in no good- hopefully I haven't come across as disagreeable in my post, it's hard to express meanings when it comes to typing.: victory:



Grond said:


> Some interesting info and well put.
> 
> People just need to pay attention to _why_ they are bathing and only bath when necessary for most species.
> 
> I found it interesting, that lizards and snakes were mentioned, but the one group of animals which most people would agree need a regular bath wasn't......tortoises!


And thanks to you too. Looking back at that post I really didn't cover why all that well. It had only accured to me to post why after I had written everything else and I suppose I didn't look into the reasons thoroughly. 
As for the toroises.... I haven't a clue as I've never had the privelege of owning a Tortoise so I kept it to what I do know.


Thanks for all the feedback guys- Perhaps in the future though someone with more experience can construct one that's a little bit more varied animal wise and can cover the WHY section better.


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