How to Bathe a Bearded Dragon: BEST GUIDE TO CLEAN YOUR BEARDIE

Some Bearded dragon owners had no idea bathing them was even a thing

Giving your bearded dragon a bath is something you should do once in a while especially if they’re having issues shedding

So hang out with us and follow this guide on How to bathe a bearded dragon

If you’re an absolute beginner to bearded dragons check out this post

How to Bathe A Bearded Dragon

Later on ill be explaining the benefits of giving your bearded dragon a bath but ill show you the steps first

Fill up a container that is bigger than them with warm water. You can actually use your bathtub if you want to. I use a plastic container since i find that easier but its up to you

Something I’ve noticed

You will get splashed…. so don’t wear your favorite shirts while doing this

Bearded dragons can easily drown if you’re not careful so make sure you do not fill up the tub you use with too much water!

Just fill it up to his knees and do not go above his shoulders. This is safe and what i do with my bearded dragon all the time

Lukewarm water is key here. A little tip. Lukewarm water obviously needs to feel warmer than your body but not hot. That’s what most people use as an indicator so you don’t need to sit with a thermometer or something. just use that trick

If the water is too hot than you will burn your beardie

How to bathe a bearded dragon
How to bathe a bearded dragon

Place your bearded dragon into the bath water

Slowly put your bearded dragon into the water and let him get used to the feeling

expect splashing….

If this is the first time your bearded dragon has taken a bath give them some extra time to feel it out. I remember the first time i gave my beardie a bath. He actually doesn’t seem to mind anymore but when we first started it freaked him out a little bit

Bearded dragons can’t see water when its still. If you move the water with your hand he will be able to see it and move around it better. When i bathe my bearded dragon i always move the water around for him

Don’t be alarmed if they start drinking the water. its normal

When i bathe my bearded dragon i use a really soft toothbrush to clean him.

Avoid his eyes. He will usually close them but i still avoid them anyways

No extra pressure is needed and work WITH the scales not against them

i recommend using a small cup to rinse them off when you’re done with your scrubbing. I have a dedicated little cup i keep under the sink for his baths

now don’t just DUMP the water on him too harshly. slowly rinse it down his backside

Let them soak for a bit and then its time to dry off!

Drying off your bearded dragon after a bath

Paper towel is your best friend here and again don’t be too rough with them

if you don’t have paper towel its ok just use a soft dish towel or something

i will wrap my beardie in the paper towel and then give a slow press around his body just to soak up any excess water

Now as soon as you dry them off put them into their tank and under their basking light. Bearded dragons are cold blooded so they might get a little startled

Why you need to give your bearded dragon a bath

When i first got my bearded dragon is thought the same thing to myself

i talked to my vet about it as well and they said its normal and ok to bathe them but dont use soap she said

ill talk more about soap later but i went on a bit of an information gathering session to provide to you today

Bathing your bearded dragon does a few really good things right off the bat

The first thing that comes to mind is hydration. So bearded dragons need to have decent hydration to shed their skin and have overall good skin health

us humans have much nicer and healthier looking skin when we are hydrated

the same thing goes for beardies

Lots of things we take in dehydrate us and we don’t even know it

Bearded dragons will feel better too when properly hydrated

So when you give your bearded dragon a bath you will hydrate them a lot and they will also drink some of the water

Helps with shedding

Hydrated skin really helps with shedding

sometimes bearded dragons will have a hard time shedding for many different reasons

a bath will really help out when trying to get rid of the dry flaky skin

when you do this make sure you let them rub against you when trying to help remove excess skin

Better Digestive Health and Hygiene

Bearded dragons literally run around against the ground wherever they are

They will come across a lot of dirt

They will come into contact with their own poop too if thats in the enclosure and you can tell a lot about their health from their poop

Too much bacteria is can cause all kinds of problems if not taken care of which is why i recommend a deep clean about once a month

too much bacteria and fungus can lead to infections which can obviously hurt your beardie

A clean bearded dragon and a clean enclosure will help in the long run

There is one major upside to baths as well…

I love when my bearded dragon crawls on me and i handle him all the time. He simply smells better

You can really tell when he needs bath time. He will crawl on you and you get a whiff of him and your face will instantly change…

One cool thing that baths (or just soaking in water) will do is help your bearded dragon digest food better

impaction can happen in bearded dragons and if your bearded dragon is having digestive issues you can help them move the food through with a bath

Impaction happens when your bearded dragon ingests something they aren’t supposed to eat like their substrate. You might feel a bulge under their tummy

If this happens put them in a bath and rub their tummy and that will help them pass a poop

Sometimes your bearded dragon won’t want a bath

Bearded dragons are picky sometimes and they will let you know if they don’t like a bath.

They will sometimes puff up or show a black beard.

The puffing up can sometimes actually mean excitement so don’t confuse that

A bearded dragons black beard is a sign of stress or discomfort

Now the earlier you start bathing a bearded dragon the better of they will be

i started mine off when he was young so he was used to them quickly

If they seem uncomfortable do a quick clean and then get them out fast. Slowly get them doing more and more baths during next coming months

as your bearded dragon transitions from youth to adulthood they will be used to baths and will mostly enjoy it

My beardie loves baths now and just relaxes in the warm water

The most important thing for me and my bearded dragon is making sure he is placed in the basking light right away after a bath. if i take too long he gets irritable

Don’t stress them out trying to bathe them. The more stressful you make the situation the more they will hate it and hate the idea of taking a bath

Don’t overthink it all

Summary and things you should know

Bearded dragons can be picky little creatures so just take your time working with them

patience is key with how to bathe your bearded dragon effectively without stress and discomfort

After a while they will even begin liking baths