YIn this post, we will talk about grooming your bearded dragon – bathing, misting, trimming the nails and helping with shedding. We will also discuss hygiene practices, vivarium cleaning routines and how to prevent transfer of bacteria Salmonella. At the end, we will include bearded dragon’s cage cleaning routine with essential checks and cleaning to do every day, week, month, six months and year.
Bathing your bearded dragon
Bathing your bearded dragon from time to time can be an enjoyable experience. If you clean your bearded dragon’s tank regularly, there is a little chance that your bearded dragon will be soiled or dirty.
But still, your bearded dragon might be dirty from bathing in a water dish with their own poop.
Bathing your bearded dragon will help wash off the poop. While bathing is not compulsory (especially with beardies that hate it), it is enjoyable for most bearded dragons.
To bathe your bearded dragon, fill a plastic tub or sink with warm water (up to 2 inches or top of the limbs). Make sure that the water level is not higher than bearded dragon’s limbs, or it can drown.
Don’t add any soap or other chemicals into the water. Only use a soft brush or cloth to rub a dragon. You can also use your hands to slightly hold your bearded dragon and rub it. Ideal water temperature is around 85-96 degrees F.
How often to bathe your bearded dragon will depend on how dirty he is. In general, you can bathe your bearded dragon once a week, but some owners decide to bathe their dragons only few times a year.
Bearded dragons don’t really need frequent bathing, especially if you keep their cage clean. Some bearded dragons don’t like baths, and others enjoy it. Don’t force your bearded dragon into the water if it doesn’t like it, or it will cause stress.
You can also give your bearded dragon a bath anytime if it is constipated. Or if you suspect it has ingested any substrate. Bathing your bearded dragon in warm water and rubbing its belly will have a relaxing and laxative effect, so prepare for your bearded dragon to poop and pee in the water.
After you have finished bathing your bearded dragon, place it on a towel and let the excess water drip. Don’t rub your bearded dragon with a towel to dry it, just pat it.
If you are using sand substrate, make sure beardie is fully dry and then return it in the vivarium. Some bearded dragons will start basking if their body temperature has dropped.
Trimming your bearded dragon’s nails
Bearded dragon’s nails wear down naturally if there are rocks and other furniture in their vivarium. Climbing, digging and walking helps to keep their nails short and healthy.
But if there is not enough wear to bearded dragon’s nails, they might become overgrown. You can tell your bearded dragon’s nails are overgrown when they start curling under the toes.
If your bearded dragon has sharp, overgrown or curled nails, you must trim them yourself or at the vet. Clipping your bearded dragon’s nails should not be hard – use a claw trimmer like this for small animals.
Don’t trim your bearded dragon’s nails if they are not too long – only do it if they are overgrown or very sharp, scratching you and making handling unbearable.
You must note the shape of your bearded dragon’s nails when trimming. You must never trim the nails higher than the spot with a vein (called ‘quick’), or your bearded dragon will bleed. If your beardie resists nail trimming, take a short break and continue again. Try doing it when your beardie is not paying attention.
This bearded dragon doesn’t need nail clipping right now
To make it easier, look at bearded dragon’s nails from the side. You will see a big portion of the nail surrounded by a thick (usually white-yellowish) base. Under that base, beardie’s nail will be thinner and sharper.
Make sure to have good lighting in the room to see through the nail – you must see the ‘quick’ vein through the nail. It is often harder to see through very dark or fair nails. As a general rule, only clip the sharp tip of the nail, under that yellowish base and under the vein.
If bearded dragon’s nail is bleeding, apply some styptic powder, baking soda, flour or cornstarch to stop bleeding. You can also apply some antibiotic ointment to prevent infections.
Don’t blame yourself if this happened – next time you will be more experienced. After you have finished trimming the nails, use a nail file to remove any rough or sharp edges and to smooth out any cracks.
Shedding in bearded dragons
In this bearded dragon, the skin around the toes has built up and constricted the blood flow
Bearded dragons don’t shed their skin in one piece, they do it gradually, in small pieces. Never try to pull the skin that is shedding, as it takes time for it to come off. Shedding skin that is not ready to peel off will bleed and cause infections if you pull it too soon.
Often, bearded dragons go through shedding successfully on their own, and don’t need too much help from your side. You can tell your bearded dragon’s skin is about to shed by looking at the symptom such as darkening of the skin.
You can use a shedding aid spray to help with problematic area shedding. Also, misting your bearded dragon once a day and giving it a warm bath once a week when it is shedding will moisten the skin. But never use any creams or lotions that is not intended for reptiles.
What you need to do to help your bearded dragon with shedding is to watch its toes, tail, limbs and around the legs for any skin that hasn’t peeled off after the shedding has finished.
Note the dark skin – it is about to shed
If the skin doesn’t peel off and you don’t help to remove it after shedding has finished, it will constrict the blood flow.
Decreased blood flow in these areas can cause death of toes and tip of the tail! Gently rub any skin that hasn’t peeled off after shedding has finished.
How often do bearded dragons shed their skin? This will depend on various factors, such as the age of a beardie and health condition. Young bearded dragons or ones with internal infections shed more often than healthy or adult bearded dragons.
In healthy bearded dragons, shedding might occur few times a year. Problematic shedding is common in malnourished beardies.
Bearded dragon cage cleaning routine
Your bearded dragon is naturally carrying a range or bacteria and parasites, such as Salmonella and Coccidia. The normal gut flora doesn’t cause your bearded dragon any problems, but if you don’ take care of the vivarium hygiene, the number of bacteria in the gut will reach harmful levels.
You must take care when handling your bearded dragon to avoid catching Salmonella. While the risk of catching Salmonella from your bearded dragon is low, you must take care and follow the best hygiene practices.
When handling a bearded dragon, don’t kiss it and wash your hands with soap thoroughly after. Salmonellosis is not deadly in healthy people, but will cause serious symptoms such as cramps, belly pain, vomiting and fever.
The best idea is to have a schedule for cleaning and maintenance routines, so that you remember what you need to do on specific days.
General hygiene practices to follow:
- Always wash your hands with antibacterial soap after handling your bearded dragon.
- It is a good practice to wear gloves when cleaning the cage, and to use some hand sanitizer afterwards if you can’t wash your hands with soap.
- Don’t put your fingers inside bearded dragon’s mouth and don’t eat while handling it.
- Never wash your bearded dragon’s accessories, such as food bowls or rocks, in a general sink where you do your dishes.
Daily
- Use a litter scoop to pick up any poop from the substrate and around the cage as soon as you spot it, and at the
end of the day. If you have a carpet liner, spot clean it by wiping with a cloth. - If there is any poop on rocks and branches, wipe them with a towel.
- Check temperature and humidity readings from the cage and make sure they are optimal.
- If using a paper towel or newspaper substrate, change it once or twice a day.
- Misting your dragon once a day (an hour or so after waking up) can help moisten its skin and will imitate morning dew.
- Change drinking water, as soon as possible if fouled, or once a day anyway.
- Wash the food and water bowls with soapy water.
- Remove any uneaten foods and insects. Remove any uneaten insects 15 minutes after feeding.
Weekly
- Look around the vivarium corners to see if there is any hidden feces or dead bugs.
- Wash the carpet liner (if this is your substrate) with warm water and mild soap. Let it dry before putting back in the terrarium. You can even attach the carpet liner to a sticky fastener for an easy removal and cleaning.
Monthly
- Replace the substrate fully with fresh one – if it is sand or other
Steam cleaners can sanitize a vivarium and other surfaces with an up to 200 degree pressured steam
loose bedding. You can change the loose substrate every 2-4 months if you regularly remove feces and leftovers.
- Check bearded dragon’s weight and write it down
- Disinfect food and water bowls in a tub filled with a 5% bleach solution (1 part bleach with 4 parts water). Then, rinse thoroughly with hot soapy water. Wash off any bleach and soap and dry before putting them back in the vivarium.
- Remove all accessories from the vivarium and disinfect them in a tub filled with a 5% bleach solution. Keep them in a tub for 1-2 hours for proper disinfection. Then, rinse with hot soapy water.
- Vacuum the vivarium if there are any loose pieces of substrate etc.
- With all the accessories removed, spray the vivarium walls and floor with a disinfectant and wipe them. Wait for the glass to dry and the smell to dissipate before bringing your bearded dragon back inside. You can also wash the vivarium with a bleach solution.
- If you don’t want to use a bleach solution for cleaning inside of the vivarium, use a steam cleaner that heats water to minimum 165 F to kill parasites and bacteria.
Every six months to a year
- Replace full-spectrum lights that stop emitting UVA + UVB in around 6 months. You will not be able to tell if the light bulb or fixture has stopped emitting UV light spectrum. This is very important. Read about bearded dragon’s vivarium lighting here.
Thank you for reading this article! Please share it and leave your comments below! You can read another post about cleaning the tank and getting rid of bad smells in this post.