Do Bearded Dragons Drink Water? The Essential Guide

Bearded dragons drink water and hydration is essential for their health. However, these reptiles are remarkably adapted to arid environments and can handle water deprivation better than some other reptile species.

Reptile mass is generally 70% water with osmolarity varying greatly among the numerous species, adapted to each species’ diet, environment, and lifestyle.

Nugent-Deal & Cital (2016)

Under most conditions, even the best, or most ill-fed reptile, will succumb to the effects of inadequate water (moisture) intake long before the metabolic effects of starvation are recognized.

Frye (1984)

Do Bearded Dragons Need Water?

Bearded dragons need water for their health. They don’t require as much water as some other reptiles and studies show us that bearded dragons can withstand short periods without drinking.

Parkinson & Mans (2018) were able to demonstrate the bearded dragon’s natural ability to deal with mild dehydration and conserve water, which is an adaptation to their native habitat.

After a 48-hour period without food or water, the dehydrated bearded dragon showed minimal signs of dehydration and drank less than 1% of their body weight when given access to water afterward.

A mildly dehydrated bearded dragon does not display obvious signs of thirst. Our role is to ensure they do not get to a point where this dehydration becomes a threat to their health. This can be done through methods such as spraying, soaking, or offering a shallow water dish.

…chop or shred the greens and place them in a bowl or plate and spray the entire “salad” with water prior to feeding.

Stahl (1999)

1. How Much Water Do Bearded Dragons Need?

A bearded dragon needs is very little water.  The amount of water reptiles need per day for maintenance is 10-30 ml per kilo per day (Mitchell, 2008) based on ideal weight for the animal. The water content of foods is included.

Bearded Dragon Weight	Daily Water Needs oz & ml	Daily Water Needs (teaspoons)
3.5 oz (100 g)	0.03 – 0.1 oz (1 – 3 ml)	0.2 – 0.6 tsp
7.1 oz (200 g)	0.07 – 0.2 oz (2-6 ml)	0.4 – 1.2 tsp
10.6 oz (300 g)	0.1 – 0.3 oz (3 – 9 ml)	0.6 – 1.8 tsp
14.1 oz (400 g)	0.14 – 0.4 oz (4 – 12 ml)	0.8 – 2.4 tsp
17.6 oz (500 g)	0.17 – 0.5 oz (5 – 15 ml)	1 – 3 tsp

How much water bearded dragons need based on their weight in imperial and metric measurements.

So, as you can see from the table, the amount of water bearded dragons need daily, at the rate of 10-30 ml per kilo is as little as a few oz or ml. Minus water content of foods the actual volume of water to be taken by mouth in addition to food is reduced.

For context, a leopard gecko may only take in 5 mL of water in 24 hours (Girling, 2013).

2. Do Silkies or Leatherbacks Bearded Dragons Need More Water?

Bearded dragon morphs with altered scalation, such as silkies (scaleless) and leatherbacks need more water than the common fully scaled wild type Pogona vitticeps.

2.1. Why Silkies and Leatherback Bearded Dragons Dehydrate Quicker

Silkies and leatherbacks lose water through their skin at a much faster rate than wild-type dragons, largely due to their reduced scalation. In fact, research has shown that silkies lose water almost twice as fast as wild types (Sakich & Tattersall, 2021).

This increased water loss is due to the lack of scales, which normally help reduce evaporative water loss by forming a barrier against moisture escaping. For owners of silkies and leatherbacks, this means you need to pay extra attention to hydrating your bearded dragon.

Silkies and leatherbacks require more frequent hydration opportunities. Bathing or spraying silkies and leatherbacks will also help with shedding which these scaleless morphs sometimes struggle with (Sakich & Tattersall, 2021).

3. How Often Should You Offer Water?

For all bearded dragons, fresh water should be available daily.

Bearded dragons drink water when they really need it. The study by Parkinson & Mans (2018) found that when bearded dragons were dehydrated, they drank more eagerly when water was offered. This means that bearded dragons can sense when they’re low on fluids and will drink more to make up for it.

The study by Parkinson & Mans (2018) found that a common sign of dehydration in other animals, called plasma osmolarity, didn’t change much in bearded dragons even after they went without water for 48 hours.

This suggests that bearded dragons may hold onto water better than other reptiles and can handle short periods without drinking. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t need regular water, as going too long without it can still cause serious health problems.

4. How Often Do Bearded Dragons Drink Water?

At Bearded Dragons World we conducted a survey with community members to find out how often their bearded dragons drink water from a bowl. Specifically, if their bearded dragon will drink water on its own, and if so, how often their beardie is drinking.

Our survey question was “how often does your bearded dragon drink water?”

5. How do Bearded Dragons Drink Water?

Bearded dragons drink water by lapping it. Other lizards that drink water by lapping it from droplets sitting on or dripping from foliage include anoles, chameleons and a number of other arboreal species such as geckos (Donoghue & McKeown, 1999).

Turtles and snakes generally sip, and lizards usually lap.

Donoghue & McKeown (1999)

6. Why Won’t my Bearded Dragon Drink Water

You are not alone if your bearded dragon won’t drink water, check out the community survey responses below. Here are 3 reasons your bearded dragon won’t drink water:

1. The water isn’t moving. Bearded dragons are attracted to droplets of water on plants (Johnson et al, 2018) and even dripping off the walls or accessories. Offering a bearded dragon a water bowl in its tank, is not enough to get it to drink.
2. Your bearded dragon doesn’t need the water at the time, maybe getting enough through food or other means. Could even be the temperatures are not high enough.
3. It is ill or injured.

7. Can Bearded Dragons Drink Tap Water?

Bearded dragons can drink tap water. Divers and Mader (2015) state that hard water is safe for reptiles. Soft water has sodium which should only present an issue if sodium must be restricted for medical reasons.

Reptiles do not need demineralized or distilled water (Divers and Mader, 2015).

Divers and Mader (2015) recommend using the guidelines from the World Health Organization for water quality guidelines until further information is available specific to reptiles. Donoghue & McKeown (1999) point out that water quality is essential for reptiles that rely heavily on water (e.g. turtles), which is not the case for bearded dragons.

Hard water contains calcium and magnesium in the form of bicarbonate and sulfate salts, while softened water replaces these minerals with sodium. Fluoridated water typically has fluoride levels between 0.5 to 1.0 ppm, usually added as sodium fluoride. Mineral levels in standard tap water are generally below toxic limits and are more of a consideration when assessing the nutritional health of aquatic reptiles.

Dehydrated Bearded Dragon

When a bearded dragon is dehydrated, even mildly on a continuous basis, health problems will follow. Health issues caused by dehydration include gout, shedding issues (dysecdysis) (Stahl and Donoghue 2010), kidney disease and constipation.

Continual mild dehydration, including during long or poorly managed brumation, can result in or contribute to, significant health issues and (in extreme cases) death.

The overt signs of water deprivation are related to dehydration: loss of skin and subcutaneous turgor, dryness and wrinkling of the integument beyond the normally dry, non-mucous state.

Frye (1984)

1. Signs & Complications for a Deydrated Bearded Dragon

A dehydrated bearded dragon needs urgent attention. Here are some signs of dehydrated bearded dragon:

• Dull and wrinkled skin on the back (though some skin wrinkling can be normal due to growth). As dehydration progresses it will become a little more obvious with the skin on its back wrinkling. There are other possible causes for wrinkling which includes just having room for growth but it is easy enough to tell the difference.
• Tacky mucous membranes. Mucous membranes in the mouth may become sticky.
• Reduced urates (white portion of feces. By the time a reptile gets to 3% the urates will be reduced and it might be a little lethargic. A 3% water loss is not very noticeable to humans. At 10% dehydration it will be “dull to comatose”. (Girling, 2013).
• Slight lethargy at around 3% dehydration.
• Constipation. Bowel movements will become less frequent and stools harden as water is conserved in the body instead of expelling it.
• Shedding Issues (Dysecdysis). Shedding may slow down or become problematic (Stahl and Donoghue, 2010).

1.2. Advanced Signs of a Dehydrated Bearded Dragon

• Sunken Eyes: A sign of significant fluid loss.
• Muscle Weakness: Decreased muscle function.
• Reduced Activity: Noticeable lethargy or lack of movement.
• Decreased Body Weight: Unintended weight loss over time.
• Gout: Build-up of uric acid due to compromised kidney function.
• Kidney Disease: Increased risk with chronic dehydration.

1.3 Severe Health Impact to a Dehydrated Bearded Dragon

• Inability to Thermoregulate Properly: Reduction in behaviors like gaping for evaporative cooling because they can’t afford the water loss.
• Extreme Dehydration (10% or more): Bearded dragons may appear “dull” or even comatose (Girling, Veterinary Nursing of Exotic Pets).

Dehydration is common, especially in sick reptiles. It may result from water provided in improper form or anorexia, or may occur secondary to disease.

Stahl & Donoghue (2010)

How to Hydrate Bearded Dragons: 5 Fail Proof Ways

Here are some tips and tricks to get your bearded dragon to drink water and have a bit of fun along the way.

How do you get your bearded dragon to drink water? Make it move is the number one tip.

Here are 5 easy and fail-proof ways to get your bearded dragon to drink water and stay hydrated. Combine these ways to hydrate your bearded dragon for best results.

1. Do Bearded Dragons Like to be Sprayed with Water?

Some bearded dragons like to be sprayed with water, but not all. Raiti (2012) recommends spraying your bearded dragons head Here is the thing, you don’t have to spray your bearded dragon, just spray something it can drink drips of water from or its salad!

QUOTE: In general, bearded dragons are reluctant to drink from bowls; hence spraying their head encourages them to drink. (Raiti, 2012)

If your bearded dragon won’t drink, try spraying surfaces it can lick.

Spraying bearded dragons is at the top of the hydration list for interaction with your pet and fun for both of you. It is also recommended by Boyer (2015) as the preferred choice on how to hydrate your bearded dragon as drinking from bowls is not natural for them. As you can see in the photos below, this bearded dragon liked to be sprayed with water, licked a bit and then went surfing in it afterwards! Having a good old time and quite fun to watch.

This is another reason to have surfaces that are free of loose substrate, tiles work perfectly for spraying bearded dragons. Misting loose substrates will increase the humidity in the enclosure but may also grow unwanted pathogens. You can always have a dig box so they can go to their hearts content at digging when they want to, which many love to do.

Once the fun of spraying your bearded dragon with water is over, clean up the excess water so it doesn’t encourage pathogen growth. If your bearded dragon does not like to be sprayed, try spraying water in your hand. The trick here is to let them see you sprayed the water so it is attracted by the initial movement. This may take a number of attempts, and it will work better when they are thirsty, not much point doing it after bathing if they are resistant.

1.1. Do Bearded Dragons Like to be Sprayed with Water? Check out what the Bearded World Community Survey Discovered

A small group of the community were asked “how often do you spray your bearded dragon?”. Here is what they said.

Most respondents in this survey kept their bearded dragons in glass tanks which is likely to provide some explanation for the lack of misting routines.

2. Do Bearded Dragons Need a Water Bowl?

Yes, a bearded dragon needs a water bowl in the enclosure at all times but it must be kept clean (NSW Government – Education, 2024; Stahl, 1999; Raiti, 2012).

Bearded dragons need a water bowl to be shallow, large enough they can climb into it (Stahl, 1999) and kept clean. Even if your bearded dragon doesn’t drink from the water bowl or dish, it is likely that it will just lay or stand in it at times. This provides some environmental stimulation that it wouldn’t otherwise have.

The bearded dragons water bowl should be on the cool side of the thermal gradient. If the environment is humid then providing the water bowl for a couple of hours a day may be sufficient.

QUOTE: Bearded dragons should be provided with access to water at all times… Barboza & Bercier (2024)

2.1. Bearded Dragons Can Dehydrate with a Water Bowl Available

Bearded dragons can dehydrate even with a water bowl in front of them. They do not seem to instinctively know how to drink from a bowl of still water. Water that shows some signs of movement, even a drip hitting the water surface, is far more attractive to bearded dragons than still water. To get your bearded dragon to drink water try making the water move and perhaps putting a droplet of water on its snout. You could also try squirting a water sprayer directly into the bowl. It may take hours, days or weeks to encourage your bearded dragon to drink from a bowl, some may never do it.

2.2. Bearded Dragons Water Bowl can Add to Humidity

If the humidity is too high in the enclosure, then just leave the water bowl for a fixed time and remove it. Excessive humidity problems are often an issue with glass tanks. Wood and other materials which are easy to install additional venting on are far better for bearded dragons.

Keep the water on the cool side of the housing. Warm stagnant water in the habitat is a breeding ground for pathogens and some parasites. However, if kept clean, this can add to environmental enrichment. Issues really occur with poor husbandry practices or enclosures that are too small or inadequate like glass tanks.

A bearded dragon water dish also provides something for them to walk through or lay in. Sometimes they feel the urge to poop in the water and that requires immediate attention to disinfect the water bowl and provide clean water. Although not what we might prefer, it is still a valid use of water for beardies.

3. How to Hydrate a Bearded Dragon in the Bath!

How do you hydrate bearded dragon in the bath? Just pop it in its bath and let it do its thing! Moving the water around may help if it appears thirsty but isn’t doing anything about it.

Bathing is a popular way to hydrate bearded dragons. Some bearded dragons enjoy bathing and others become quite distressed about it.

Using the bath to hydrate your bearded dragon is unlikely to be a daily thing. They simply don’t require that much bathing and not all of them like to be in a bath.

In the Parkinson & Mans (2018) study, soaking in a bath led to bearded dragons drinking water actively, especially in dehydrated dragons. A quick 5-minute soak can significantly help maintain hydration levels (Parkinson & Mans, 2018)​.

QUOTE: Shallow lukewarm water soaks can be done two to three times per week to stimulate defecation. Raiti (2013)

3.1. Can bearded dragons absorb water through their vent in the bath?

No, nope and absolutely not. Bearded dragons cannot absorb water through their vents when bathing. Bathing helps hydrate bearded dragons through directly drinking the water, not absorbing it. The cloaca is involved in absorbing water that is already present in the bearded dragon.

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4. Do Bearded Dragons Need Water or do they get it from Their Food?

Bearded dragons get fluids from their foods, but they still need additional water. Having said that, you can also:

1. Spray your bearded dragon’s food with water prior to offering it. If they eat the vegetables straight away then they will receive the extra hydration, but if the vegetables are left, they will likely dry out.
2. Offer leaves of food in a small water tray where the plants can continue to extract water. This may not be suitable in indoor enclosures if the bowl can be tipped over.

Using food based on their water content to hydrate a bearded dragon is not a good way to manage it. This will create an imbalance in the diet and potentially other issues. However, here are 11 foods high in water content:

Food	Water_(g)
Watercress fresh, raw	95.11
Zucchini inc skin, raw	94.79
Lettuce Romaine or Cos fresh	94.61
Endive	93.79
Capsicum, bell peppers, raw	93.3
Mustard greens, frozen unprepared	93.21
Turnip greens, frozen	92.93
Cabbage, raw	92.18
Strawberry, raw	92.1
Rocket fresh raw	91.8
Watermelon, peeled	91.6

Foods with high water content that may be useful to hydrate a bearded dragon. References for data (national food databases and research) see the articles in the section bearded dragon diets.

5. Bearded Dragons Can Drink Water from a Syringe or Eye Dropper

Bearded dragons can drink water from a syringe or eye dropper which is super useful for a sick or baby bearded dragon. Using an eye dropper leaves less water around to clean up than misting or spraying.

Baby bearded dragons drink water easily from a syringe in Soncysun’s video.

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Wrapping Up Bearded Dragons Drink Water

Bearded dragons drink water, they need water, and continual mild dehydration causes long term health issues. When a bearded dragon is dehydrated, it is also likely constipated.

Bearded dragons can drink water from spraying, a bowl, bathing, eye dropper and will get some fluids from their food.

References

1. Boyer, T. H. (2015). How to Feed Reptiles Right.
2. Curriculum and Reform. (2024). Inland Bearded Dragon – nutrition and water. NSW Government – Education.
3. Divers, S. J. & Mader, D. R. (2015) Reptile Medicine and Surgery – E-Book 2nd Edition. Elsevier Health Sciences
4. Frye, F.L. (1984). Nutritional Disorders in Reptiles. In: Hoff, G.L., Frye, F.L., Jacobson, E.R. (eds) Diseases of Amphibians and Reptiles. Springer, Boston, MA.
5. Gibbons, P. (Sept, 2009) Critical Care Nutrition and Fluid Therapy in Reptiles. Proceedings of the 15th Annual International Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Symposium. Chicago, Illinois. 9(13): 91-94.
6. Girling, S. (2013) Veterinary nursing of exotic pets. Oxford, United Kingdom: Blackwell.
7. Johnson, R., & Adwick, S. (2018). Central Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps). Companion Animal Care and Welfare, 395–411.
8. Mitchell, M. (DVM) (2008) Fluid therapy for reptiles (Proceedings). CVC in Kansas City Proceedings. DVM 360. 
9. Nugent-Deal, J., & Cital, S. (2016). Companion Exotic Animal Electrolyte and Acid-Base. Acid-Base and Electrolyte Handbook for Veterinary Technicians, 175–206.
10. Stahl, S. & Donoghue, S. (2010) Nutrition of Reptiles. In: Hand MS, Thatcher CD, Remillard RL, et al, editors. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition. Topeka (KS): Mark Morris Institute.