New and researching! :)

[Richard.C]

Bearded dragons dont drink from a water dish?thats news to me,mine all have,never heard of them drinking through there butts,they definatly dont need to be up to there shoulders in water to be able to drink,being arid zone reptiles,access to pools of water wouldnt be overly common in a huge chunk of there large range

Supprisingly if its so common in the bearded dragon world,some of that info isnt mentioned in any of the excellent books out there on the subject of beardy care

[Lea]

They do! They drink from dishes and in the wild they drink out of puddles and streams, they do not need to be submerged! Many live in arid zones- if they had to get submerged, in one dry season, they would all be extinct!

Anyway, back to blue tongues ...

Bluewho, you asked about why there's a difference between training a mammal, such as a cat or dog and training a reptile. That's just it- there is a big difference, their brains are different, they have different innate behaviours and with them, different actions or reactions to circumstance.

Without going into too much depth, a lizard brain is practically incapable of training- instinct and innate behaviours are at the forefront of outward behaviours and learned behaviours are second place. In a dog, they are capable, to some extent, of differentiating between right and wrong, much like a human child. This allows them to make choices that rise above instinct and innate behaviours- they can understand their environment and those in it, far beyond the level of just knowing what is safe or unsafe. A reptile interprets their environment not by reward or chastisement, but by deeming it safe or unsafe. Compared to the mammal's brain, the reptile brain has a huge brain stem- which is very much in control of instinct and survival action/reaction and a smaller area for higher thinking, emotions and the ability to choose between right and wrong.

I personally believe lizards to be highly intelligent and capable of extended thoughts beyond that instinctual side, but I also think instinct is far stronger than the emotional side of distinguishing right and wrong and recognising a reward or punishment and therefore, these innate behaviours will always prevail, no matter what we try and "teach" them.

[bluewho]

*Sigh* Vote to lock.

An intire community of people pracicing the same husbandry, experiencing the same results, and seeing there animals thrive just isn't enough for this forum.(in regards to the BD) I could spend all day typing rebuttals, and providing non-bias information and resources to support every claim I've made, but it really wouldn't matter.
It is not the Skink I should have been analyzing but the nature of this forum it's self. As no one can learn anything when having to defend themselves at every turn.

I would highly suggest that if anyone would like to add a BD into the mix (as a few of us have added skinks) that you refer to bearded dragon.org Any BD raised under the advice that I've found here wouldn't stand much of a chance.

I'd like to thank all the people who gave me positive, constructive criticism, and I wish a happy holiday for everyone. Tis the season, after all.
I'll be deleting my account and will leave you to your own opinions.

[Richard.C]

The hundreds i raised did fine,i say hundreds as i bred them then stopped as 3 females made me go from 5 central beardies to over 300 in a season,every time i struggled finding a clutch new homes and bang they churned out another clutch,in the end i stopped incubating the eggs

No one is saying what you are doing wrong,but it isnt the only way to do things,they certainly dont shrivel up and die without your recommendations

Im sorry if that upsets you,but for others reading this thread,some of the info is just wrong,not sure bout your forum but if they all follow that id be concerned

Ive had hundrrds of them,all drank water from a small water bowl,never submerged up to shoulders,alot rarely even dip there front feet in let alone there toosh,i never bathed them,they thrived,but hey,what do i know,experience of raising many is far outshadowed by the owning of one,i should really join the bandwagon and start keeping them like semi aquatic lizards and laugh at folk like sandfire dragon ranch who dont have a clue on how to look after bearded dragons

[Lea]

*Sigh* Vote to lock.

An intire community of people pracicing the same husbandry, experiencing the same results, and seeing there animals thrive just isn't enough for this forum.(in regards to the BD) I could spend all day typing rebuttals, and providing non-bias information and resources to support every claim I've made, but it really wouldn't matter.
It is not the Skink I should have been analyzing but the nature of this forum it's self. As no one can learn anything when having to defend themselves at every turn.

I would highly suggest that if anyone would like to add a BD into the mix (as a few of us have added skinks) that you refer to bearded dragon.org Any BD raised under the advice that I've found here wouldn't stand much of a chance.

I'd like to thank all the people who gave me positive, constructive criticism, and I wish a happy holiday for everyone. Tis the season, after all.
I'll be deleting my account and will leave you to your own opinions.

Opinion? Pah! My knowledge has been based on proof from scientific research and years of experience. It might broaden your mind to know that skink owners can also have a wealth of experience and knowledge about dragons, also, but actually, it's a widely accepted fact here.

But you are right. Perhaps we should lock this thread, since answers and knowledge about the original questions, aren't being listened to anyway ...

Topped with the fact that I am pretty certain you have not studied these animals In the wild, where you are, should make you give at least a little, to the experience and expertise of those who have. Your ideas on drinking are all but based on myth- maybe you should take a breath and see that before you pass judgement.

[Vegasarah]

This thread wasn't a total waste of time, I enjoyed reading both sides about both species. I keep both, and it was very interesting to see the examples give of different care methods.

I 'soak' a lot of my reptiles once a week. I know this sounds a bit odd to some, but I think that it benefits them both mentally and physically. I soak my tortoise once a day in warm water, my Bearded Dragons go for a soak twice a week, and my Blueys (when not in brumation) once a week. They are used to it and have a grand old time cruising around the tub, bumping their body temps, and hydrating themselves. I live in an area where humidity is in the single digits. I find that these soakings keep my Beardies more active and hydrated, and keeps my bluey's scales from getting too rough or dry.

I provide both my dragons with water dishes that hold about a cup or two of water, though I have never seen them drink out of them. I know that they can absorb moisture from both their mouths, vents, and even their skin. In the wild, a lot of their water needs come through their food and from dew that collects on their skin and their surroundings in the early mornings. I don't think my bi-weekly soaking hurt them in any way, and they seem to enjoy it. It works up their appetite, and often does stimulate their bowels so less tank clean up for me lol. After the water cools, I pull the plug to drain, put the stopper back in after its dry, and then throw the dubia roaches in for them to chase down.

I provide my blueys with a dish large enough to soak in, though I do not ever see them 'soak' in it. They will sometimes walk through it, or walk in half-way to drink and then walk out. Their dishes are both in the middle of the tanks between the cool and hot end. When I take them out on Sunday to soak in the bathtub, they also seem not to mind the nice warm water and often walk around. The big male Meruke I rescued recently would even sit in tub and take a little nap in the warm water. I do the same thing I do for the dragons then, drain the tub and let them chase down their dubia roaches. Their scales are then not as scratchy and rough!

It's just a little thing I do that is part of my routine, does anyone think that it could actually HARM my BTS (or BD for that matter)? If so, I trust you guys and all your years of experience.

[Fatal_S]

I just got a new Merauke. His scales are rough and pokey - like a BD. Not sure if it's just normal for him, or if the husbandry was otherwise strange, but I do know he got daily soaks in the bathtub. I know that too high humidity can also cause shedding problems, same with very low humidity.

My skinks have soaking-dishes, and they do use them. For a while during my room reno they didn't have water in the tanks all the time. It's also very dry in my house. So now that they have the water dishes back they've been lying in them a lot. My next update will have them with 3 water-sources: a soaking-dish, a small drinking dish, and a humid hide.

I give my babies baths regularly, since they make a mess of any water dishes in the bins very quickly.

[Vegasarah]

Yeah I try to mist my tanks daily and the enclosed space plus the large water dish keeps them around 30% humidity. The soaks are only weekly, I would think that maybe daily would be too much? Maybe that's what you are seeing in your Meruke. They could have special oils on their skin/ scales that were getting washed off by too much soaking?

[Richard.C]

Didnt mean to sound negative bout soaking,nothing wrong with it,my point was it isnt a nessesity,as op made it out to be,re they need to be up to there shoulders in water to be able to drink and they wont drink from normal water bowls

Reptiles,even desert types often seek out humid hides in nature,eg dig deep,under rocks ect where moisture holds,the cages we keep them in can be like beef jerky makers,very dry,hot,no areas to seek out cooler moist areas,its part of the reason i like big long cages with a huge temp gradient,offers more choices,adding humid hides ect helps to,big water bowls ect ect

I think the more choices you can offer them the better,u can always adjust things to depending how they react to what you supply them