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Post by dragoneye on Mar 28, 2006 22:29:52 GMT -5
The g/f and I picked up a new pal today when I got the new cage I ordered from Patrick's site (great experience and great purchace by the way) and well we picked up a Water Dragon. It's name is Brenard, and so far he is a bright green and chompin down the crickets like crazy. I need to pick up some more stuff for him to climb arround on in his enclosure, but otherwise he seems to be happy with it all. Lots of room, food, to climb, and water. I'll post picture's as soon as i get my camera back from my little brother.
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Post by Patrick Kubeja on Mar 29, 2006 13:57:44 GMT -5
Hey they’re Steve
Glad everything got there ok and in one piece was beginning to wonder about that Glass enclosure with UPS. Everyone knows how UPS can be. Plus it only took 2 businesses day to get to you that is another good thing.
Well I thought you were getting a gecko not a water dragon? but as long as the enclosure will work for you that all at counts.
Thank You for the purchase from the store and I hope other people purchase some stuff as well, here and else were that I have the link posted.
Cannot wait to see the pictures !!!!!!!!
PS. A satisfied customer is a great feeling!!!
Patrick
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Post by dragoneye on Mar 29, 2006 14:27:53 GMT -5
yea, I had a great experience going through you, thanks.
Yea we were going to get a Crested Gecko, but the g/f asked if we could get a water dragon instead. They seem to be a bit more personable (i like that) so we got that. Only thing is though is that i dont know how to keep the humidity up... i have to spray the tank like 4 times a day and thats even with a big water bowl, lots of moss, and lots of spraying... I want to try live plants, but im not sure how i can keep them in there with out the crickets planting eggs.
I might get him a water fall as well..
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Post by Marie on Mar 30, 2006 11:24:47 GMT -5
I was told you could use a peat moss/sand/potting soil with wood chip mix (crunched upfairly small). Sort through it and clean it once a week then bake it. Always have 2 changes so when you take out the old you have new so cricket eggs aren't a problem.
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Post by dragoneye on Mar 30, 2006 12:35:43 GMT -5
thats a good idea. i'll have to see about getting that to work.
and for feeding him, would i be better off letting him have a few spare crickets running arround in his tank? or have a designated spot for him to eat his crickets like another cage or something thats more open with out stuff for the crickets to hide and all?
I found a good way to get the lizards to find and eat the crickets is to put a small pile of gut load in a spot in the tank so that the crickets dont want to bite the lizard (for food) and so that the lizard knows where to go to get the crickets when he is hungry since they go there to eat if he cant find any.
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Post by ChamZilla on Mar 31, 2006 0:23:20 GMT -5
Hey there, I have chameleon's and to keep the humidity up a humidifier in the room is great. I have a large screened enclosure. Also if you want to use live plants and don't want the crickets eating, laying eggs in the plants, its good to get a plastic container and pull the crickets one back leg off. This way they can still run around but can't jump out of the container and wreek havoc on your enclosure. I have the problem of escape's through the screen, I started doing this and I only get the odd one, that I happen to drop on the floor. It will be great to see pictures of your new friend and your enclosure. Patrick does build some nice things  |
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Post by Marie on Mar 31, 2006 2:11:46 GMT -5
Steve,
This is what I have been told:
Feed 2x daily. What the lizard will not eat removel. Water dragons are easily bothered by crickets and crickets are known to damage their eyes. Also at nightl water dragons are tormented by cricSkets around them when they are sleeping.
Hope that helps.
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Post by dragoneye on Mar 31, 2006 10:39:49 GMT -5
Hey there, I have chameleon's and to keep the humidity up a humidifier in the room is great. I have a large screened enclosure. Also if you want to use live plants and don't want the crickets eating, laying eggs in the plants, its good to get a plastic container and pull the crickets one back leg off. This way they can still run around but can't jump out of the container and wreek havoc on your enclosure. I have the problem of escape's through the screen, I started doing this and I only get the odd one, that I happen to drop on the floor. It will be great to see pictures of your new friend and your enclosure. Patrick does build some nice things thats a great idea. i'll try that so that they cant climb all over the enclosure. I'm starting to design the next cage already for the water dragon so that its ready when he starts to really grow. Marie, thanks for the info, even in care sheets they dont tell everything you need to know about them and all. |
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Post by Pooka on Apr 3, 2006 12:38:12 GMT -5
HI Dragoneye,
apologies for the late reply to this post. For humidity there are several things you can try, I'll tell you what has worked for me. I use outdoor carpet cut to size for my substrate, all in all its the safest, easiest to clean substrate you can put water dragons on, the down side is humidity is harder to keep up on it. To keep humidity in acceptable levels (I shoot for 40-60% round the clock) I had to cover 1/2 my cage with a wet towel (tin foil also works and is safer with heat lamps). After restricting air flow a bit like that I use a garden mister (the hand pump kind, much easier then a squirt bottle) to mist the whole cage with a fine mist 2 times per day. This should keep you in the 50's or so for humidity. I also keep my lizard room (its my office) at 30% or so humidity with a human humidifier, you can really increase in cage humidity by piping such a humidifier into the cage itself.
As far as feeding, please be wary of throwing crickets into the enclosure. As has been touched on crickets can damage the water dragon in there sleep. If you do this make sure to leave a slice of carrot or other produce in there for the crickets (changed daily of course). Personally when I feed crickets I pluck off the hind legs and all but 2 legs with tweezers then dump them in a shallow container. Its labor intensive but I always know how much is eaten or not eaten and I don't have escapees (and if I do they don't get far on 2 legs). Hope some of this helps.
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Post by dragoneye on Apr 3, 2006 13:34:09 GMT -5
wow, good ideas pooka, I was messing arround with what the water dragon would like and wouldn't like this weekend, i found out the best way to feed him was when he was basking on his vine and hold the cricket by one leg, he would eat about 5-6 of them and as soon as he didn't want any more then i wouldn't bother with it any more till the second part of the day.
as far as the substrate, i switched to a reptile carpet (like outside carpet but more of a clingless surface to it so its claws wont stick to it) and i have that across the bottom, and then i have some smaller sections of that cut and i soak them with a spray bottle and cover up 1/2 the top of the cage and it holds the humidity in really well. I try to keep the humidity at about 70% it ranges from 80-60, and i have the temperature held at about 78-82.
This weekend i experimented with some guppy's, and put 3 in his large water dish. as soon as i put them in there he jumped in the water and started to try to catch them, he seemed to really enjoy his self playing with them. When I woke up in the morning, he ate one (very small guppy's)
I mist his enclosure 3 times a day roughly.
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