Post by elizabeth on Nov 4, 2004 21:48:24 GMT -5
Water Dragons
Being no expert in water dragon care this is a basic care sheet from research… With all herp care please find an experienced herp vet in you area to visit. If you feel you have a problem with your water dragon or any other herp please make your first action a phone call to your vet… With that being said here are some basics…
Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)
Australian water dragon (Physignathus lesueurii)
Now in reading it is my understanding that the care of the two different species is similar. I just used the CWD or water dragon as my basis for searching and reading. The males can reach up to 3 feet long and the females tend to be just a little smaller.
Water dragons are climbers and need not only width but also height. It is recommended that the enclosure be 2 times the size of the total length. Leading you to an ideal enclosure being 4 to 6 feet tall and 6 feet across with a depth of about 3 feet. They should have branches for climbing. They like to have a swimming area that is deep enough to swim in and be able to submerge themselves in.
WD needs UVB either provided by natural sunlight or tube lighting. They need an ambient temperature in their enclosure. A basking area of 90 degrees F their daytime temp range should be 84-88 degrees F, at night this temp can drop to 75-80 degrees F.
Some suggested substrates:
Peat moss
Sand
Bark
Astroturf
Sterile Soil and with no additives
From what I read you have to watch out feeding them on many of these for fear of ingestion causing impaction may want an area covered in the Astroturf that has no loose edges or anything to feed them on.
Their diet consists of
They feed differently at different ages. A hatchling or juvenile needs to be fed daily; an adult- gets fed about every 2 to 3 days, if you prefer feeding on a daily basis feed smaller portions. Their diet consist of insects such as crickets, mealworms, wax worms, and earthworms, grasshoppers, butter worms, locusts. You may want to offer some finely shredded vegetables, select fruit and veggies with good calcium to phosphorous ratio. A good list can be found on www.anapsid.org
As with any herp there are a variety of places to find care info. Please read and research prior to getting any herp. Find a good local vet to go to. This care sheet covers a few of the basics there is more to know I am sure, this is just a starting point.
Good sites to visit:
www.icomm.ca/dragon/
www.anapsid.org/waterdragons.html
Being no expert in water dragon care this is a basic care sheet from research… With all herp care please find an experienced herp vet in you area to visit. If you feel you have a problem with your water dragon or any other herp please make your first action a phone call to your vet… With that being said here are some basics…
Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)
Australian water dragon (Physignathus lesueurii)
Now in reading it is my understanding that the care of the two different species is similar. I just used the CWD or water dragon as my basis for searching and reading. The males can reach up to 3 feet long and the females tend to be just a little smaller.
Water dragons are climbers and need not only width but also height. It is recommended that the enclosure be 2 times the size of the total length. Leading you to an ideal enclosure being 4 to 6 feet tall and 6 feet across with a depth of about 3 feet. They should have branches for climbing. They like to have a swimming area that is deep enough to swim in and be able to submerge themselves in.
WD needs UVB either provided by natural sunlight or tube lighting. They need an ambient temperature in their enclosure. A basking area of 90 degrees F their daytime temp range should be 84-88 degrees F, at night this temp can drop to 75-80 degrees F.
Some suggested substrates:
Peat moss
Sand
Bark
Astroturf
Sterile Soil and with no additives
From what I read you have to watch out feeding them on many of these for fear of ingestion causing impaction may want an area covered in the Astroturf that has no loose edges or anything to feed them on.
Their diet consists of
They feed differently at different ages. A hatchling or juvenile needs to be fed daily; an adult- gets fed about every 2 to 3 days, if you prefer feeding on a daily basis feed smaller portions. Their diet consist of insects such as crickets, mealworms, wax worms, and earthworms, grasshoppers, butter worms, locusts. You may want to offer some finely shredded vegetables, select fruit and veggies with good calcium to phosphorous ratio. A good list can be found on www.anapsid.org
As with any herp there are a variety of places to find care info. Please read and research prior to getting any herp. Find a good local vet to go to. This care sheet covers a few of the basics there is more to know I am sure, this is just a starting point.
Good sites to visit:
www.icomm.ca/dragon/
www.anapsid.org/waterdragons.html