Chinese Water Dragon Care

Many people make the mistake of buying a Chinese water dragon as a baby for a very cheap price but don't realize that they can reach lengths of up to 3 ft. Going in a pet store without doing any research and buying any kind of lizard is a bad idea. That is what happened to me. My Chinese water dragon was my first lizard and I had no idea What to do. I ended up putting a lot of money into it when I didn't need too. So do it the right way first.

Housing

as a baby you can keep your dragon in a 20 gallon long or tall aquarium. An adult Chinese Water Dragon male needs at least a 75 gallon Aquarium and a female a 55 gallon. But a custom built vivarium is a good idea and the Chinese water dragon will enjoy it. Plus it will save you some money. I suggest buying the 55 gallon cage first to save money in the long term. instead of upgrading it as it grows. Wood chips or eco earth should be put at the bottom of the cage. branches,vines, foliage and sticks should be placed in the cage for them to climb on. They also like to swim, a large water bowl should be provided were they can completely soak themselves in cat litter boxes work great for adult dragons. Fake or real plants can be used to provide a more natural environment. The cage should also be misted daily to provide a high humidity for your dragon. Every 2-3 months the cage should be cleaned by it can be very harmful to your dragon

Lighting 

Lighting for a Chinese water dragon is expensive and there is no way around it. There is two different lights that they need heat (uva) and uvb. For heat you will need a dome lamp with a ceramic top to it. A 100 watt sun glo bulb will work great. It should keep the cage at around 90-100 degrees.The heat lamp should be over a branch were they can bask and away from the water. For uvb lighting you can use either a compact florescent uvb or a normal florescent tub fixture both cost about the same you just have to decide. this provides the natural rays that the sun would, if you have an outdoor enclosure this is not needed. At night your uvb light should be turned off and your heat and should be replaced with a ceramic heat lamp this lamp doesn't emit any light but still heats your dragons enclosure, automatic timers work great for turning off and on the lights and can be bought at your local hardware store. Correct lighting is very important for a healthy Dragon so if one of the bulbs break it is not a bad idea to have an extra bulb laying around because even a few hours without uva lighting can be fatal to you dragon.

Diet

Your Chinese water dragon's primary food source should be crickets, super worms or meal worms. They should be coated in a calcium powder with vitamin D3 about once a week. This will help the develpment of their bones and makes for a healthier dragon. As an adult you can feed your Chinese water dragon pinkie and fuzzie mice. 15% of their diet should also be fruits and vegetables and given to them in a bowl once a week. Don't worry if your dragon doesn't eat the veggies some dragons wont but offer it to them every couple months. They like grapes, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and Romain lettuce. You should feed you Chinese water dragon every 1-2 days for a baby and as an adult every 2-3 days. Don't over feed your dragon or it will get fat and lazy

Handling

Chinese water dragons are almost as friendly as bearded dragons. They take a little longer to tame and as babies really love to run. but as an adult you can have them out of the cage for up to an hour. Some people even let their dragon have free roam of the house all day and pt them in their cage at night (which i do not suggest unless you are experienced). Like any reptile make sure to wash you hands before and after touching your dragon.