Water Dragon Care Sheet

Care sheet for Water Dragons


The Care of Asian Water Dragons (Phvsignathus cocincinus)
Other species which require similar care; Basilisks, Frilled Dragons, Helmetted Iguanas, Cuban Knight Anoles.

By Kevin Stevens ¡V Herpetologist. Former President and Journal Editor of the International Herpetological Society
Water Dragons are arboreal, this means they like to climb. With this in mind provide them with a tall vivarium. We
Suggest a 36" wide and 24" tall vivarium (minimum) for hatchling and juveniles and a minimum of 36¡¨ wide and 48" tall vivarium for adults. It is of course possible to get the larger vivarium to begin with and partition it down the smaller size. Do not be tempted to use the larger size for juveniles without the partition, this will certainly lead to high stress levels and lack of eating.

Use a ceramic heater fastened to the roof of the vivarium. Remember to mount it at one end to create a hot end and a cooler end. Ceramic heaters must be wired with heat resistant cable, fitted with all the correct reflectors and holders and the output controlled by a thermostat. The choice of thermostat is down to the customer, but we at least recommend a Habistat Pulse Proportional stat. As this species needs a drop at night a Pulse Proportional with a night time drop is a good idea. Daytime basking temperatures should be 32¢XC under the ceramic dropping to around 22¢XC at night. In the larger sized vivaria the use of an additional tubular heater is recommended. Fit this at the bottom of the cage and have it controlled by at least a Habistat Temperature stat. Set this to run 24 hours a day at 22¢XC, and only switch the main ceramic heater off at night.

Lighting is vitally important. The most important aspect is to provide 5% UVB. Not all reptile tubes are designed to give off this amount of UVB. We recommend Hagen¡¦s Reptiglo 5.0. This tube should be fastened to the vivarium so the dragons are no further than six inches away from it for the majority of the day. Do not mount it in the roof of the vivarium this is too far away! New research suggests that the higher output tubes (8.0 or 10%) can be used further away. This tube must be replaced every six to nine months, even if still-glowing - after this time it stops giving off the correct levels of UVB. Without UVB a disease known as Metabolic Bone Disease (lack of calcium) is common. A full spectrum lighting tube can also be provided, we recommend Reptiglo 2.0. This can be mounted to the roof and is designed to give off similar colours to the sun. Although not as important as UVB it can help the dragons feel happier and they usually feed better and behave more naturally. Plus the light given off by the UVB may be to dull for your own taste.



Use orchid bark as floor covering, and keep this damp. Provide lots of climbing branches, hides and a large, not too deep a water area to allow for bathing. Spray them with tepid water at least twice a day. High levels of humidity are important. Aim to maintain around 90% humidity for the bulk of the day.

As babies feed twice daily, adults are fine just once a day. A varied mixture of Quiet crickets, Black crickets, waxworms, locust hoppers and the occasional mealworm are ideal. Aim to use crickets for the bulk of the diet, with mealworms, waxworms and locust hoppers as treat foods-maybe three times a week. We do not encourage the use of mealworms though - once they are large enough to eat Giant mealworms these are a much better source of food; Some will take a mixture of salads, vegetables and fruits. Foodstuffs should be dusted with a 5O/5O mixture of Calypso Cricket dust and Nutrobal Multivitamin powders. We recommend dusting every meal for youngsters, except for when feeding at weekends, feed but - do not powder for these two-days. As adults use these powders around three or four times a week. Do not forget to gut load your live food also. A special food called bug grub and a special water substitute (called water bites) should be fed to the insects. Once inside the insect and this is eaten the goodness is passed to the dragon. Also looking after and feeding the insects means less insect mortality and thus you save money! A Kricket Keeper for housing the crickets is a good idea.

Daily spot clean the vivarium removing all faecal matter and any shed skin. Change water daily. Complete a full strip down every four weeks replacing all substrates and thoroughly cleaning all the vivarium and bowls etc. Use a reptile disinfectant. There is a small risk of catching salmonella from lizards (as with all animals), so ensure vivarium and your own personal hygiene is good. Always wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap after handling.

Finally and very importantly is a mention about over handling. If you do this, especially to a baby it may cause him to become so stressed out that he may refuse to eat. Give him time to settle in and estabtishhimse1f and then slowly introduce yourself to him. This may be as long as three months after your purchase. Remember dragons are long lived, so do not rush into it and you will enjoy him longer!

This care sheet is designed to help you with the future care of your new reptilian purchase. Reptiles can be very difficult to maintain if not provided for correctly. If you follow the advice given you and your dragon should have plenty of happy years together.


It is vitally important that you have considered the following points;
1. Some species can be long lived, around 20 years ¡V please ask for further details should this worry you.
2. You will need to keep crickets, and they often escape and end up roaming the house!
3. It is unfair not to appreciate other family members fears of reptiles ¡V do not purchase if there is a risk of having to return it to us due to someone¡¦s phobia.
4. They are escape artists - there are no easy solutions to finding an escaped lizard - don't lose them in the first place!
5. All animals can bite. Although they can bite hard, it should be no more severe then a hamster.
6. Water Dragons can grow to around 24 inches long, Frillies even longer ¡V ask for further details on ultimate size should this concern you.



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