Reptile & Amphibian Forums

which would you suggest for overall best personalities and quirks(i know their individuals but basically!) a green wter dragon or an eastern water dragon? and if you suggest awd know where i can get some?
p.s. how many eggs in a clutch and how many clutches do they lay in a year?

thanx,
mike

another quick question
i plan on builing a 6'L x2.5'd x5.5't
is this big enough for two adults?
even if i have to split it in half because they dont get along?
thanx,
mike

Umm, it depends. I dont know much about the aussie WD's but I heard they can be more tempermental and aggressive. Not a sure thing though. I would have a seperate enclosure if fighting starts, and im not really sure at a full grown state if it would be a suitable size to use half and half of the enclosure.

thanx,
another quick ?
do you use uvb?

thanx,
mike

Yes, thats an absolute must, unless your letting him outside for a considerable amount of time everyday and supplementing D3 in his diet. I prefer the tube UVB, like reptisun 8.0 and 10.0 and not the screw in bulbs.

Aussies are a lot of maintence... they can be temperemental... and are known to bite... and bite hard. Not all of them do it, but a full grown male can deliver a nice bite to your hand. They also have to be wintered, they hibernate, and in order to keep them healthy they must be cycled.

Honestly of the two i would suggest the CWD, chinese(green) water dragon. They can be VERY shy, and skittish, but rarly ever bite, they are very tolerant of people, but when they do bite, its more a warning then it is to actually cause harm. I've only been bitten once, and thats because i had my fingers near her mouth trying to dislodge some junk off her face.

Yes they need UVA and UVB.
http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com
This website is the most complete care guide you'll find on the internet, i suggest reading the entire thing before purchasing your CWD.

It is better to get one dragon first... wait till its full grown, then get the second.

Just remember if your going to get them, be absolutly sure you are willing to take them to the vet. It'll cost you anywhere between 50 - 120 dollars... (usually its 50 to walk in, 30 for a fecal (poop) check, and the rest could be medications or such. If you aren't willing to take them to the vet, you really have no buisness getting any pet.

dehydratoin, and parasites are the two most common ailments in water dragons. If the skin is wrinkled, they are dehydrated. Parasites usually cause loose stools.

If you get them, try and get them at atleast 12" total body length. Yea, you might want to watch them grow up.. and all. But the bigger they are, generally the better they do. And at 12" it is sometimes possible to identify males. Its not a sure thing, but if you know what your looking for it can be possible. (the femoral pores on males at that size will be much larger, seam more like bumps, and have dark pores in the center of the scales)

Water dragons typically lay about 8 eggs, 1-3 a year.

is that 8 egg a life time or did you mean 1-3 per clutch?
i have kept many agamids and snakes and a handful of monitors and am willing to pay vet bills
do you know the current market valus for cb cwds?
chances for successful breeding?
i saw some supposed morph ones by sapphire ranch by spears, are these real morphs or just pretty?

thanx,
mike

Here's another opinion...

I keep both Aussies and Chinese and I'll tell you right now a nice, captive bred baby Aussie puts most Chinese dragons to shame. My young aussies are extremely hardy and fiesty. As far as aggressiveness, that's not a big deal to me compared to whether or not an animal will thrive in captivity or not. Cycling Aussies would only be necessary for breeding purposes.

That's not to say that a good quality CWD will not be a hardy keeper, however an aussie will be able to sustain a bit more mistreatment as far as environment & maintenance.

thanx but i never said much about agressivness, i have had some bad animal bites before deep lacerations, split finger nails,etc........ i just want something fun to watch, my blackthroat monitor can be a real pain but is a joy to watch and keep,
still nothing very deffinite on eggs and cutches per year or much on breeding at all that is what i want, im going to get a cwd so lets get over that shall we
thanx,
mike