Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a water dragon. I'm not sure on the sex or age, but it's about 5" from nose to the base of it's tail. It's getting really skinny and won't eat much. I've been offering super worms, meal worms, crickets dusted with calcium, and apple. It's currenty in a 33 gallon aquarium furnished with wood chippings (designed for lizards), a large water dish which it uses regularly, a plastic plant, a lizard hammock, heat rock and has a UV light on the top. I don't know what to do with it. I'm really worried. I've been trying to open it's mouth and feed it but it just swallows them whole and then spits them back up later. Any ideas what I should do? I want to try some more things before I take it to the vet because I can't really afford it. Thanks.

How long have you had him? He could be afraid and need time to adjust. When I first got my one girl she would barely eat anything for quite a while and got extremely thin. After she really got used to me she started to eat more and she put on a lot of weight. What you could try is to put some superworms in a bowl and hide the bowl under a plant. That way he can feel safe when he eats. It has worked for me. Also what I have noticed is that sometimes if they get upset they will spit out their food.Hope this could help.

Get rid of the heat rock, they are very dangerous and can burn your dragon. Also, dragons like to get their heat from above.
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get it in a bigger cage id recommend at least a 75 gallon for it temporarily. i say temporarily because while it lives in there you need to build it a larger cage and get the wd in it soon. And id also suggest getting rid of the hot rock even though the company claims its rocks dont develope 'hot spots' (they do). also if its skinny try and get some fat on it. try waxworms but dont use them exclusivly theyre not very nutriotious theyre kinda like a treat. also try giving it a baby mouse every 3rd feeing or so. other than that i dont know what to tell you. best of luck.
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CHONG188