Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Seems this is the best forum about 'lizards' I've found. Props for that!

Anyways, I've been 'studying' lizards for about 6 months now. I only own 2 brown anoles (one I caught in florida over spring break and the other I bought to accompany it). Anyways I'm looking at lizards that I can handle. Yes, I know bearded dragons are probably the best for handling (according to my readings online). But, I think I want to get a chinese water dragon.

I want a chinese water dragon, because I like the way they look. I originally wanted to get an iguana, but 6ft is a bit to big for me in the near future. I can tolerate a 3 foot creature with it mostly being tail.

Anyways I am asking you guys about the poop. How messy are they? Refreshing the water daily is fine. How often do you have to clean the whole enclosure?

I'd start out with like a 50 gal tank with a baby one.

Also I plan to give it lots of attention. Can they be as tame as bearded dragons?

I'm 20 years old and graduating college next spring so I could build him a larger (more vertical) enclosure by then. I don't plan on getting one till the end of summer anyways since I don't want to hassle with moving more stuff into my new apartment.

also does their poop smell bad

someone told me iguanas really stink lol

but i have no clue how often they cleaned

Hi, I really enjoy my cwds! I bought one for my son, who promptly lost interest. I have had Charlize for three and a half years now, since she was a hatchling. I also have had my two big beautiful boyz for over a year now; they will be turning three on Mothers Day. Lastly, I have 3 hatchlings, and two eggs scheduled to hatch next week. Guess I got hooked, lol!

You have the right idea about the enclosure. A 50 gal tank for starters will last about a year I guess. Gives you time to start something more vertical. You can even convert furniture, like dressers and cabinets, into beautiful vivs.

I change the water daily - you will probably end up with a pond in the larger viv, with a filter. That may end up being changed weekly, if you scoop the big stuff daily. I suppose it does smell a bit when I clean out the water, but not so much.

My viv, I clean up fairly regularly, but I only deep clean it every month or so. WDs are pretty clean. They poop in the water, so if you keep the water clean and keep the food items cleaned up, there is not so much to clean.

Your biggest concern with a cwd would be providing consistent temps, lighting and humidity as well as a good diet with supplements. Also, plan on having some cash put away for any necessary vet visits.

Hope this helps.

yea that is about what i was wanting to know lol

yea building a cage will be fun for sure, building anything is fun ; )

seen a few cages on here that are nice definitly sparks some ideas

i liked the idea of having a drain for the water like a sink would have

also you said something about filters for the water

are the filters disposable? that might be a costly expense to throw away weekly but perhaps they are washable only filter ive messed with with water is one for a fishtank and that needed to be changed once a month so it didnt cost to much

when they get older do they become 'less active' like iguanas do? id like something that wouldnt be so skittish when older

of course they would be jump happy when young since they are small and not used to life

>>also you said something about filters for the water
>>
>>are the filters disposable? that might be a costly expense to throw away weekly but perhaps they are washable only filter ive messed with with water is one for a fishtank and that needed to be changed once a month so it didnt cost to much

You've got the right idea with the fishtank filter. However, fishtanks don't usually have the waste load that a water dragon's water dish would have. I doubt you'd have a pond in there over 10-15 gallons for your water dragon to swim in, though, and those kinds of filters (fishtank filters) at Petco are only 16 bucks, with the replacement pads being about 3 dollars. That's not so bad, considering you'll be spending more than that on food each week.

>>when they get older do they become 'less active' like iguanas do? id like something that wouldnt be so skittish when older

They do calm down when they get older, and IMHO I think they're more enjoyable than most iguanas. They're not going to be quite as almost-affectionate as bearded dragons, but they are fun to have out. I've never had a young one, just my older pair of ladies.

Also, a side note on you moving to an apartment in a year or so - I'd wait until you moved to get the animals. I know from personal experience it is extremely difficult to find an apartment where they will accept pets, much less the large scaley kind. Make sure that you can afford the costs for food and caging, plus any deposits you might have to put down for having a pet. I spend about ... 13 bucks a week, I think, on mealworms, waxworms, and pinkies for my dragons, plus the time spent keeping them clean, misting, and sometimes taking them out.
Just something to keep in mind. I looked for an apartment for 3 months before I found one that would consider allowing my critters to live there too. One! And even that didn't work out because the landlord decided he didn't like snakes after all.

Good luck!

~jenny
-----
"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

Jenny has a good point. It was surprising to me that my landlord wanted me to get rid of my dragon and my viv. I didn't, of course, just kept it out of sight. Now I have 3 vivs and 6 dragons . . . and a new landlord lol.

And the food bill is something to think about. My adult female likes 4 pinkies ($!.25 ea) a week, and the males like about 4 fuzzies ($2 ea) EACH, in addition to worms and crickets, which was closing in on $25 a week, until I discovered on-line sources. Now my food bill is more like $10 a week.

And don't forget to put aside some money for vet visits. Especially an initial check up and fecal.

Yes, they do settle down as they mature, just like anything else. One of my boyz will be three next month, and he is still quite a character. He actually gallops around the room!

I don't currently use a filter on my water. I take them out and empty them daily.

well it is a company they say that as long as it is in a tank then it is ok

far stretch not like i would keep it in the tank 24/7 especially after it gets used to the cage

as far as purchasing one, yes i only want one haha dont know if i have a brown thumb when it comes to lizards although my anoles are still alive

food isnt a problem as far as costs, but im not sure where to buy the pinkies

where should i buy one from? there are petstores around here that are family owned but they have like 6 in a 20 gallon cage and i dont want a disease infected one, petsmart has them, but carries them one at a time and currently it doesnt have one perhaps it died

You can't keep a water dragon in a tank for more than a year, maybe two at most. They get too big and they get frustrated by the glass. I tried a tank for my adults and it was a HORRIBLE idea - I think I mentioned this before, they repeatedly jumped off of branches into the side of the tank. Needless to say they did not stay in the tank.

As far as pinkies go, you can just breed your own. Get a boy mouse, a girl mouse or two, and viola - pinkies everywhere. If you get fancy mice the family owned petstore might buy the adult offspring from you to sell as pets.

Check the animals over in the tanks at the family owned petstore. Ask them where they got the animals from. I can just about guarantee you that petsmart gets theirs as wildcaught imports. Look the babies over, look for bright, clear eyes and good weight. See if the nose is rubbed at all, and how active it is - healthy babies will try to escape. You could also order one from LLL reptile, or check the kingsnake classifieds for people who'll ship baby dragons.

Please make sure you consider the eventual cost and things that'll come up in the future. Where are you going to be 10 years from now? Will you still be able to have the dragon in 10 years?

Don't mean to lecture, or nag... I just worked for a shelter for a while and saw way too many animals come in whose owners couldn't take the animal with them when they moved. Just something to keep in mind.

~jenny
-----
"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
318 pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science
This figure is sworn to and attested,
He counted them while being digested."
~Ogden Nash

jenny.thegreenes.org

"If you're happy and you know it,
Bomb Iraq!
If you cannot find Osama,
Bomb Iraq!
If the terrorists are frisky,
Pakistan is looking shifty,
North Korea is too risky,
Bomb Iraq!

Well, I am pretty impressed that you are doing this much research. Most ppl buy on impulse, and check it out later.

Eww, I don't have the time to raise rodents, so I buy mine. I used to buy them from the mom n pop petstore locally - they kept them frozen. Usually these pet stores have to feed their own reptiles, and keep a supply on hand. Most pet stores will sell you frozen pinkies and fuzzies.

You won't be needing them for probably about the first year anyway. The beginning diet consists of crickets, butterworms, silk worms, meal worms, super worms, night crawlers. Crickets are such a pain, but a good staple. I am horrible at keeping the darn things alive, so I only buy a weeks worth at a time, if that.

You will also need to purchase a calcium dusting powder, as well as a vitamin one, And water purifier drops.

Where do you live? I currently have 3 week old babies, but don't want to ship.

I assume you are talking to me I haven't been on the board for a few nights.

I live in Muncie, IN. I buy crickets right now 12 of them every 2 days for my two anoles.

I already have alot of calcium suppliment lol a little jar goes a long way. It has vitamin D in it also which I think in humans vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium so I assume that is what it does in reptiles also.

Also one of you said something about frozen mice.

I know the petshop here has frozen ones. Do they eat the frozen ones? Do you dethaw them in the microwave? Or do they eat them cold haha.

Or do you just put them in the fridge after you buy them so they thaw some.

I keep mine frozen until I am ready to use them. Then I take what I need and put them in a baggie which I then put in warm water to thaw. Or, if I am not in a hurry, I just put them out to thaw. It doesn't take long. Careful about the microwave, I imagine that it can easily cook the mice - ewwww!