Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I acquired a water dragon yesterday through a man who could no longer care for the lizard...(i.e. rescue)

From what the man told me about the WD, it is an adult male, appx. 10 years old.

i have NO idea what locality he is...i will post pictures later today or tomorrow...

he is about 4ft...HUGE. green with black banding on the tail and a bright pink throat...

he is a little wiggly, but not as much as i had thought...

i have never owned a water dragon before, so is there anything i should know right off the bat?

i have done some reading...as well as asking the man who owned him everything he knew...

he is in a 5ft tall x 3ft x 3ft custom cage...and i will be building him a new one in the near future...(any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!)

is there any food he should NOT get...i know they are omnivores, so i am more concerned about plant matter (fruits & veggies)...i know he should get mealworms, crix, mice, etc....

is there anything i should look out for?

i am primarily a snake keeper...so lizards are not exactly my strong point...

however, this guy is extremely cool and very interesting...

i want him to have the best i can provide for him!

thanks so much!
jessica
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1.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
1.0.0 Pastel Ball Python
0.1.0 Cinnamon Ball Python
1.0.0 Normal Ball Python
1.0.0 Greek Tortoise
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Hypo Leopard Gecko
2.2.0 Dogs
1.2.0 Cats
1.0.0 Rabbit
0.0.1 Pink Toe Tarantula
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears

I have been keeping/breeding/hatching/raising water dragons for over 15 years

Exposure to UVB allows the dragon to produce D3 which allows the dragon to use the calcium in its diet.

Most feeder insects have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous so I dust at almost every feeding with a phos.-free calcium powder.

I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A. Beta carotene won't build up in the system like preformed vitamin A. Excess preformed vit. A can prevent the D3 from doing its job and lead to MBD.

I also dust with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder twice a month lightly.

I gutload and feed the insects a nutritious diet. The crickets get fed an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, etc.)

I feed the dragon the same greens and veggies and a little bit of fruit (apple, pear, berries, melon, etc.)

Appropriate temps. allow for proper digestion and thus play a part in nutrient absorption.

Its important to provide a water area that is big enough for the dragon to bathe in but not so deep that it might drown.

Nose/snout rubs, gout, MBD are some of the things that dragons are prone to. Aside from the nose rubs, proper husbandry will help to prevent the others.

Hope this helps!

that does help

his color is a little brownish...so i'm thinking that his lighting wasn't as good as it should have been...

but then again, i could be wrong about that ?

here are some pics of him...any ideas on locality?

i'm guessing he's probably a green water dragon...but then again, i have no idea.

is it unusual for them to not be whippy? i mean, i am aware that iguanas tend to be pretty aggressive/defensive...and water dragons appear similar...

thanks!
jessica

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1.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
0.1.0 Unknown Locality Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
1.0.0 Normal Ball Python
1.0.0 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.1.0 Leucistic Rat Snake
1.0.0 Water Dragon
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Pink Toe Tarantula
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears

You said..."his color is a little brownish...so i'm thinking that his lighting wasn't as good as it should have been"...sometimes the color can be a little brownish if the dragon is going through some stress or distuption to its normal schedule. He looks quite good!

You said..."i'm guessing he's probably a green water dragon...but then again, i have no idea"...he is a green waterdragon...physignathus cocincinus, in case you want to look it up!

You said..."is it unusual for them to not be whippy? i mean, i am aware that iguanas tend to be pretty aggressive/defensive...and water dragons appear similar"...they aren't really all that similar IMHO. The males are usually not whippy once they are used to you....at least in my experience. Even the WC ones usually end up fairly calm. There are likely exceptions.

thanks for the info

he seems like he has a fairly decent temperment...

although i think once he settles into his environment, his personality may change...

i think all the moving around may have stressed him quite a bit...

what should i expect as far as shedding is concerned? are there any tricks to make their shedding easier?

does anyone have pics of their set ups for large water dragons?

i am planning on building him a new set up...and i am in desperate need of some ideas pictures would be a great help!

thanks so much!
jessica
-----
1.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
0.1.0 Unknown Locality Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
1.0.0 Normal Ball Python
1.0.0 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.1.0 Leucistic Rat Snake
1.0.0 Water Dragon
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Pink Toe Tarantula
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears

They ususally sit in the water and scratch at the shed with their back feet to help get rid of it. Could shed twice a year at that age.

I have no pictures on the computer of my cages...sorry.