PLease Help Me (chinese water dragon!)?

Question

HI i bought a chinese water dragon form my local petsmart about 1 week ago and when i bought her she was green on her belly but brown on her back.........she was and still is that same color but is still a baby (only 8-9 inches long) is she this color because she is a baby and hasnt "formed" her solid green color yet??? please help!
And also i was wondering if something is wrong with one of her eyes because she has it closed most of the time (with the other one open) and she will scratch it with her back leg like a dog would scratch his face with its hind legs! lol and also i want to know if that is a problem....and thankyou very much and i would apreciate it if someone that owned a chinese water dragon could help me out!!! thanx!

Answer 1

First the eye problem- there is probably something in it's eye, get an eye rinse from your pet store immediately, my guess is the bedding in his cage (i use wood chips for reptiles)... secondly the brown is his being uncomfortable in his new enviornment. There are many reasons for this... is his cage kept at the right temp? do you have branches in his cage diagonally placed? (they like height ) and do you have a large water source to soak his whole body? do you have adequate lighting? they need 12 hours on and 12 hours off. They also turn a brownish color when they are getting ready to shed. the process is a couple of weeks long. There are alot of good websites out there to get info on proper care for water dragons. I have one and really read up on how to care for him. They usually adjust within a couple of weeks, also, they recommend that they be placed at first in a low traffic area where they can't be stressed by other pets or children until they are comfortable...

Answer 2

I own water dragons and they often do keep one eye closed but not all the time. the leg scratching is not something my dragons did. mine will wave their hands and bob their heads though and that is a normal behavior. It may just be nervous and getting used to its new home. try not to handle it for about another week it is under enough stress already when you give it a new home. the coloring is normal and completely fine but I would keep an eye on him scratching. Good Luck! oh by the way the coloring may be because thedragon is cold but when they are young the color isn't fully developed yet.