Does Anyone have A "water Dragon"???

Question

I saw one at a pet store today and i REALLY like it.He seemed friendly and didn't mind you holding him.Are they good pets to have?Do they enjoy being around people or being alone? Also do they do well with others in a cage or by themselves??

Answer 1

I think it really depends on how much time you put into them. We did not get to spend a lot of time with ours and it as not friendly at all. They are easy to take care of when you get the cage, temperature, and lights set up. We gave ours away to a different family that could spend more time with it. They are affordable and interesting. They love to swim in their water you provide for them. You need to care for them daily: change water at least daily.

Answer 2

I have had rescued Water Dragons at a previous rescue I worked at and they came in both sides. Some were very tame and sweet, others were very angry and bit hard. It depends on what you put into the reptile and how it was raised. My suggestion is to do your research and then buy one that has already been tamed and is older than a baby.
Some petstores and breeders have good specimens that are well cared for and beautiful to look at. One petstore had a Chinese water dragon that was a sweet heart!
It depends. But educated yourself and shop around.

Answer 3

one of my friends has a water dragon... he's pretty chill, put a joint up to his mouth and he smokes it... he mainly hangs out on people's shoulders... doesn't do much but skitter... I have, however, seen him bite people... and he eats A LOT, you're food bill will get very spendy as it gets older, right now my friend's water dragon eats about 15 crickets and 4 goldfish 3 times a day, and he's only about a foot. you also have to take into consideration that the "cute" little ones in the store are going to be a 6 ft once full grown, can you take care of that???

Answer 4

First let's cover the hard parts:

1. CAGE NOT 'TANK'
Water Dragons are tropical, arboreal, and as the name implies...water Lovers. With a capital L.

Their favorite place to hang out is on a branch in the sun above a pond in the tropics...with a margarita...actually, without the margarita, but the rest is true. So consider that in the cage.

They need a large shallow pool of water. I use a large plastic storage bin set up like an aquarium...only I can't see through the side, but it has the pumps, filters, gravel, rocks etc. so the dragons can submerge themselves and hang out down there. They potty in the water so you have to clean it everyday. The 'pond' with an aquarium heater keeps the humidity right around where it should be at 75-85%. Temperature 75-85 F(23.8-29.4 C). A basking area of 95 F(35 C).

The cage should be large. 6 feet wide, 4 feet tall 3 feet deep. (1.5m X 1m X 3/4m) or so. Give them enough room to do some scampering on the ground near their pool. Enough water to play in...float a log in the pool they like hanging out on logs in the water...especially in the morning. I wake up to a PLOP. And there is Mu Shu peering at me half in the pond and his front legs resting on the log waiting for me to turn on his basking light so he can hang out under his basking lamp after his morning swim. At night the temp should be around 65 F (18.3 C). And of course they need the UVB lightbulb. I built a cage like this for $150 U.S. And used drift wood for the climbing branches.

2. BUGS The other difficulty is you need to solve the problem of keeping crickets around to feed them. Mealworms are o.k. but not nutritious enough for feeding them all the time. Crickets are noisy and smell bad, but are highly nutritious and easy to powder with calcium and vitamins.

Once you get past that part: Sometimes I take a bath with my dragons and let them sit on my chest while I shampoo and condition my hair. I then put them in a potted plant or let them hang on the screen on the window in warmer weather to get some sun. They are great! Lovable and funny.

They would prefer being alone, I have two I was hoping one would turn out to be female, but they are both male. They have their own territory staked out. If one moves into the others territory, one of them circumducts. (They stick an elbow out to the side and wave their hand around twice. Put their hand and arm back down, then do it again a few times. It's an intriguing behavior.) They let me know when they are hungry by sitting by the cage door and staring at me as I walk by. or scratching at the door. I open it and they go over to their food dish...I drop the crickets there...they don't stay there of course, but I always start them off there.

Beatiful lizards and very friendly. Please buy and read the two books I list as my sources. There are more great books, but read these two. Have the cage ready before you bring them home should you choose to buy. If you have it built (you just need a drill, drill bit, screws a saw(handsaw will do) and some inexpensive 2"x2" redwood ballusters. Some plywood. Screen, hinges the lighting fixtures etc. Don't use oil or latex stain/paint/varnish. Do use acrylic and do make sure there is no more smell before putting them in it. A week or so. IF you choose to get them, I'm afraid I may have sold you on them if you weren't intimidated by the cage and bugs.

Good luck! AFTER you have read the books, there are quite a few people on here that know what they are doing regarding water dragons, and you can get tips here. Thanks for asking beforehand, I am sure every herpetoculturalist on here appreciates that.

Also Water Dragons only get to be 3' long and over 2' of that is tail. They just don't get that big...one of the reasons I chose them. The HUGEST water dragons I have ever seen had 1' long bodies.
If you handle them everyday, they won't bite...I suppose mating season may be an exception, but the only time I've gotten bit in the almost 2 years I have had them is the very first day I brought them home. He was freaked and didn't want me holding him, so he nipped the webbing between my thumb and forefinger. Pretty bold move considering he wasn't quite the size of my pinky finger. Had I not been watching him, I wouldn't have known I had been bitten. That's the only time.

Answer 5

I only hold my Water Dragon when I've drank to much.