Chinese Water Dragon Care Sheet
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Scientific Name:
Physignathus cocincinus |
| Lizards
Home > Library |
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Statistics |
| Natural Location: |
Southeast Asia
(Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, China) |
| Average Lifespan: |
Up to 18 Years |
| Estimated Size: |
Males: Up to 36", Females:
Up to 24" |
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Read all about
the Chinese
Water Dragon in the Wild, where it lives
in Southeast Asia.
Take a look at these Chinese
Water Dragon Pictures.
The Chinese Water Dragon shares the Genus
Physignathus with one other lizard. |
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Distribution
Map |
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Chinese
Water Dragon Care |
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Food & Water
Chinese Water Dragons are omnivorous,
but eat meat more often than not. The majority of their
diet should consist of feeder insects. When young, small
crickets and small pieces of vegatables should be offered
every day. When older, larger insects (crickets, butterworms,
waxworms, silkworms, etc.) and pinkie mice can be eaten,
and they should be fed every second day. Make sure to
dust the food with a vitamin supplement / calcium powder
prior to feeding. All insects should be gut-loaded with
nutritional foods. As you can tell from their namesake,
Chinese Water Dragons love water. They
need water in their enclosure at all times. They will
swim in it if there is enough water. The only problem
in this is that the Dragons will consistently defecate
in the water, and this needs to be cleaned everyday. It
may easier to use a large pan filled with water. They
will drink from the pan as well, but a daily misting and
a drip system is also recommended.
Lighting,
Temperature & Humidity
You should keep the temperature during the day between
83 to 88 degrees F. There should be a basking spot reaching
90 degrees F. At night, the temperature should be between
75 to 80 degrees F. Keep the day light on a 12 hour
cycle, and 14 during the colder months. You should keep
the humidity in their enclosure around 80%. Do not let
it reach above 85 to 90% under any circumstances, as
high humidity may cause respiratory problems. Your Dragons
will need full spectrum lighting. Having both UVA and
UVB light will allow the Dragon to get the vitamins
it needs.
Housing
A large enclosure is a must for dragons. The length
of the tank should be at least twice the length of the
dragon. Since they need water to swim, a glass aquarium
is a good option. The top must be fully screen. You
could easily provide a screen enclosure, but would have
to make sure to supply enough water for the dragon.
Screen enclosures also provide good ventilation to avoid
stagnant air. If you are not using water on the bottom
of the enclosure, potting soil, sand and peat moss are
good substrates. You must provide large branches and
other objects for the Water Dragons
to climb and perch on. |
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Chinese
Water Dragon Pictures |
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