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| Special Housing Requirements | ||||||||
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| When it comes to housing a Water Dragon, enclosure sizes and requirements play a very big role in keeping a Dragon healthy. Baby or juvenile dragons should be housed in at least a twenty gallon enclosure, due to their rapid growth. Preferably a vivarium, so plenty of climbing space is provided. If housing more than one lizard, you should increase the habitat size so they can move about without interfering with tankmates. A UVB lighting bulb and a basking spotlight are very important, which provide natural sunlight and warmth. An undertank heating pad should also be provided, to keep the bottom of the enclosure warm. Other things to include are a nice substrate. I would recommend using either wood shavings or coconut hust, because they keep the humidity high in a lizards enclosure, and they don't get dirty too often. NEVER use sand as a substrate for a Water Dragon. Water Dragons are tropical lizards, not desert lizards. Small lizards can also swallow some sand on accident, which can cause a blockage in their intestines and possibly death. (I would also not recommend using the wood shavings or the coconut husk until your lizard is a juvenile, because baby lizards can swallow and loose substrates. Newspaper or towels will work fine for young lizards, and are easy to clean aswell. Water Dragons love climbing, so branches that you can buy at your local pet or reptile store to put in your dragons tank would be ideal. Branches that you find outside are okay to put in your lizards tank too, just as long as you clean them, and disinfect them. Perches or small logs are important too, so that your lizard can hide underneath them to get away from the heat. I would recommend you buying products from Exo-Terra and Flunkers, it is what I've always used for my dragons. A deep water dish for drinking and bathing is essential for these water-loving lizards, and most lizards will be stressed if not provided with it. A place for a lizard to hide by itself is also needed, so it can feel secure, and also so it can get away from a tankmate if housing more than one lizard. A thermometer, is needed to keep track of the temperature inside the enclosure. Always remember that the daytime temperature should always be between 75 and 85 degrees. Night time temperature should be between 65 and 75 degrees, and basking area temperatures should always be around 90-95 degrees. An optional item is scenic background pictures, these are not necessary for the maintenance of lizard health. If you plan to house more than one lizard together, remember that you can house one male and one female, one male and several females, or females together, but you can NEVER house two males together, for they will fight until death. If you plan to house lizards together, please choose dragons that are aroung the same age and size, because not only is housing different sized lizards very stressful for the younger one, but the older dragon can seriously injure the little one and maybe even kill him. NOTE: Please keep in mind that some lizards prefer to live solitary, and may not get along well if housed together. If you attemp to house lizards together, it is best to keep a seperate enclosure or enclosures handy to house (a) lizard(s) seperatly incase fighting occurs. |
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| Water Dragons require large enclosures, to be able to move freely | ||||||||