Asian water dragons are also popularly known as Chinese water dragons and they are now quite a favorite pet creature for reptile lovers. They are exotic and look beautiful, they are easy to maintain and will be attached with the owner.
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Are Chinese water dragons easy to care for?
Yes, Chinese water dragons are much easy to care for and they can be alive and healthy for as long as 16 years which makes them a companion for long. It is also pretty enjoyable for the owners to care for them. They are outstanding in their look which makes them much more appealing as pets.
Chinese water dragons look fierce but they are not aggressive in nature, rather they act shyly at the beginning. Unlike many other reptile pets, Chinese water dragons are perfectly okay when their owner is present near them.
They do not get anxious easily are not shy when they feel that humans are present around their shelter. They do not always go on hideouts and thus, it is pretty enjoyable to watch them moving in their shelter in the wake hours.
Can you hold Chinese dragons?
Chinese water dragons have the reputation to be friendly and they can easily be your friend. They will love your presence and thus, they are much easy to be close with, even easier than managing iguana. They do not act aggressively or become anxious when you hold them.
Is Chinese water dragons good pet for beginners?
Chinese water dragons are friendly creatures and thus they get adjusted with the owners easily. It is not much difficult for the owners to bond with them. For beginners, they can be the perfect pet if the owner takes care of the needs of this pet like the right kind of light, heat, humidity, substrate, food and medicines. They are not high on maintenance and can be a good company for you for long years.
Why do you need to keep a heat bulb for the Chinese water dragon?
Ectotherms creatures like most reptiles need a warm place to live in. The Chinese water dragon is no different in this matter. So you need to set up a warm enclosure for this cute pet when you plan to bring it home. They should get enough temperature from the outside to keep their body warm as the temperature generation does not work in their body. The temperature of their shelter should be around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and thus, which can be provided by a heat bulb or by some other method.
Is a mister or humidifier needed for the Chinese water dragon?
Mister is not much needed for the Chinese water dragon if you are lignin a moderate or humid climate zone. Only if you live in a much cold and dry area, will you need a mister to keep the Chinese water dragon hydrated. But a humidity gauging device should be required to keep the check on the humidity level of the shelter.
How often should you feed your Chinese water dragon?
Unlike other creatures, reptiles usually take their food once every two days. Just in the same way. Your Chinese water dragon will need its food every two to three days interval. Do not overfeed them as becoming obese make them prone to various health complications.
What food should you give to the Chinese water dragon?
Always feed gut-loaded insects to the Chinese water dragon. When the insects are gut loaded with various nutrients and dusted with powdered vitamins it becomes easy for the owners to keep their pets in good health. They do not have to worry about the nutrition level of their pets.
Insects like mealworms, silkworms, grasshoppers, and roaches are favorite food items for the Chinese water dragon. They like to have their food alive but if you are unable to manage the live insects every time, then packaged food will also be good for the pets.
How long does it take the Chinese water dragon to reach its full size?
This creature takes longer than other reptiles to grow to its full maturity. So at least 2 years will be needed to get a fully matured Chinese water dragon. They are much healthy and if they do not suffer from any kind of medical situation their growth will be steady.
Does the Chinese water dragon need a night light?
Chinese water dragons are diurnal creatures and they do not stay active during the nighttime. So they would not need any light to be on during the nighttime. If you are arranging for their shelter, you do not need to keep the night light on or arrange for some dim light for the nighttime. They prefer to rest in the darkness.
What items are required in the shelter of a Chinese water dragon?
A 40-gallon tank is required to keep a full-grown Chinese water dragon. It should come with a secure lid to ensure that the dragon does not escape from its shelter.
There should be some natural or synthetic plants where the Chinese water dragon can climb for recreation. Keeping a UV light bulb is necessary as the UV rays they get from the sun when they are in wild habitat are necessary for their digestion as well as calcium absorption.
The heat source is necessary for the cages of the Chinese water dragon and for that purpose you can arrange for the incandescent heating bulb in the cage. Or else some owner prefers to use the ceramic heater for their pets too.
A particular substrate is a must as Chinese water dragons need to lie on and burrow in the substrate.
Two bowls of water should be there in the tank of the Chinese water dragon. One should be big enough to hold the full body of the Chinese water dragon as it needs to soak itself once in a while. The other one should be for drinking purposes. There should be another bowl for the serving of food.
What kind of substrate would be best for the Chinese water dragons?
You can get cypress mulch for the Chinese water dragon as that would be a nice kind of substrate for your pet’s shelter. Other than offering to cushion to the bare floor of the cage, the cypress mulch offers absorption of humidity. So the interior of the cage remains dry and free from extra humidity.
Some reptile owners also recommend sphagnum moss as the substrate. This is an expensive option and the owners who have a high budget for maintenance can afford that. Coco husk is another natural but this one is harsh to feel and thus may not make the Chinese water dragon feel much comfortable.
Should you keep the shelter of the Chinese water dragon in natural sunlight?
If it is possible then you should keep the pet along with its enclosure in the natural daylight. The natural light contains a good amount of UV and as it comes in from the sunrays, it contains no side effects. Also, the Chinese water dragons are much used to the natural light and that would keep them healthy.
However, if you can manage to keep the dragon under the natural sunlight make sure that the cage is made of wires. The glass-made cage would not be suitable for keeping in the direct sun as it can cause much humidity and heat inside the cage. There would be no place for passing the heat on, and that will be difficult for the pet to handle.
Also keeping some natural foliage inside the wired cage is necessary, as the Chinese water dragon may feel like going into shade after getting too hot in the natural sun. The bare cage without any leaves or plants would leave the small creature with no option but to suffer from the heat when it is getting hot.
What can happen if you do not provide UV lighting in the cage of a Chinese water dragon?
You have to arrange for a fluorescent lamp or a mercury lamp into the cage of the Chinese water dragon to provide it with an ample amount of UVB rays if the cage is not placed outside to get the sunrays. Calcium absorption is done in the body of the Chinese water dragon when they are exposed to UVB rays. This helps them in their bone construction. There will be fewer issues with dental health if your dragon gets a good amount of UVB rays from the right source.
If they are not getting a good amount of UVB light then their bones will get softer and that means they will have pain in their limbs. Their movement will be slow and they will find it difficult to move as much as they like. Also after a point, it can face tremor or seizure and if neglected, this issue can become severe for their health.
Can you offer fruit to your Chinese water dragon?
Along with insects, which are their primary food, they also eat some amount of vegetables and fruits. When they are in their natural habitat they do not get access to many fresh greens or fruits so when you are keeping them as pets, do not offer a large amount of fibrous food like fruits or vegetables. It can be a moderate amount that you can provide weekly once with other food items.
However, fruits and vegetables keep them enriched with vitamins and essential nutrients which are much good for their health. Berries are really good for them and they love this fruit.
Which fruit and vegetables are good for the Chinese water dragons?
Different types of soft and juicy fruits can be offered to the Chinese water dragon. They can have strawberry, mango, raspberries, banana, and blueberries but you have to wash the fruit and deseed the pieces before offering them to the Chinese water dragon. Do not give apple as that is pretty hard to swallow for the dragons.
Can you keep your Chinese water on water?
Yes, a Chinese water dragon can be on the water, it can run on water and it loves to play on the water. They can even stay submerged in water for some time and that is absolutely safe for the pets. Do not panic and sometimes keep it in the water body so it can be in water some time.
What are the common diseases of Chinese water dragons?
Usually, the Chinese water dragons suffer from metabolic bone disease and then their movement gets stunted. They will suffer from pain in their joints and limbs. This can become a serious condition for the pets when the problem is not diagnosed at an early stage.
Calcium supplements can be provided to the pet to cure this problem. You must take the pet to the vet to know proper medication to solve this problem.
Another problem faced by the Chinese water dragon is mouth rot. It can be seen by the symptoms like the swelling in the gum area and when the owner puts a finger inside the mouth it will feel soft and mushy around the affected part. This problem can be diagnosed by checking the meal intake of your dragon. if it is not eating properly for long then you can check the oral health of your pet to ensure if it is facing this mouth rot problem.
There are antiseptic mouthwashes or solutions available which will take care of this problem. Your pet’s vet can suggest your medication for this problem too.
There are sometimes lumps and bumps seen on the skin of the Chinese water dragon. The bumps can be temporary or not. If you see the bumps with other symptoms like redness or rashes appearing at that part then try to give it a soak in lukewarm water with antibacterial medicine.
These can be caused by various reasons like rashes, fungal infections, ticks and mites, abscesses and even it can be an external tumor. If there is itching and redness then you can use some anti-fungal product on the affected spot. In case of more severity, you should get it checked by the vet.
