Chinese Water Dragons (Physignathus Cocincinus)


I was around 19 when i became aware of such a fasinating lizard. My interests in reptiles have led me to keep quite a few of them in my home over the years. Most of my early information was from books and various articles i could find.

This care sheet will tell you all i know about water dragons and by explaining how i care for mine, i hope it will answer any questions or give you ideas.
Sexing and Characteristics:
Water dragons are quite personable, usually easy to handle, do not grow excessively large, &they settle well into captivity.WD can reach a length of 24 in. in 1 yr. when raised properly. They react to stress and cool temperatures by darkening their colors and can turn almost black when seriously stressed. 2 or 3 enlarged white, cone shaped spines behind the angles of the jaw are typical of the WD. They have forked sticky tongues to help them catch prey. They are generally a lush green in color with 3-5 wide dark bands on the sides. They can have touches of pink and blue on the throat as well and have a banded tail. Both sexes sport a spiny crest that runs from the back of the head to well onto the tail. They can up to 10-12 years or more.

The young dragon- All dragons have female features when they are young. Small but proportional to body size, slightly triangular shaped heads. Slightly rounded bodies. A small or low crest on the back of the neck. They usually have small spikes along the crest, their backs &their tails. The underside of the back legs have femoral pores. On young dragons these pores are usually small, smooth & white.

Juvenile Dragon- A dragon is considered juvenile when its body is approx. 10-12in. head to tail. When they reach this size they are usually about a yr. old and still look female. As a dragon approaches approx. a yr. 1/2 it will begin to develop 2ndary sexual characteristics.

Males- At this time if your dragon is a male his head will begin to get larger &wider. The crest on his neck will get higher &the spikes much longer. The spikes at the base of the tail will get substantially higher. The femoral pores on the underside of back legs will grow much wider, and have a waxy like substance. (the femoral pores will feel bumpy compared to a females which will continue to stay smooth) A males body will become more triangular. Max. length 3ft.

Females-Somewhat shorter and more slightly built than males. Females don?t get a large crest such as males, and have a pear-shape (especially in the abdominal area) and her tail should remain rounded in appearance. Max. length 24in. So if your dragon is 18in. or more in length and haven?t seen changes as you would in males, you most likely have a female.

Special Care Required for Females-If you believe you have a female dragon please note that they need special care requirements in adulthood. This is mainly b/c they will develop, &lay eggs whether they have mated w/ a male or not. If they have never mated the eggs just wont be fertile. Have a proper egg laying area set up for her. If a female dragon develops eggs and doesn?t have what she considers a proper place to lay them, she may hold them and become egg bound. This could lead to death if problem not discovered quickly. Egg development takes a great toll on the female body. She needs to be in good shape & needs plenty of calcium to come through. If not she can become c
Mostly Active During:
Day
Substrate and Water Needs:
Substrate can be newspaper, lizard litter (do NOT use cat litter), orchrid bark, peat moss, a mixture of sand and soil, or reptile carpets (beware of loose threads that can snag dragon toes). I prefer the carpet as it is easier to clean and you don?t have to worry about your dragon swallowing any bits of bark or rocks which could impact its stomach which is very serious.

Water- As their name implies, water dragons generally love water. They need a large enough container to be able to immerse themselves up to 50% of their body height. For adults, large plastic kitty litter pans are a good choice. They should be set into the substrate so that the water dragon can get in without much trouble. Placing some singable rocks in the pan or a nice curved piece of driftwood set over the edge will help. Your choice of container should also be based upon how easy it?s going to be for you to remove and clean. THE WATER SHOULD BE CHANGED DAILY.

One thing you?ll notice about your water dragon is its habit of defecating in the water, especially after you?ve just replaced the container! I consider mine "potty-trained" because she wont defecate anywhere else except in her water pan. Nine times out of 10 they will defecate in their water, which actually makes for a very overall clean enclosure. This can mean changing the water up to several times a day if you have more than one animal housed in the same enclosure. You can make a nice water area using an aquarium or something with a water filter and waterfall for example. It can be as simple or as complex as you like. Just make sure the dragon can enter and exit freely. The water doesn?t have to be heated, room temp. is good enough. You might want to use a filter in the water though to keep it cleaner longer

Water dragons enjoy a daily misting immensely, but don?t overdo it. Jungle rot or blisters could occur if their enclosures are kept too moist. This can be corrected by keeping them dry and warm. Apply Betadine to blisters to cure infection.

**When changing the water in the container please be sure to clean the dish with soap and water, rinse well, then disinfect the container with a 5-10% bleach solution, rinse the dish thoroughly afterwords before replacing the water container in the dragons enclosure.

**soap and bleach may produce toxic fumes when used together - so please use them separately and rinse the container well between use of soap or bleach solution.

(other disinfecting solutions may be used rather than bleach if you prefer- a novosolin or quatracide solution will provide with adequate disinfection as well)
Lighting and UVB:
Water dragons require full spectrum UVA and UVB producing fluorescent lights whenever access to natural unfiltered sunlight is unavailable. Sunlight coming through glass is filtered sunlight; your dragon wont benefit at all from sitting on the window sill with the window closed! Make sure you have a sturdy screen in the window if your going to allow your dragon to bask on the sill.

Its important to understand why special lighting is needed. You will definitely need to provide UVB in the form of fluorescent lighting. Incandescent bulbs DO NOT produce UVB rays, they usually only provide UVA lighting. The dragon needs UVB to produce vitamin D3 in order to absorb the calcium in the diet, without this lighting the dragon will get very little calcium from the food and supplements that you are giving it and it will very likely develop Calcium Deficiency or otherwise known as Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).

The best source of UV radiation is like i said, the sun, but not everyone lives in an area of the country where your water dragon can be exposed for the necessary amount of time each day. This is why you need full spectrum fluorescent lighting. There are several manufacturers producing full spectrum fluorescent bulbs, so check with your the knowledgeable staff of your local pet store.

At least one spotlight or basking light should be set up to allow a certain area of the enclosure (example: a favorite branch) to reach about 90 degrees F. A 100-watt incandescent light bulb is a sufficient heat source for most water dragon enclosures in the 30-gallon-and-up size range. Its important to remember to keep all lighting and fixtures out of the tank so your water dragon wont come in contact with it and get severely burned.

Use a light timer to regulate the day/night cycle at 12-14hrs of daylight, depending on the season (shorter during the winter). Growing dragons should have access to full spectrum UVA/UVB light.

Its a good idea to have at least two thermometers in the cage. One should be on the cooler side and one on the warmer side of the enclosure. Improper temperature ranges can result in your dragon becoming ill with a respiratory infection or other common ailments due to weakening of the immune system.

You?ll have to play with different light wattages, or put your heat sources on a thermostat or dimmer switch to get the temps. just right. I cant tell you exactly what wattage of bulb to use in your WD?s enclosure b/c this will depend on the temp. of the room that your WD is housed in. Your lights should be on a timer so that your dragon will get a proper photo period. My lights come on at 8 am and go off at 8 pm.
I also use timers so if i am not home i don?t have to worry about the lights staying on too long.
Temperatures and Humidity:
Temp- Maintain the cage temperature between 80 and 88 degrees F during the day day. Remember 12-14hrs of daylight. Nighttime temperatures can drop to 70-75 degrees.

Humidity- You will need to maintain the humidity in your enclosure at approx. 80%. The use of live plants (such as pothos and dracenae), an airstone in the water container, and frequent mistings will help. Place a humidity gage somewhere in the enclosure so you can check the humidity levels. HINT: The use of distilled water will help reduce the spotting on your glass.
Heating and Equipment:
You definitely need heat lamps in the enclosure. Remember to keep the basking area around 90 degrees F. But also keep an area of the cage somewhat cooler so if the dragon does become too warm it can cool down. I provide an area of shade by using an artificial fern in the enclosure. I also have a heating pad underneath my lizard carpet to keep the floor warm.

You should also have good ventilation in the cage. It may be a good idea to have a couple of thermometers in the cage to measure temps. in different areas!
Caging Provided:
I house my water dragon in a 48x48x36 plexiglass and oak cage from cages by design (very good website--i would check this out).

Enclosure- A good sized arboreal-oriented enclosure (taller than it is wide) that is heavily outfitted with vines, plants and perches and ideally if you can make at least 1/3 of the ground area water, will provide a stress-free living space for water dragons. A minimum cage size would be 36-48 inches long, 16-24 inches deep, and 48-72 inches tall. If you plan to use an aquarium, a 55 gallon (or larger) enclosure (equaling 12 cubic feet or more) for adults, and a 30 gallon tank for sub-adults and hatchlings, will work. Stunting may occur if young lizards are not moved to larger enclosures as they mature. Custom-built cages made of glass, plexiglass, soft mesh and/or smooth wood are also good to use. Building your own custom vivarium can be fun, if you have the time and the patience.

Use vertical and horizontal tree limbs, plastic vines and plants to create a tropical paradise. Sterilized tree limbs and treated lumber (such as 2 by 2s) make excellent perches. Tree limbs can be sterilized by soaking in a mild bleach solution for 20 minutes and then rinsing well.

I moved my water dragon from a home-made enclosure with plexiglass doors to an entire mesh cage with 3 sides covered to keep in the heat to prevent snout damage. (check out bigappleherp.com for some really neat cages or cagesbydesign.com)

*SNOUT DAMAGE- Snout damage is extremely common in captive kept Water Dragons. It is caused by nose rubbing against the walls or glass in the enclosure. Glass, screens, even solid walls are not understood by most water dragons. Snout rubbing occurs because your water dragon is panicked, attempting to escape, or sees its reflection. I DO NOT RECOMMEND USING GLASS AQUARIUMS FOR THIS REASON. A wooden enclosure with a glass front is your best choice. In addition, the glass front should start at least 6" above the ground floor. This way the dragon cant see out form the bottom of the cage, minimizing reflections. If you must use a glass aquarium, barriers must be used to help prevent snout damage from occurring. Neosporin or another antibacterial cream will help soothe and heal infected areas. It is best to apply this after the dragon has gone to sleep at night. Visual barriers, such as wide strips of cardboard along the bottom of the enclosure, are the easiest way to prevent this behavior. Snout damage may progress to mouth rot if the situation is not given attention right away. Also, scale loss may occur due to the rubbing, as water dragons will literally rub their faces off. Once scales are gone they will never come back.

THE LARGER THE ENCLOSURE THE LESS FREQUENTLY THIS SNOUT BANGING ACTIVITY OCCURS.
Diet:
Omnivorous
Description of Diet:
Water dragons are primarily carnivores, but will occasionally eat some fruits and vegetables. Remember that supplying the best variety of food items possible you can help to ensure your Water dragons good health.

Hatchlings and Juveniles- Feed every day. You can offer hatchlings and juveniles 2-3 week old crickets supplemented with vitamins every other feeding. Crickets should be gut loaded with a high quality diet. Finely chopped or grated fruits and vegetables should also be offered. When juvies are larger, you can offer them larger crickets, some waxworms and small mealworms. Wax worms are a good fatty treat food but require a special diet and are hard to gut load. Generally, 3-4 items should be offered per feeding.

Adults- Adults should be fed every day, though missing a day wont cause any harm. Waxworms can be offered, but they are very high in fat and low in calcium. Therefore, only offer wax worms on rare occasions.

Food items: crickets, mealworms (normal, jumbo and super size mealworms), waxworms, earthworms (aka night crawlers), grasshoppers, butterworms, small feeder fish(example: goldfish). **If you buy feeder fish from a pet store, make sure the fish in the tank look healthy, as they can carry parasites. They are very high in calcium though. **shredded fruits and vegetables (fruits and veggies should only make up approx. 10-15% of the diet if your water dragon will accept any),

in addition to the above listed food items, adult water dragons may be offered: king mealworms & pinkies

Caution: DO NOT GO IN YOUR BACKYARD AND LOOK FOR INSECTS TO GIVE TO YOUR LIZARD. You have no idea if they have pesticides on them which can be fatal to your water dragon. Most pet stores carry a variety of food items for your dragon. Also do not feed your dragon fireflies as they are deadly to your dragon.

*** Always remember that the food item should not be longer than your dragons head and no wider than half the width of its head.

Some water dragons wont take any fruits or vegetables. But by gut loading your insects with a well balanced fruit and veggie diet, you will be providing your water dragon with a better diet. I feed my water dragon fresh strawberries, blueberries, red and white grapes, mangoes, bananas, figs (native fruit for them), soft pears, kale and collard greens, and live insects are relished by my water dragon. You can try these with your dragon too.

I alternate these food items to achieve a balanced variety.
***AND REMEMBER--ALL FOODS SHOULD BE PESTICIDE FREE

Supplements, Nutrition and Usage:
Ensuring that your water dragon is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs, you should supplement its regular diet with a commercial vitamin specifically made for reptiles. The vitamin you choose should have a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, calcium, and low phosphorous. The use of a separate calcium supplement can also be beneficial. I generally switch between ReptiCals Herptivite and ZooMed calcium powder. Watch your dosage and follow label directions carefully. Its possible to overload your dragon with too many vitamins and this can lead to all kinds of serious ailments when the vitamins reach toxic levels. You may want to consult your veterinarian if your not sure about the dosage.

Dust crickets 2-3 times weekly with top quality vitamins and mineral supplements that are high in calcium. Gut loading crickets and worms by feeding them a commercial gut load formula or a mash of assorted veggies an hour before offering them to your dragons will ensure happy healthy dragons

GENERAL RULES ABOUT FEEDING: As a general rule, feed your dragon as often as it will eat.

Disregard the feeding schedule guidelines suggested for juvies and adults if your dragon is underweight, ill, or recovering from an illness. In this case, offer your Water Dragon food items on a daily basis 2-3 times per day.

It is also a good idea to keep a record of what you have been feeding your water dragon. This will help you determine if a problem is developing. In addition, it is a good idea to purchase a kitchen scale to weigh your dragon periodically.
Maintenance:
Overall, water dragons are generally easy to care for. They make good hardy pets and become quite docile and calm. They don?t make a lot of mess, and their housing needs can be met so they can even be kept in an apartment.
Some Words on this Species:
I love my water dragons.

If you have a skitzy dragon, talk to it, hold it and tell it you love it. It will come around and realize you are not going to harm it. They learn to eat form your hand and will sit on your shoulder for hours (well, at least mine do.) They can even run on their back legs!

I hope this helps everyone interested in the care of these fantastic water dragons. Good luck if you decide to bring one home-its worth the effort! "CWD"

thank you for all that info it help me and ppl who love them. so you knoe alot about them so you have help alot of ppl out thank you so much from me and all the ppl you have help out

Anytime

so have you had them for long

Great care sheet!!!

excellent work CWD

Very useful information!

I'll keep on dreaming about water dragons until we have enough time & room...

want one now.....lol