Chinese water dragon

[Gabrielle42]

Well, I figured that some day I might get another snake, but I never expected to end up with a chinese water dragon :D One of my sorority sisters works at Petco and her manager asked her to adopt this lil dragon because he/she has a broken tail, a missing finger and a missing toe :cry: It has a great personality and it's going to be living with me until my sister can get another place. Her roomates aren't taking too kindly to her two cats, turtle, ferret and goldfish pond :lol: Is there anything that I need to know about Dixie's (the dragon) special needs? She has a lamp, meal worms and crickets and a tree to climb on as well as some damp moss. Just wondering. Have a wonderful day.

[Zeb]

Well....hm. Lots to cover there.

As young, yes, they are friendly. Adults, in my experience, are fairly lazy....but the growing up stage makes them aggressive at times.

Caging, in a nutshell:

Mostly arboreal, but at least 4-6 feet long.
Various horizontal & some vertical climbing structures
A pool big enough to submerge themselves, cleaned daily
Some fake plants for security

You'll need to keep humidity high ( 80% is good ) and temperature...oh, 80-90. Basking spot in the higher 90's.

UV light is also needed...

Food can include crickets, earthworms, superworms, pinkies, and sometimes vegetable matter.

Avoid glass cages, as they often rub their snouts down to a nub....they're not THAT smart, you know. :)

The last issue of REPTILES features the CWD, but the author IMO is not the most knowledgable person. I disagree on his husbandry techniques...

there are also books available, and Kingsnake.com has a WD forum. Do a google search, and you're bound to find more info.

-Zeb

[Gabrielle42]

Thanks bunches