My name is Alex, I'm 18 from Toledo, Ohio.

I bought my first reptile, a Chinese Water Dragon yesterday.

He/she is doing very well, although I have a few minor questions and just generally want to learn more about them, which brought me here.

Looks like you guys have a very nice community, expect to see me around.

Best regards,
Alex

Hi Alex, welcome to HC!
I can't really help you with your Water Dragon, but I can congratulate you on your new addition.
Hope to see you around!!

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<3 Tessa

0.0.2 painted turtles (Mo and Squirt)
1.0.0 yellow bellied slider (Jebidiah)
0.1.0 Amelanistic corn snake (Rose)
1.0.0 Hog Island/Colombian Boa (Kah)
0.2.0 Colombian Boa (Jasmine) and her baby(no name yet)
1.0.0 Suriname Boa (Kayne)
0.2.0 Cats (Lilly and Reese)

welcome to the board. Here is our chinese water dragon care sheet. Be sure to pay special attention to enclosure size, diet, temps and UVB needs.



Chinese Water Dragon Caresheet (Physignathus cocincinus) - Reptile Information - Caresheets Database

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I have a 20L aquarium for now, but I plan to do a much larger one in 3-6 months off the internet. I was shown some really nice ones yesterday for much cheaper than the pet store.

Diet: Calcium/Vitamin Supplement w/ VD3 for lack of UVB.

Current temp: 87 degrees F in the basking area.

Humidity: 45% (sprayed water an hour ago, has a nice full bath in there, don't know what to do to increase humidity more...

I read the entire caresheet before posting, yesterday, so I could properly care for it. I then went back out this morning and replaced a ton of stuff with what was recommended in the caresheet rather than by the pet store idiot. (sorry)

Was thinking something like this for next enclosure: 65 gallon basic Reptarium

He is GOING To need a UVB bulb. If not you are giving him a painful death in the long run. I'll suggest the mercury vapor bulb from Welcome To ReptileUV - Mega-Ray® UVB lamps for reptile lighting worldwide since they produce more UVB and last twice as long as a tube. They also produce heat so it saves you on an extra heat fixture.

For humidity, cover up most of your mesh top with plastic. that will keep the moisture in.

I'm glad you are looking into proper enclosures. So many people get these wonderful animals and stick them in a 55 gallon the rest of their life, and don't realize they are arboreal and need much much much more space.

Check out Tricia's Water Dragon site as well. She has GREAT ideas. Building is the way to go!

That reptarium is NO GOOD. First, its all mesh, it won't keep any humidity in. and its only 65 gallons. Your guy is going to need space, at the MINIMUM of 2 x 4 x 6 FEET (taller is better) to be happy and healthy. Thats soemthing around 350 gallons, not 65. Just build a good one from the start instead of wasting your money on an mid-sized cage they are going to grow out of in 6 months.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Hey,

I'm committed to making sure he has what he needs, so I need to go back to the pet store and get what I need - but I want it to be my last trip for a bit. (I've been like 4-5 times in past 24-48 hours, lol.)

So, I've uploaded a picture of my dragon and setup, if you need more info - ask... but people - please help me make a list of things I need for him!

I will go get a UVB bulb, but I need something local. Can you either tell me a store that carries that or look up stores with the acceptable UVB? (I'm in Toledo, Ohio. Zip code 43614) We have a PETCO nearby.

What provides the moisture? What type of plastic should I cover it with?

As for a cage - I am more than willing to build one over the next few weeks to a month of the correct size, but how much would it cost?

Is the basement of a Ohio home sufficient for a larger enclosure? It's a cold basement, not horrible, but not 70 degrees either. It's in my room now, but this room is only so big.

This will have to be the enclosure for a month or so, until I can build or buy a better one.

Attached Images

	IMG_0098.jpg (14.4 KB, 3 views)
	IMG_0099.jpg (11.0 KB, 3 views)

I agree, these guys will get bigger, and they need there space. Don't bother with those reptariums for a water dragon.

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"Nobody can do Everything, but Everybody can do Something."

Welcome!

I might be wrong on this but I don't think the dragons are able to convert D3 to calcium. i do know that it is possible for them to overdose on it however. Like Liz said, you are going to need a UVB light. Thats is the only thing other than actual direct sunlight that will help your dragon produce the calcium it needs.

I also agree with Liz about the building your own enclosure. Check out some of the freecycle sites like Craigslist and find an old piece of furniture that you can convert. It saves you money in the long run, you can personalize it to fit your needs, and it is so much more fun!

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I read about D3 on one of these site's, I believe in the caresheet or on the writer's site, and decided to use it based on that. I have not used any, as I bought it today, I'm actually planning to return it towards UVB lighting.

As for the furniture idea, what type of furniture would be best?

I would REALLY suggest getting one from Mega-ray. They will ship it to you and in the long run it will be less expensive for you. If you pick on up from Petco it will need to be replaced every 6 months. However the Mega-rays will last you at least a year.

Cost for a new tank depends on how handy you are. Like I said, check out some freecyles to see if they have anything that can help you.

Use either foil or plastic wrap to cover 1/2 - 2/3 of the screen. You don't want it to be under the light though. Spray the tank down a couple of times to help with the humidity. you can also add some live plants.

The basement might work if you can keep the heat up in the enclosure. The easiest way to do that might be to get a space heater to warm up the area around the tank, but use this outside the tank rather than inside...

I don't think you need anything else from petco today.... Pic up a temp/humidity gauge from home depot or lowes (much cheaper than the ones at petco) and grab a spray bottle from them or even a dollar store...

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