Hello everybody,

I have consulted many australian water dragon care sheet, and they generally show contradictions.

Can an experienced owner of an australian water dragon communicate me the major set ups for the terrarium:

*T° hot place.
*T° cool place
*T° general in the terrarium
*T° at night.
*T° of water
* Degree of humidity %
* % UVB/%UVA
*Feeding for a 1 year old specimen/feeding for an adult (2 years)

Any additionnal information or advice is welcome.

Thank you in advance,

Best regards,

Cyril.

I'm sorry, I don't have any experience with them so I don't think I will be much help, but if they aren't much different than the Chinese Water Dragon, we do have a caresheet for them...

__________________

Thanks for the reply,

Best regards

Cyril

agama international water dragons

that could help a little, at least itll have some info and you could look at his vivs

Hello The PHX,

Thanks for the reply, I already contacted them and indeed Bert sent me good information about australian water dragon.

Best regards,

Cyril?

cyril
i tried msging u cos I have a good care sheet on australian water dragons.
i have 2 that are coming up to being 2months old. i have them in a fish tank atm as they r too small for my permanent home I made them. i just have a sand base and a few rocks and sticks in there.
This is an extract from the care sheet-written by A.Kennedy-hope it is of some use

" Enclosures must be at least three times the length of the animal,
and twice the length of the animal wide.
• Make sure enclosures are tight, as dragons are master escapees.
• Adequate ventilation to ensure airflow and reduce humidity is
required.
• A large water area is required, at least as big as the animal, and
should be cleaned daily.
• Special heating and lighting is needed, this is discussed later on.
Water dragons are very large dragons that can grow to over one metre long, at which point it is strongly recommended that they be kept outdoors. However, it will take them more than 3 years to start to approach this sort of size, and until then it is often best to keep them in an indoor
enclosure. There are many benefits and drawbacks to having an indoor enclosure, and I will touch on a few. The essential parts of an indoor enclosure are to have the appropriate size, correct
heating and correct lighting, adequate ventilation and appropriate furnishings to make your lizard comfortable. Heating and lighting are discussed further on in their own sections.
Water Area
Water dragons need a large water area. In an indoor enclosure this is best
done by having a large plastic tub, that can be easily moved in and out of
the enclosure for cleaning. The water area should be at least big enough
for the dragon to fully submerge itself, and the dragons should preferably
be able to swim around. Make sure that the dragons can get out of the
water – they can drown surprisingly easily. Either have a sloping bank for
Hint
Try to grow non toxic plants in your enclosure, they look great and can
attract insect food them or objects in the water that they can use to get out.
Furnishings
Enclosures need furnishings, both to recreate the dragons natural environment and help it feel comfortable, and to improve the aesthetic value of an enclosure for the person viewing it. Branches for the dragons to perch on and areas for them to hide are essential. Hide areas can be made from
a variety of materials, ranging from ice cream containers with a cut‐out entrance, to hollow pieces of fallen timber. Whatever the material, the hide should be large enough for the dragon to completely conceal itself and cleaned regularly. Hides are very important for the mental health of your lizard, as they give it a place to escape to and feel comfortable if it feels the need to have some solitary time away from prying eyes.

Lighting
All dragons require ultraviolet (UV) light in order for proper bone
development to occur. Failure to provide this will result in the slow,
painful death of the animal.
UV light is almost entirely blocked out by glass, therefore it is
essential that there is nothing between the UV light and your reptile.
Indoor
• Both UVA and UVB light is required, and can be provided through fluorescent tubes or mercury vapour bulbs.
• All reptiles will benefit from a few hours of supervised time in natural sunlight every week.
• A photoperiod of approximately 10-12 hours is acceptable, however to stimulate breeding the photoperiod should change to follow the seasons.
Ensuring that the lighting conditions in an indoor enclosure are correct
is absolutely essential to the health of your dragon. There are two
important things to remember; they must have ultraviolet (UV) light,
and they need to have the correct photoperiod to match the season
that you are trying to simulate for breeding to occur.
Ultraviolet (UV) Light
Making sure that your reptile receives adequate UV light is absolutely essential. There are two types of UV light, UVA and UVB, and you will need to supply both, but UVB is particularly important. UVB light provides the dragon with vitamin D which is an essential vitamin for bone development.
Figure 5 – Adult Male Eastern Water Dragon
Hint
A mechanical timer can be bought from hardware stores for $5 and ensures that the correct lighting regime is being followed Without UVB and the vitamin D it produces, bones will not grow or become strong and the dragon
will die an unnecessary, slow and painful death. UV light can be provided from a variety of sources; however the most common form is from specially made fluorescent tubes that provide UV light.
Note that fluorescent UV lights should sit as close the dragons as possible, as UV output is reduced
dramatically every few centimetres and fluorescent lights should be no higher than thirty centimetres from the dragons. There are also now compact fluorescent bulbs that can be screwed into a standard fitting, or sodium self ballasted bulbs that generate large amounts of UV as well as
heat. These are often used in very large enclosures, and in most cases a fluoro light is sufficient.
Remember that all reptiles, and especially dragons, will benefit enormously from a few hours of supervised play in natural sunlight every week. The UV output from a fluorescent bulb over a full day, although sufficient, is the equivalent of around 30 minutes in natural sunlight.
Photoperiod
The photoperiod is the amount of light hours out of a full day. It is
sufficient to have a year round photoperiod of around 10-12 hours per
day, however to stimulate breeding it is recommended that the
photoperiod be changed to follow the seasons. For example, in summer
the natural photoperiod can be over 12 hours, and become as short as 8
hours over winter. The photoperiod must be maintained in a regular
way, and it is not sufficient to just turn the lights on or off when you are
at home. A 24 hour timer can be purchased from hardware stores for as
little as $5 and will save you a lot of hassle.

Heating
• Dragons will maintain their body temperature by heating and cooling themselves as
necessary
• Dragons require a thermal gradient; the warm end of an enclosure should be from 30-35°C
while the cooler end should be from 20-25°C, with a gentle gradient in between.
• Dragons will not eat if they are not warm enough, yet if they overheat they can die from
dehydration.
• It is important to regularly monitor the temperature in your enclosure using a thermometer
• A thermostat will ensure that your enclosure is maintained at the right temperature
• Heat can be provided from a variety of sources such as standard light bulbs, infrared light
bulbs, ceramic heat emitters, heat cords and radiant heat mats or panels.
Indoor
Temperature Ranges
Reptiles must have a warm area at one end of the enclosure where they can bask and heat
themselves up. This area should be from 30‐35°C and is best provided from an overhead heat
source such as an infrared or standard light bulb, or ceramic heat emitter (Figure 6). It is a good idea
to have a rock or solid piece of wood under this heat source that can warm up during the day and
provide radiant heat overnight, making the temperature transition from day to night smoother. The
other end of your enclosure should be cooler, around 20‐25°C. In between the warm and cool areas
of the enclosure should be a gentle temperature gradient, allowing the dragon to move around the
enclosure and find an area that it feels comfortable in to keep it at its optimum temperature.
Thermostats and Temperature Regulation
A thermostat is a highly recommended and extremely helpful device for all
indoor reptile enclosures. A thermostat has a dial on which you set a
temperature, it will then turn on a heat source when the temperature goes
Daytime Heat and UV light Cool end with minimum temperature controlled by ceramic heat emitter linked to
thermostat Temperature Gradient Cool Hot end end Warning It is not recommended
that a dragon be hibernated over it's first winter, as they have not had a chance to build up
enough energy reserves Warning If there is undigested food when a reptile enters hibernation, the food will
rot and the animal will die below the set temperature and turn off the heat source when it goes above the set temperature.
This takes a lot of the uncertainty out of maintaining the correct temperature, as the thermostat
makes sure the enclosure neither gets too hot or too cold. There are many brands available, but
Microclimate is held in high regard, offering a range of specialty thermostats. You should still check
temperatures in your enclosure daily with a thermometer as it is not unheard of for a thermostat to
jam and cook a dragon, and their temperature sensing devices can be inaccurate so it is best to
double check.

the whole "YOU NEED 3 TIMES THE LENGTH OF THE BODY"to cage them is important but you dont NEED that to keep one...for one water dragon you should do fine with a 40 gallon breeder or larger like 75 gallon.... right know my two water dragons are fine in ther 40 gallon I would like to move to a 55 or 75 later....im not saying that the other way is not best, it really is the best way but if its young and small its not going to need all that room till he gets older and bigger.....as long as hes not running into the glass hes got room....its also better to go with captive breeder reptiles too.....