anyone with a chinese water dragon?

[billylh]

On the 4th we bought a juvenile water dragon(about 10 inches with tail) from Petsmart since they were on weekend sale for $19.99. I'm thinking of building a much bigger cage for him/her but am wondering if there is anything special I need to do? I can find alot of information about water dragons but not on environmental conditions fior indoor housing other than for iguanas but I'm not sure they require the same setup/treatment? Do they?

Our neighbor also recently discovered they have a very healthy population of soldier fly larvae(phoenix worms?) in their compost which they said I can take as many as I want which I have read is good for reptiles but I'm curious as to what I should do to prepare/sterilize the maggots before feeding or is it necessary?

 

[dionae]

The water dragons like to swim so try and build a pool area for it. I would even put minnows in its pool and it would "fish" for them. Besides that they are very easy animals to care for as long as you dont let the temps get too cold. I had to get rid of mine when I moved and I still miss it so much. I might see if my petsmart has any on sale. Good luck!

 

[Brie]

They need UVB, and a basking spot. High humidity, thick branches/leaves for hiding and basking, and they eat both crickets and veggies. Its important to introduce the veggies early on so they don't get "addicted" to crickets, which can cause kidney/liver damage from too much protein.

Good website to read over for info. http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/

 

[billylh]

thanks for the info guys, the cage has been a slow process but the ply wood was picked up yesterday, I got the nail gun and staple gun ready, got the screens, and the frame is already built. This weekend it should be complete and ready to be painted and aired out outdoors for the next week or so. I've also decided to integrate a restaurant bus tubs in to the floor of the enclosure so the little guy will be able to swim around better.

What are yalls thoughts on feeding rosies to them? We bought a few a put them in his water tub but he doesnt care for them.