Care sheet for Australian water dragons

Care sheet for Australian water dragons

Food:

Newly arrived water dragons will normally start eating after 3-4 days as they need some time to adjust to their new surroundings. If you have recently arrived water dragons, it is important to have the temperature inside the terrarium high enough (80F) if you want them to start eating soon. As in Australia they will stop eating when days get shorter and cooler; they may do the same in your terrarium if temperatures and light periods decrease.

At Agama International, Inc. we feed them mainly superworms as they can be fed from a feeding dish. This allows for very easy checking on their feeding habits. They also eat crickets. The drawback with gray- or house-crickets is that they are nocturnal and hide during the day, while the lizards are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. So it can happen that there are more crickets in the terrarium then needed, and that the crickets disturb the lizards at night.

Of the cockroaches you should never feed German or American ones for obvious reasons (they will escape and become a true pest in the house). Hissing cockroaches, and deadhead cockroaches (Blaperus cranifer) can be fed easily from a container with smooth sides.

Cat food and all kinds of sweet and soft fruits (banana, peach, watermelon, etc.) can also be offered to your Australian water dragons. Although some will never touch it while others may eat it with fruition. Adults may also eat pinkie rats and pinkie mice.

As always, it is important to "gut load" your feeding insects first. This means you have to feed the insects before they are fed to the reptiles. This way the reptiles get extra nutrients which they may otherwise not be able to get. Sweet potato or carrots are very good choices for "gut loading" your insects.

You can also increase the food value of the feeder insects by dusting them first with a powder specifically made for that purpose, like for example Miner-All. These powders are easily available at all pet stores.

Terrarium:

The terrarium size for one pair of adult water dragons should be about 4 feet long by 3 feet high by 2 feet wide. In the terrarium you can place a tree branch or tree trunk on which they can climb and sit. A warm basking spot is also needed. They also like a small box or place into which they can both sleep and hide. The water bowl needs to be situated so that it can be cleaned easily. The lizards should to be able to get in and, also, out off the water easily. Although not very elegant, we often use paint-roller dishes as they have a sloped "beach" area.

A larger pond, with water plants such as lotus, should get a filtering system. Another possibility is to use a water bowl with a drain, which can be cleaned and replenished without opening the terrarium.

Lighting:

If you keep your water dragon inside you need a UVB lamp to provide ultraviolet radiation to the reptile. Please read and follow the instructions that accompany the lamp. It is always important to place the lamp at the correct height (as listed on the lamp’s instructions) above the lizard basking spot. Just 2 inches higher or lower will greatly change the amount of ultraviolet radiation that the lizard will absorb.


This Care Sheet was Supplied By Agama International