# Chinese Water Dragon... Lifeless Under water??? HELP PLEASE!!!



## Mu Shu (Sep 30, 2011)

Hi Forum...
I moved Mu Shu into his new Viv yesterday, was quiet to begin with but soon found his feet, and started to explore and eat, 

Popped out earlier today to get a Heat Emitter and glow light holder. Came back in to find him in the corner of his 'Water Half' spread out, lying on the bottom eyes closed... Upset I slowly pulled him out of the corner and he wasn't moving... pulled him a little further away and still, no movement, only when I pulled him out of the water did he wake up and start to move, he c lumbered over to his branch, lay there for 20 mins then started to move his head, popped a few crickets in to see if he had the energy to eat and he's now eating, jumping, climbing.... all the normal things a CWD would do! 

What Happened??
DO CWD have the ability to stay under water for a prolonged length of time?
How do I stop it from happening again?
Anyone else experienced anything Similar?

one thing I did notice is the water temp was low, so I bought a small heater and now seems to warm up a little.

Any idas??


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

Mu Shu said:


> Hi Forum...
> I moved Mu Shu into his new Viv yesterday, was quiet to begin with but soon found his feet, and started to explore and eat,
> 
> Popped out earlier today to get a Heat Emitter and glow light holder. Came back in to find him in the corner of his 'Water Half' spread out, lying on the bottom eyes closed... Upset I slowly pulled him out of the corner and he wasn't moving... pulled him a little further away and still, no movement, only when I pulled him out of the water did he wake up and start to move, he c lumbered over to his branch, lay there for 20 mins then started to move his head, popped a few crickets in to see if he had the energy to eat and he's now eating, jumping, climbing.... all the normal things a CWD would do!
> ...


how cold is the water?

My Aussies sleep in their water nearly every night, you will be shocked at how long they can actually stay under! 

My water is around 20c over night, and i used to stress big time about it, but they do it and you just have to make sure the water isnt too cold. If you have an aquarium heater in the water just make sure they cant touch it, they can still do damage even though they are under water...

Hope this helps buddy?


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

water dragons are capable of staying under water for up too 45 mins, normally play dead when there scared not really sure what advise to do about it though maybe some one else can help


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

wilko92 said:


> water dragons are capable of staying under water for up too 45 mins, normally play dead when there scared not really sure what advise to do about it though maybe some one else can help


I have seen mine under for well over 45 minutes, and they play dead so well that you actually think they are!! even when you pick them up they seem lifeless, then just open their eyes, freak out and run away! too funny!

i used to stress about it big time, now i just make sure their water isnt too cold and leave them be...

having said that, i did learn the hard way, i lost my first male last year due to this. long story short, i was living with my brother while i was between houses, their viv was in the shed and we had an unexpected cold snap before i managed to change over to their winter setup with over night heating. went in the next morning and found the male floating belly up in the water. It had dropped to about 3c overnight and he pretty much just shut down in the cold water, i was gutted! The female survived the cold snap, and is still with me today, luckily she didnt spend that night in the water too, i would have lost them both! needless to say, i will never make that mistake again!

Dont let my experience freak you out or make you paranoid though!!!


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## Mu Shu (Sep 30, 2011)

*Thank you...*

The water was room temp... not sure how cold it is exactly (felt cold to the touch) the looked liked he'd Pegged it! i have covered the Aquarium heated with rocks (not on it, just around it) he has been in the water since and come back out again fine so? its the first day im leaving him on his own tomorrow, i gotta go to work, just worried when i get back the same would have happened, but with worse consequence! how long have yours managed to stay under for?

Thanks for replying!


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> I have seen mine under for well over 45 minutes, and they play dead so well that you actually think they are!! even when you pick them up they seem lifeless, then just open their eyes, freak out and run away! too funny!
> 
> i used to stress about it big time, now i just make sure their water isnt too cold and leave them be...
> 
> ...


 bloody hell, im glad mine dont sleep in the water if it did i dont think ide get any shut eye that night haha! i dont heat my water stays around 20-30 though but i do have the water fall by the baskin spot i think that warms the water up nicely  and yeh i head read 45 mins but been told longer saying that mines never gone under water and played dead i kinda leave him to it


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## Mu Shu (Sep 30, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> I have seen mine under for well over 45 minutes, and they play dead so well that you actually think they are!! even when you pick them up they seem lifeless, then just open their eyes, freak out and run away! too funny!
> 
> i used to stress about it big time, now i just make sure their water isnt too cold and leave them be...
> 
> ...


cant imagine how upset you were... it's just worrying that if i hadn't intervened what the outcome would have been... after they had been under for 45+ mins did they just come up and carry on as normal? Mu Shu had his eyes closed, legs spread... not a nice sight


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

Mu Shu said:


> The water was room temp... not sure how cold it is exactly (felt cold to the touch) the looked liked he'd Pegged it! i have covered the Aquarium heated with rocks (not on it, just around it) he has been in the water since and come back out again fine so? its the first day im leaving him on his own tomorrow, i gotta go to work, just worried when i get back the same would have happened, but with worse consequence! how long have yours managed to stay under for?
> 
> Thanks for replying!


If your house is not too cold, room temp is fine. like i said, my water is about 22 in the day and 20 over night and they are perfectly fine. i know how you feel though, you immediately fear the worst! but i personally wouldnt worry too much, unless you know your house is only like 15c or something then i would consider finding a way to heat the water...

I dont know exactly how long, but i watched an entire episode of CSI without either of them coming up for air! so about an hour, possibly longer coz i went for a smoke and they only came out after i came back in, think the back door closing woke them up! :lol2:



wilko92 said:


> bloody hell, im glad mine dont sleep in the water if it did i dont think ide get any shut eye that night haha! i dont heat my water stays around 20-30 though but i do have the water fall by the baskin spot i think that warms the water up nicely  and yeh i head read 45 mins but been told longer saying that mines never gone under water and played dead i kinda leave him to it


ha ha ha! you end up having nightmares about drowning dragons ans stuff, not cool! as a rule of thumb, i make sure their enclosure never drop below 19/20, as long as i know that, i sleep like a baby! :lol2:


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## Mu Shu (Sep 30, 2011)

wilko92 said:


> bloody hell, im glad mine dont sleep in the water if it did i dont think ide get any shut eye that night haha! i dont heat my water stays around 20-30 though but i do have the water fall by the baskin spot i think that warms the water up nicely  and yeh i head read 45 mins but been told longer saying that mines never gone under water and played dead i kinda leave him to it


I'm looking at building a 'balcony' type over hang and pop another light underneath just to help warm the water... see if it works??!!


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

Mu Shu said:


> cant imagine how upset you were... it's just worrying that if i hadn't intervened what the outcome would have been... after they had been under for 45+ mins did they just come up and carry on as normal? Mu Shu had his eyes closed, legs spread... not a nice sight


I know what you mean...

yeah they came up and slowly went about their usual stuff, takes them a while to get back up to speed though! but nothing a juicy roach cant solve!


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

Mu Shu said:


> I'm looking at building a 'balcony' type over hang and pop another light underneath just to help warm the water... see if it works??!!


I would just use an aquarium heater and guard it from him getting to it, much more effective and a lot cheaper to run as well...


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> If your house is not too cold, room temp is fine. like i said, my water is about 22 in the day and 20 over night and they are perfectly fine. i know how you feel though, you immediately fear the worst! but i personally wouldnt worry too much, unless you know your house is only like 15c or something then i would consider finding a way to heat the water...
> 
> I dont know exactly how long, but i watched an entire episode of CSI without either of them coming up for air! so about an hour, possibly longer coz i went for a smoke and they only came out after i came back in, think the back door closing woke them up! :lol2:
> 
> ...


 yeh mine stays around that temp also my guppys surive it so the water cant go too cold cause they would all be belly up aswell lol! but my viv is right by my window in the winter i might have to get some night time heat source in my viv to be on the safe side kinda thing cause i smoke in my room i have my windows fully open 24/7 too get the clean air in lol


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## Mu Shu (Sep 30, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> If your house is not too cold, room temp is fine. like i said, my water is about 22 in the day and 20 over night and they are perfectly fine. i know how you feel though, you immediately fear the worst! but i personally wouldnt worry too much, unless you know your house is only like 15c or something then i would consider finding a way to heat the water...
> 
> I dont know exactly how long, but i watched an entire episode of CSI without either of them coming up for air! so about an hour, possibly longer coz i went for a smoke and they only came out after i came back in, think the back door closing woke them up! :lol2:
> 
> ...


I'm stayin awake now until he drops off to sleep... then when his lights come on in the mornin... it'll wake me up so i know he hasnt gone for a midnight Skinny dip (ooh memories):lol2:

thanks for all your help guys... really appreciate the input, makes me a feel a little easier now i know its quite common, fingers crossed he's still around when i get back from work tomoz!!


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

wilko92 said:


> yeh mine stays around that temp also my guppys surive it so the water cant go too cold cause they would all be belly up aswell lol! but my viv is right by my window in the winter i might have to get some night time heat source in my viv to be on the safe side kinda thing cause i smoke in my room i have my windows fully open 24/7 too get the clean air in lol


If you love your reps i think you should stop smoking :Na_Na_Na_Na::lol2:



Mu Shu said:


> I'm stayin awake now until he drops off to sleep... then when his lights come on in the mornin... it'll wake me up so i know he hasnt gone for a midnight Skinny dip (ooh memories):lol2:
> 
> thanks for all your help guys... really appreciate the input, makes me a feel a little easier now i know its quite common, fingers crossed he's still around when i get back from work tomoz!!


Ha ha! im not sure if it very common, i only speak from experience, and mine are AWD's, not CWD's, so a bit more hardy! but then again, they are called WATER dragons... :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## Mu Shu (Sep 30, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> If you love your reps i think you should stop smoking :Na_Na_Na_Na::lol2:
> 
> 
> 
> Ha ha! im not sure if it very common, i only speak from experience, and mine are AWD's, not CWD's, so a bit more hardy! but then again, they are called WATER dragons... :Na_Na_Na_Na:


True...

Will keep you posted, ooh thanx for the info last week too!!:2thumb:


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

Mu Shu said:


> True...
> 
> Will keep you posted, ooh thanx for the info last week too!!:2thumb:


No problem bud, any time, just drop me a pm and i will help you if i can...


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> If you love your reps i think you should stop smoking :Na_Na_Na_Na::lol2:
> 
> 
> 
> Ha ha! im not sure if it very common, i only speak from experience, and mine are AWD's, not CWD's, so a bit more hardy! but then again, they are called WATER dragons... :Na_Na_Na_Na:


 i been down that route i started to go grey early.. haha! but saying that ive cut down a massive amout used to get through 50 grams of amber leaf in 1 and half days.. now i get through 25 grams over 3 days so its better! one day maybe.. just not yet! :lol2:


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

wilko92 said:


> i been down that route i started to go grey early.. haha! but saying that ive cut down a massive amout used to get through 50 grams of amber leaf in 1 and half days.. now i get through 25 grams over 3 days so its better! one day maybe.. just not yet! :lol2:


I feel your pain, i went from a pack of 20 a day, sometimes more, down to half that when i moved here and now i am on about 6 a day!!!!!

live in a rented house, no smoking inside, helps massively!


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## wilko92 (Aug 29, 2011)

NicolasB said:


> I feel your pain, i went from a pack of 20 a day, sometimes more, down to half that when i moved here and now i am on about 6 a day!!!!!
> 
> live in a rented house, no smoking inside, helps massively!


 thats what it is cause i can smoke indoors i do it more btw you can get about 100 rolls ups in 50 grams on amberleaf :blush: but since the reps about 3-4 months now ive cut down to what i smoke now lol


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## mrsmith77 (Oct 17, 2019)

freaked me out when mine was in hers the first time to


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