# Water Loving Lizards.



## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

Right. Well I really like water monitors, but don't think I'll be getting one of them until I'm at least 30 lol.

But I really like the idea of seeing lizards swim, this is what fascinates me about the water monitors, & would really love to have a decorative enclosure with a pool in the bottom for the lizard to *swim* in, not just soak in.

So, there's a few other species I'm after beforehand, but if you have any suggestions of smaller lizards that like to swim & would appreciate a pool then post some ideas here. Obviously all the necessary research shall be done before considering buying one.

Thanks,
Matt


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## cracksolja (Sep 10, 2007)

DOnt CWD's swim or do they jus soak? I want a CWD but then again I want every animal  cant believe this hobby began over a tin of cat food unbelievable but well worth the money


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## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

what size viv do you have?


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

cracksolja said:


> DOnt CWD's swim or do they jus soak? I want a CWD but then again I want every animal  cant believe this hobby began over a tin of cat food unbelievable but well worth the money


I'll look into them thanks 



basky said:


> what size viv do you have?


Well it'll be built not bought. So any size really, just as long as it's not a like a room conversion.

Will be able to build any size viv I would have thought. 

So yeh, more or less any size viv, within reason..So not like 12ft lol.


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## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

the only things i can think of would be water dragons, basilisks, sailfin dragons...uhm :hmm:.......i'll keep thinking. niles and water monitors both need huge enclosures.


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

basky said:


> the only things i can think of would be water dragons, basilisks, sailfin dragons...uhm :hmm:.......i'll keep thinking. niles and water monitors both need huge enclosures.


 
Yeh I know, that's why I don't want a water monitor 

& thanks, will look into them


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

I know you already have a bosc but they swim, the more space in the water pool the more often they are likely to properly swim.

as already said the main 3 are wd's, basiliscs, sailfins [sailfins not too common at all and not so hardy in captivity i hear] 
Erm..Iguanas...Greem, fijis..
I know of atleast one person who had green anoles that swam in shallow [but sizeable] water pool.
However others dont offer anoles any form of water pool.


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

yeh like said i think its either gonna be basilisks or CWD's.

heres some pics of my viv (couple of threads):

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/habitat/78961-massive-wd-viv-finally-few.html 


and a couple of my CWDs:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizard-pictures/79674-water-dragons-new-viv-couple.html 

although they have a 2.5ish foot a x 1.5 ish foot x 20cm deep pool theuy they can fully submerge themselsves and often dive into the pool off the braches with them being like 2 ft its would be hard to get them to swim properly, youd need like a 5ft pool to see it properly! 

dont get me wrong mine do swim but just in circles! lol.

only pain inb the behind thing ios it takes ages to empty and clean out!


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> I know you already have a bosc but they swim, the more space in the water pool the more often they are likely to properly swim.
> 
> as already said the main 3 are wd's, basiliscs, sailfins [sailfins not too common at all and not so hardy in captivity i hear]
> Erm..Iguanas...Greem, fijis..
> ...


 
Well my dads meant to be building me a 5ft viv for my bosc as he's almost ready to move up from his 3ft, so I'll get some sort of pool set up in there 

Thanks for the suggestions, will look into them all..& I would *kill* for some fiji iggies! Could be something to consider, as opposed to getting a few morphs of snakes from hamm this year, maybe just a couple & then a pari/trio of fiji's..tbh, I've never looked into them, so will have a look now, lets just hope I get a job soon then eh haha :lol:


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

scotty123 said:


> yeh like said i think its either gonna be basilisks or CWD's.
> 
> heres some pics of my viv (couple of threads):
> 
> ...


 
Thanks mate, will check the links


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

Nice viv mate


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

thanks, in hindsight i wish id had more room and would have probably gone 8ft x 3ft x 6ft high but hey ho... i just didnt have the space! lol


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

scotty123 said:


> thanks, in hindsight i wish id had more room and would have probably gone 8ft x 3ft x 6ft high but hey ho... i just didnt have the space! lol


 
Lol, looks pretty cool as it is tbh : victory:


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

cheers, its mainly because i wanted to add another 2 females to give me a breeding group but due to the size its been advised i only add one! ahh well, good look on the hunt for a water loving lizard mate!


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

im bored so gonna look for some for you mate! lol

found this beauty if you like skinks?

*Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii)*

Active, sun-loving skinks that favour basking sites adjacent to creeks, rivers or swamps, particularly where rocks or fallen logs are present. When startled, they can quickly take to the water and may even remain submerged. The Eastern Water skink bears a distinct gold stripe that runs from above the eye over its shoulder. Adults reach a maximum size of about 25cm (snout to tail) and bear live young (viviparous). Their diet comprises invertebrates, smaller skinks and they have even been observed eating baby frogs. The Eastern Water Skink has been observed in the Brickpit amongst rubble and under patches of Pampas Grass; it has also been seen basking on rocks of the gabion walls at Kronos Hill, and on paths throughout Bicentennial Park.


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

apparently Mountain Horned Dragons love there water too!?

Beginner's Reptiles


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

Ahhh thanks mate 

Shall have a look into those two aswel 

My dad came home so I wasn't able to answer, too busy having a domestic lol.


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

haha no probs dude, 

i just had a search on google and them two poped up...

maybe if it more the swimming your interested in then maybe if you can find a smaller species then do that? you wont need to make a massive water pool and they will be able to swim properly?


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

scotty123 said:


> haha no probs dude,
> 
> i just had a search on google and them two poped up...
> 
> maybe if it more the swimming your interested in then maybe if you can find a smaller species then do that? you wont need to make a massive water pool and they will be able to swim properly?


Yeh could be an idea,so they've got a massive pool, but it's not actually that big..Is that what you're saying?

Water dragons [chinese] & basilisks [green..but like the brown ones too] are looking like they might be a strong contender


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## amy101 (Jul 9, 2007)

everyone needs a water monitor :lol2:

theyre just too cute!


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Out of the basiliscs, greens are the nicest looking.
basiliscs vs green water dragons...
thats a little tougher.


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

sorry mate i meant: 

if you have say a 2ft x 1ft pool. you get a water dragon thats gonna get to say 2ft. when he trys to 'swim' hes gonna be abit short of space but if you got a lizard that got to say 15cm then the pool to him will be massive and he can have a proper swim.

all im saying is the bigger the lizard the bigger water pool your gonn need.

CWDs get between 2ft-3ft btw....


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> Out of the basiliscs, greens are the nicest looking.
> basiliscs vs green water dragons...
> thats a little tougher.


i agree with that.

i love the marbled patterning you get on the basilisks, apart from the colourations they are almost identical physically,

what size do the get to dean? the grren basilisks? have you decided what your doing with your female CWD yet?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

in theory you could have the entire bottom of the viv water.

with a shelf about half the size of the viv floor about a foot up for the bottom with ledging and substrate.

thats what im gona do in furute i think.
put soem form of workable drain in [as anything larger that 2x2 full of water is just too much hard work, have learnt that from my boscs 3x2 water pool] lol


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

scotty123 said:


> i agree with that.
> 
> i love the marbled patterning you get on the basilisks, apart from the colourations they are almost identical physically,
> 
> what size do the get to dean? the grren basilisks? have you decided what your doing with your female CWD yet?


Havent give it any more thought since.
male green basiliscs hit the 3 ft mark i think.


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

Rankins Dragons (dwarf beardies) LOVE water. I'm planning on building a new viv soon for mine which will have possibly a shallowish but long faunarium or something for them to swim in. They look like mini crocodiles! (Speaking of which - if anyone has an adult female would they be willing to swap it with mine who is a prven breeder - or the male for that matter)


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

Our like water more than the beardies do but not as much as some then I guess.


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

scotty123 said:


> sorry mate i meant:
> 
> if you have say a 2ft x 1ft pool. you get a water dragon thats gonna get to say 2ft. when he trys to 'swim' hes gonna be abit short of space but if you got a lizard that got to say 15cm then the pool to him will be massive and he can have a proper swim.
> 
> ...


Yeh I meant something like that, I'm crap at wordking stuff lol. Thanks yeh, that makes sense. 



DeanThorpe said:


> in theory you could have the entire bottom of the viv water.
> 
> with a shelf about half the size of the viv floor about a foot up for the bottom with ledging and substrate.
> 
> ...


Sounds good, will look into it 



Mujician said:


> Rankins Dragons (dwarf beardies) LOVE water. I'm planning on building a new viv soon for mine which will have possibly a shallowish but long faunarium or something for them to swim in. They look like mini crocodiles! (Speaking of which - if anyone has an adult female would they be willing to swap it with mine who is a prven breeder - or the male for that matter)


Thanks for that, will consider them also


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> in theory you could have the entire bottom of the viv water.
> 
> with a shelf about half the size of the viv floor about a foot up for the bottom with ledging and substrate.
> 
> ...


 
not sure what you could use tap wise tho,

i stuck a water butt tap (the big green things that collect water in your garden). but its raised of the floor of the pool buy 2cm and that means once empty youve got to find someway of getting that 2cm of water oput! lol usaully i just splosh it around the rest of the viv! lol


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

erm..yeh..i dunno, i couldnt find a quick answer before and ran out of time so went without.
I think you can get little hoover thingys that hoover up water....for that last 2cm..i think.


kitchen sinks are damn expensive and a little small but drain fine.
anything that could be made ourselves can be done so the water all drains to the bottom and out easily with the same prinicpal as a wash basin and a pipe with a stooper attached to the other side of the plug hole for draining would work...just expensive and hard to do for the likes of me.


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## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

amy101 said:


> everyone needs a water monitor :lol2:
> 
> theyre just too cute!


do you have a pic of your monitor and viv? what size viv you got it in? i keep going over plans for one, trying to design a shed outside.


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> erm..yeh..i dunno, i couldnt find a quick answer before and ran out of time so went without.
> I think you can get little hoover thingys that hoover up water....for that last 2cm..i think.
> 
> 
> ...


i wish id have used a bath plug now thinking about it! that would have been perfect! ..... bugger! lol


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

lol dude


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

There's a shop near me with a water monitor for sale. It comes with his 3' viv wich is a two storey affair - the top is a viv. The bottom is a half empty (or full, depending on which way you look at it) fish tank with a filter in. The bottom of the viv has a hole he get through to go swimming. Quite cool - and for £200 all in you can't go wrong (except he'll need a bigger viv soon!)


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## scotty123 (Sep 16, 2007)

Mujician said:


> There's a shop near me with a water monitor for sale. It comes with his 3' viv wich is a two storey affair - the top is a viv. The bottom is a half empty (or full, depending on which way you look at it) fish tank with a filter in. The bottom of the viv has a hole he get through to go swimming. Quite cool - and for £200 all in you can't go wrong (except he'll need a bigger viv soon!)


thats a bargain for £200, bet once he get a new viv you could make abit of money back on the viv! 

im sure i seen another viv on here somewhere, think it was for a waterdragon wher it had a large arboreal viv with the same thin an opening in the floor and a large filterd fish tank in the bottom. i think it even had some guppys in there!l ol


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## grevo (Jul 31, 2007)

Does anybody keep guppies in their water dragon water? I suppose its tricky with them pooing in there all the time though...


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## Art_Gecko101 (May 6, 2006)

I didnt read the whole thread so i dont know if this has already been suggested but Shinisaurus crocodilius (Chinese crocodile lizard) are not too big and LOVE to swim, infact a guy in austria i speak to keep them almost fully aquatically, with just plenty of roots and lots sticking out of the water. he says they spend all their time in the water. I know a guy with one for sale if you want i can put you in touch. They are VERY cool animals! 

Another cool option, but one thats a bit more costly and would take longer to find (you'd probably have to order from europe and collect at Hamm) is a Rhacodactylus trachyrynchus. They are probably the most expensive and least common of the Rhacodactylus geckos, and come in 2 subspecies, both of which reportedly love to swim.


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## amy101 (Jul 9, 2007)

havent got a pic of the viv yet can get one tho, shes in a 4x2x2 and its ok for now.
shes looking a little porky on the top one shes stuffed herself silly lol enjoy


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

how many rankins do you have?
2 or 3?


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## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

omg amy im so insanely jealous


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> how many rankins do you have?
> 2 or 3?


2- been looking for another but cant afford the ones ive seen and ive not seen very many!


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

sorry dude, i meant amy101
as in her sig it says
2.1.0 rankin dragons - gerald & harold


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## Mujician (Mar 7, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> in her sig it says
> 2.1.0 rankin dragons - gerald & harold


Thats quite funny!


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## amy101 (Jul 9, 2007)

lol found out both boys forgot to take the number 1 off the female thing, blonde moment :lol2:


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

that makes sense  was just a tad confused.

so are they living ok together though? I know its not unheard of for male rankins to do ok together.
we just have a breeding pair so no personal experience.
did harold used to be harriet?


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## amy101 (Jul 9, 2007)

haha, nah they were buggers so we separated them, looking for a female for the one of them but cant really get my hands on a decent one.
my 2 male beardies live together fine no aggressivness nothing like that just the rankins can be funny buggers


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