# *Feeding a Baby Chinese Water Dragon*



## Rango7 (Aug 9, 2011)

Hi, 

My Chinese Water Dragon is 6 months old and all i feed him at the moment is Locusts as that is all i was advised to feed him when i bought him a few months back. i just wanted to know at what age can i start feeding him other things, and what other things are best to feed him aswell as locusts.

Cheers :2thumb:


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## Barlow (Sep 23, 2010)

Rango7 said:


> Hi,
> 
> My Chinese Water Dragon is 6 months old and all i feed him at the moment is Locusts as that is all i was advised to feed him when i bought him a few months back. i just wanted to know at what age can i start feeding him other things, and what other things are best to feed him aswell as locusts.
> 
> Cheers :2thumb:


Hi, I used to breed Water dragons a few years back and produced quite a few babies. They will eat pretty much anything. Crix, roaches, mealworms, mice, goldfish, frogs you name it they'll eat it. Try to vary his diet up with inverts as much as you can and offer him the occasional pinkie mouse as a treat. Collecting a little frogspawn in the spring (not too much, don't go raiding all the ponds spawn) and raising the tadpoles to little frogs is interesting in itself and provides a good variety for him.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

You can feed him other things now  
I give my little beasties a variety of things, did do with the babies too, and I feed them as much as they want within a 10 minute period per feed.

One day will be crickets, one day locusts, one day meal worms, one day crickets and wax worms, one day locusts and wax worms and also roaches. all gutloaded with veg, and dusted with nutrobal.

I also leave veg in the enclosure for them at all times, this serves two purposes, if any crickets jump off the forceps leaving only a leg behind it prevents the cricket annoying the water dragon when it is not hungary, and the water dragons tuck in at it too.

Providing that the food items are no bigger than the legnth between the eyes you should be fine.: victory:


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## Frank1 (Aug 25, 2011)

Water Dragons eat almost any insect they can catch. It doesn't matter if locust, cricket, worms, roaches.....


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## Barlow (Sep 23, 2010)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> You can feed him other things now
> I give my little beasties a variety of things, did do with the babies too, and I feed them as much as they want within a 10 minute period per feed.
> 
> One day will be crickets, one day locusts, one day meal worms, one day crickets and wax worms, one day locusts and wax worms and also roaches. all gutloaded with veg, and dusted with nutrobal.
> ...


Great advice there mate. Other than the size of the food. It always makes me chuckle when people say that the prey item should only be as big as the space between the eyes. Do you think that dragons in the wild say no to a prey item because it is a little too large? If a dragon has a problem swallowing something a little bigger than it's head the problem is with the keepers husbandry, and not the dragons natural abilities.: victory:


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Barlow said:


> Great advice there mate. Other than the size of the food. It always makes me chuckle when people say that the prey item should only be as big as the space between the eyes. Do you think that dragons in the wild say no to a prey item because it is a little too large? If a dragon has a problem swallowing something a little bigger than it's head the problem is with the keepers husbandry, and not the dragons natural abilities.: victory:


You are quite right mate, but that is just the safe line, most people are comfortible going down that route rather than taking a guess, I hear you though, tbh I never take anything is gospel on the internet.

but yup completely agree with your statement.
with babies I do tend to follow that guideline ontil there is a bit of growth behind them.

thats just me though lol
when older I have seen mine devour locusts twice the size, that just so happned to be bigger than the rest in the tub lol.


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## Rango7 (Aug 9, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> You can feed him other things now
> I give my little beasties a variety of things, did do with the babies too, and I feed them as much as they want within a 10 minute period per feed.
> 
> One day will be crickets, one day locusts, one day meal worms, one day crickets and wax worms, one day locusts and wax worms and also roaches. all gutloaded with veg, and dusted with nutrobal.
> ...


 
Thanks for all the advice 

What would be best to start him off with as he hasnt been given anything else yet and he is only used to eating locusts.

Cheers


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## ba1l3y76 (May 8, 2011)

I would start him off with some crickets :2thumb:
Both of my water dragons love them but they wont touch locusts!
I also feed mine morio worms, wax worms and have tried pinkies but not interested!


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

ba1l3y76 said:


> I would start him off with some crickets :2thumb:
> Both of my water dragons love them but they wont touch locusts!
> I also feed mine morio worms, wax worms and have tried pinkies but not interested!


 
^^this: victory:

no water dragon owner will feed the exact same way, same with any bearded dragon, horned dragon or any other lizard owner for that matter.

I even feed mine wild foods because they contain more nutrients and I know some untouched parts of land so pesticides etc are not an issue, but that is only when I can be botherd to go out catching


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## Barlow (Sep 23, 2010)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> ^^this: victory:
> 
> no water dragon owner will feed the exact same way, same with any bearded dragon, horned dragon or any other lizard owner for that matter.
> 
> I even feed mine wild foods because they contain more nutrients and I know some untouched parts of land so pesticides etc are not an issue, but that is only when I can be botherd to go out catching


Yep, wild caught food is great. My nephew loves coming with me on grasshopper collecting trips.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Barlow said:


> Yep, wild caught food is great. My nephew loves coming with me on grasshopper collecting trips.


Our garden has a variety of things , you just have to do a bit of digging and take a couple of jars, opposite my house there is a factory and forest and feild behind it, so I do sometimes take the dog with me and catch a few bugs, saves some pennies too, not to mention the fresh air.:2thumb:

I also collect foods for the iguana too, tree leaves etc.


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## Rango7 (Aug 9, 2011)

ba1l3y76 said:


> I would start him off with some crickets :2thumb:
> Both of my water dragons love them but they wont touch locusts!
> I also feed mine morio worms, wax worms and have tried pinkies but not interested!


 
Thank you for all the replys everyone, 


I am going to start him off with some crickets and see how he gets on with those and i will let you know. :2thumb: 
Just one more thing, on a monday and a friday, I normally sprinkle his locusts with Nutrobal calcium dust, would i do the same with all of his other food that i am going to start feeding him like the crickets, wax worms, meal worms ect? 

Thanks.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Rango7 said:


> Thank you for all the replys everyone,
> 
> 
> I am going to start him off with some crickets and see how he gets on with those and i will let you know. :2thumb:
> ...


Yes what I do is offer nutrobal 4 days a week and 2 days pure calcium carbonate.

Always giving a days rest of just gutloaded food items with no dust.


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## Rango7 (Aug 9, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> Yes what I do is offer nutrobal 4 days a week and 2 days pure calcium carbonate.
> 
> Always giving a days rest of just gutloaded food items with no dust.


Right ok thanks :2thumb: 

do you think its a good idea that i give him his Locusts and other food with Nutrobal dust on them more than twice a week? or would you say its ok to just carry on as i am just the 2 days a week?


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Rango7 said:


> Right ok thanks :2thumb:
> 
> do you think its a good idea that i give him his Locusts and other food with Nutrobal dust on them more than twice a week? or would you say its ok to just carry on as i am just the 2 days a week?


 
dust everything  4 days a week with nutrobal.
you can also dust for 2 more days with pure calcium carbonate if you wanted too.


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## Rango7 (Aug 9, 2011)

Salazare Slytherin said:


> dust everything  4 days a week with nutrobal.
> you can also dust for 2 more days with pure calcium carbonate if you wanted too.


 
I will start to dust his food 4 days a week then I think  Thanks :2thumb:

Just out of intrest, how old are your CWDs if you dont mind me asking?


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