# water dragon setup



## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

any ideas on a water dragons setup. hes in a 5ft tall by 2ft long and 2ft wide

so far hes got a cat litter tray for water using one of those exo terras heat wave lamps (the ones that dont give off any light) a uv bulb hes got 2 main branches and loads of those little bendie brances o and loads of jungle vine. is there any thing im missing that would benifet him


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## SuperTed (Apr 19, 2007)

a female friend? :lol2:


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

length wise an adult needs 5 ft long... and they recommend 3 ft deep to give them adequate room to jump around.

height wise usually 4ft... 

my wee girlie is about 1 yr old and shes in a 4ft high by 3 ft wide by 2 ft deep... but i will move her up next year to the adult size viv that is recomended...

water dragons are very active and love to dig so a digging box on the viv floor would be great... the scrabble in it during the day.. digging wee holes etc.

I have a waterfal in my viv and also some shelving so my WD can hop onto various platforms.

I would definately not add in another WD till you upgrade your vivarium size... especially as adult males need large enclosures

Lots of foliage and branches too 

heres a link to a website that i love, she has great advise regarding the proper sizes of vivs and lots of ideas on how to decorate.. and generally great info on water dragons 

Tricia's Chinese Water Dragon, Reptile and Amphibian Care Page (Water Dragon care, Reptile care, Amphibian care)


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

thanks alot for the replies. the only reason hes in a short viv is coz the viv he came with was 3 ft long, about a ft highmaybe less and less then a ft deep so i fort as a temp housing height wud be better for him. ive seen a viv in my local paper 4ft high 3ft long and 2ft deep for 35quid would this be better. as for foiliage and branches hes got 2 big branches going up and loads of jungle vine twisted real thick and the plastic plants are threaded threw the vines keeping them in place. i never new they like diggin i fort they were climbers. as for another i dont think im gonna get one for a long time lol ive heard the hacth at about the same size as a fully grown leo gecko. is this true?


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

ps. thanks for the link to the site


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

jamie_coxon said:


> thanks alot for the replies. the only reason hes in a short viv is coz the viv he came with was 3 ft long, about a ft highmaybe less and less then a ft deep so i fort as a temp housing height wud be better for him. ive seen a viv in my local paper 4ft high 3ft long and 2ft deep for 35quid would this be better. as for foiliage and branches hes got 2 big branches going up and loads of jungle vine twisted real thick and the plastic plants are threaded threw the vines keeping them in place. i never new they like diggin i fort they were climbers. as for another i dont think im gonna get one for a long time lol ive heard the hacth at about the same size as a fully grown leo gecko. is this true?


 
The viv in your papers does sound better but long term an even larger one is better. 4ft x 3ft x 2ft is probably adequate if your dragon is youngish but a ful grown adult needs more space. Most people dont realise quite how much space they do need.

If it is a male adding in a female late on might be stressful as males can peter one female if she is alone. Two females are advised because of this.

They absolutely love digging... as Water Dragons are both climbers, swimmers and diggers. They spend a fair amount of time in the wild digging on the forest floor during the day. Females can lay eggs without a male being pesent so you would also need to think about a wee digging box for that too. But I think I recalll you saying yours was a male.

Good luck with your new addition.... I love water dragons i think they are probably my fave lizard


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

sparkle said:


> The viv in your papers does sound better but long term an even larger one is better. 4ft x 3ft x 2ft is probably adequate if your dragon is youngish but a ful grown adult needs more space. Most people dont realise quite how much space they do need.
> 
> If it is a male adding in a female late on might be stressful as males can peter one female if she is alone. Two females are advised because of this.
> 
> ...


 
thanks well i rang for that viv in paper and it had gone 
mine is a male as of what i can tell well hes got got the same things inbetween its legs as most males lol and a larger crest.
as for adding a female i want to get to know one water dragon first as it is my first dragon. one really big problem ive got is heating. how can i heat the tank at the bottom. is it safe to tape a heat mat to the back of the viv inside and cover it with paper background? if not does anyone have any ideas as his groundish temps are about 20 degrees c


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## SuperTed (Apr 19, 2007)

lol i wasnt being serious i no there housing requirements!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it seems you have all you can in the viv prehaps get saving and treat it to a nice big viv in a month or so :lol2:


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

im thinking of gettin one the same size as my airing cupboard. well converting th cupboard into a couple of vivs


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

jamie_coxon said:


> thanks well i rang for that viv in paper and it had gone
> mine is a male as of what i can tell well hes got got the same things inbetween its legs as most males lol and a larger crest.
> as for adding a female i want to get to know one water dragon first as it is my first dragon. one really big problem ive got is heating. how can i heat the tank at the bottom. is it safe to tape a heat mat to the back of the viv inside and cover it with paper background? if not does anyone have any ideas as his groundish temps are about 20 degrees c


 
hi jamie

explain your set up to me so far.... and i can try to help.... water dragon vivs will always be a bit more comlicated than for example a beardie. ive spent hpurs at times trying to get everything right. and i have read and listened to a lot of other keepers to gain some idea of how to work with temps best.

basically IF you can afford it an infra red temp gun is perfect... in the wild there will be lots of temperatures in naturall environments. the forest floor under shade.... hides in trees.. above the water on branches and of course in the water.

Your water dragon should have plenty of room to choose what temp it requires.

If you are usiing a converted airing cupboard you really have to think about the humidity of the vivarium and the ventilation.

A lot of water dragon keepers will fully varnish any vivarium or enclosure so the wood ( if that is what the enclosure or viv is made from) doesnt swell with taking on water.

my concern with the airing cupboard is that if it takes on any moisture you might end up with DAMP in your house.

there are various varnishes that can be used and if you want to go down this route theres a lot of people on here that can help advise on the good ones to use in the HABITAT section of the forum.

The other way to build the viv would be to make one of your own or perhaps convert a suitable sized wardrobe or cupboard that isnt set into the walls of your house...

You need a lot of ventilation in the viv/ enclosure this can be provided by a small air-circulation fan.. these are basically computer fans and will help move stagnant air round the viv so that no damp or fungus grows.

You will find keeping natural plants in the viv is a good idea and there are lists of ones that are best for Water Dragons... this again helps to keep humidity up.

At the moment I have a 250 watt exo-terra ceramic bulb in my viv with a guard around it. This is set for daytime temp to 84 and nightime to 74. I also have a UV bulb and soome shelving and branches.

My WD didnt bask under his light much so i decided to put her water pool at the top of the viv on shelf instead of the viv floor and she now basks a LOT more.

she also has a wee waterfall and poll etc on the floor of the viv.

she has a LARGE cork hide in the middle of the viv she can go under where its nice and cool.

I havent beenlearning about water dragons very long but i did help look after them when i was younger and i have spent quite a while chatting to other owners etc , other people who ownn them should be bale to help you too.. but you might find some dont keep their pets in larger vivs...

As for the ehat mat NEVER put it inside the viv... the viv can be damp etc and this sint a great idea...

what u can do is buy a heat mat that is especially designed for damp humid environments.. they are a bit more expensive but definately worth it..

you can tape this to the back of the viv if you want extra temps at night... and cover it with a background... or use natural hemp fibre rolls... to cover the whole of the back...

my floor of the viv isnt too warm either but in the wild its similar as the trees block out a lot of the sun getting to the forest floor.

Hope ive helped a wee bit

best of luck


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

man thats great.ive got one of those ceramic heat emiiters. do these take a couple of days to work properly or do they all only feel hot for 2 inches under it?

well i need 2 get my viv sorted asap as the back wall is soaking, so bad i cud press it and a big chunk fall. i also have a uv bulb in there. so basically my ceramic heater is the only thing heating my tank


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## sparkle (Mar 21, 2007)

jamie_coxon said:


> man thats great.ive got one of those ceramic heat emiiters. do these take a couple of days to work properly or do they all only feel hot for 2 inches under it?
> 
> well i need 2 get my viv sorted asap as the back wall is soaking, so bad i cud press it and a big chunk fall. i also have a uv bulb in there. so basically my ceramic heater is the only thing heating my tank


ok that doesnt sound good petal.... if the viv is that damp it can give the water dragon a fungal infection as sometimes dampness can cause fungal spores or grow mould.. sometimes you can see these sometimes not..

even a free glass tank from freecycle or something would be better than the one hes in thats sodden wet...

the ceramic heat emitter should be absolutely burning hot.. so much so it should need a bulb guard...

if u cant feel heat coming off it then its not warm enough.. possibly not even working... they do pop similar to lightbulbs the only way to tel if they have popped is the fact they are not hot.

also u desperately need to get a UV tube from a reptile pet shop or online... water dragons need Uv to enable them to have strong bones etc... they require this Uv to proces vitamin D and if they dont have it it can cause a lot fo health problems .. i wasnt sure if you had a Uv or not??????????

water dragons vivariums are more complicated than for example beardies theres a lot more to think about... but with a bit of advice , practice, experience and reading you will be fine... the only problem is the cost... Im not sure how old you are so I have no idea how much money you have to spend on the items he wil need... dont worry about decor right now... u need the main things... 

1. ceramic bulb heater
2. thermostat ( like we have on central heating in houses) this controls the bulb so it doesnt get overheated or too cold
3. a UV tube or a compact UV bulb that is specially made for reptiles... you will also need a fittings for the ceramic bulb and uv bulb to go into... if you use a uv TUBE u need a UV starter ... but if you use a compact Uv bulb liek the new exo terra ones that look like energy saving bulbs all you need is a fitting liek you get inside a lamp or light.... you wil also need a timer so the light canbe switched on and off at the same time every day... for example 9 am to 9pm.. as they need 12 hours minimum uv per day.
4. a water dish or bowl that the dragon can easily lie in but not too deep
5. a hide to go under if they feel unsafe or nervous or too hot



it might be easier to add me to msn if you have it

[email protected]


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## jamie_coxon (Jul 18, 2007)

thanks for the advice. 
ive got a uv bulb in there its an exo terra 5.0 14watt bulb. the ceramic heater is hot but its only hot a couple of inches but i only got it on friday so iw as wondering if its like the bulbs were its gotta have a bit of time to heat to its max. its hotter now then waht it was yesterday. ive got a cat litter tray for him to swim in but its a small shallow one. as for getting a tank on freecycle. how do u use it do u ave to sign up for it or anything like that. ive got the uv starter motor under the tank trying to dry off the damp parts.


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## G.R/Trooper (Feb 20, 2011)

Swap the cat litter for an aquarium, looks much better =P


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