# water dragon sleeping underwater?!?



## ndhomewood (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi,
I've had my water dragons for about 8 months now and all has been well until lately. My male has pretty much always slept in the water with his head poking out, but recently I have found him twice completely under water and not knowing how long he has been there! I know they can hold their breath for up to 30 mins but when i pulled him out both times he seemed dead, limp, lifeless. Yet a few minutes later he is running and looking around. Is he just sleeping or what?
Can anyone help because its really concerning?
Thankyou


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

I saw a reticulated python doing this yesterday!

What are your viv temps like? Maybe the water temps are cooler now than they were and he's falling into a deeper sleep than normal?


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## ndhomewood (Sep 1, 2010)

The temps are perfect, 32 degrees c during day and bout 27/28 at night. I dont have a temp gauge in the water but its warm to the touch!


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## Jeffers_56 (Jun 13, 2009)

in the wild they will bask on branches that overhnag water and if a predator comes along the will dive into the water. also they can play dead quite a lot if spooked so when you pick them up they seem limp and lifeless to try and put off the predator if it catches them. maybe he got spooked and did a combo of both of the above? playing dead in the water.
is there anything you can think of that might have freaked him out?

i wouldnt worry too much tho i dont think he would drown himself and they can be very skittish when young


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## ndhomewood (Sep 1, 2010)

No nothing that would spook him because one of the times I woke up in the morning and he was like it! He done it again today after I had put this post on! Its been 3 times in bout 2 weeks.
Should I be worried?


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## Mackattack (Nov 27, 2010)

*They tend to do this when they are scared. do you have cats or dogs ? that might get near the tank. mine will do this when my cat comes up to the glass he don’t like her to much. He is not sleeping he is just trying to hide and he thinks that because he is in the water nobody can see him or her. hope this help.

I would try leaving pets out the room to see if he / she does it again that way you'll know ... thats what i did 
*


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## mr stroudy (Mar 11, 2008)

cover the tank with a sheet and see if it still happens. but what is the humidity is he/she in shed


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## NicolasB (Jul 11, 2009)

Not sure if they are the same as the Aussie Water Dragons, but i had a male who used to do the same thing and passed away about a month after i caught him napping under the water. i wouldnt worry too much though, as the vet said mine passed away from not being able to digest his food properly. sadly we had a week of unexpected bad weather and i hadnt changed his viv's light and heating timer :bash::bash::bash::bash:

I hope your fella comes right and you have many more happy years with him!!! :2thumb:


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