Post by Pooka on Nov 3, 2004 19:42:51 GMT -5
From the good folks at Agama International, this is a great care sheet and I wanted to share it with you.
Check Agama int. out at: www.agamainternational.com/physignathus_lesueurrii_care_sheet.shtml
Check Agama int. out at: www.agamainternational.com/physignathus_lesueurrii_care_sheet.shtml
The Australian Water Dragon
Care Sheet
Enclosures
For indoor enclosures I would suggest a minimum size of 2'x4'x4' (Width x Length x Height). Hiding places and branches in one half of the enclosure and the other half should have a water bowl and a sandy area (imitation of a beach or river bank). The water bowl must be in a position where it can be cleaned very easily, as they defecate in the water. This may sound like a problem, but in fact it makes things easier for you as now the whole terrarium stays clean. You only have to clean the water bowl regularly. Be sure the lizards can get in and out of the water easily. I use those things in which you can dip your paint-roller to pick up paint, which are ideal for the lizards.
A terrarium which is transparant all around either with screening or glass will make your young water dragon nervous. A terrarium which has only a transparant front and in the back enough hiding places will prevent stressing. After the new lizard is put in his terrarium, it is best to leave and not touch it for a day or so, untill the lizard has learned where to hide in case of danger. Then he will feel secure and will be much less nervous. Older water dragons are not so easily stressed, but will still be more comfortable in such an enclosure.
Terrarium
The terrarium size for one pair of adult water dragons should be about 4 feet long by 4 feet high by 2 feet wide, though bigger is of course better. In the terrarium you can place a tree branch or tree trunk on which they can climb and sit. A warm basking spot is also needed. They also like a small box or place into which they can both sleep and hide. The water bowl needs to be situated so that it can be cleaned easily. The lizards should to be able to get in and, also, out off the water easily. Although not very elegant, we often use paint-roller dishes as they have a sloped "beach" area.
A larger pond, with water plants such as lotus, should get a filtering system. Another possibility is to use a water bowl with a drain, which can be cleaned and replenished without opening the terrarium.
Food
Newly arrived water dragons will normally start eating after 3-4 days as they need some time to adjust to their new surroundings. If you have recently arrived water dragons, it is important to have the temperature inside the terrarium high enough (80F) if you want them to start eating soon. In Australia they will stop eating when days get shorter and cooler; they may do the same in your terrarium if temperatures and light periods decrease. Also, young water dragons will generally stay motionless when they think that they are being watched, which may prevent them from eating if you stick around after feeding them. If you would like to watch to see if they are eating, do it from enough distance away that you don't think the water dragons are likely to see you.
At Agama International, Inc. we feed them mainly superworms as they can be fed from a feeding dish. This allows for very easy checking on their feeding habits. They also eat crickets. The drawback with gray- or house-crickets is that they are nocturnal and hide during the day, while the lizards are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. So it can happen that there are more crickets in the terrarium then needed, and that the crickets disturb the lizards at night. Worse, if the crickets are hungry enough they may eat the toes of your lizard. If you feed crickets, put some food for them such as a carrot so that they have something to eat at night and will leave your animals alone.
Cockroaches make good food, though you should never feed German or American ones because they will escape and become a real pest in the house. Hissing cockroaches and Deadhead cockroaches (Blaperus cranifer) can be fed easily from a container with smooth sides.
Cat food and all kinds of sweet and soft fruits (banana, peach, watermelon, etc.) can also be offered to your Australian water dragons. Although some will never touch it while others may eat it with gusto. Adults may also eat pinkie rats and pinkie mice.
As always, it is important to "gut load" your feeding insects first. This means you have to feed the insects before they are fed to the reptiles. This way the reptiles get extra nutrients which they may otherwise not be able to get. Sweet potato or carrots are very good choices for "gut loading" your insects.
You can also increase the food value of the feeder insects by dusting them first with a powder specifically made for that purpose, like for example Miner-All. These powders are easily available at all pet stores.
Lighting
If you keep your water dragon indoors you need a UVB lamp to provide ultraviolet radiation for the reptile. You should only purchase Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 fluorescent bulbs as they are the only fluorescent bulbs that we know of which produce enough UVB light for proper calcium metabolization (there is not much quality control in the reptile supplies industry). Incandescent bulbs don't produce UVB, though they may produce UVA, which is good for the animal's psychological health, but does nothing for calcium absorbtion. On the other hand, mercury vapor bulbs produce quite a lot of UVB, but are more expensive and are more work than fluorescent since they run hot enough to badly burn the animal if they come into contact with it.
Please read and follow the instructions that accompany the lamp. It is always important to place the lamp at the correct height (as listed on the lamp's instructions) above the lizard basking spot. Just 2 inches higher or lower will greatly change the amount of ultraviolet radiation that the lizard will absorb. Also, it is important to replace the bulb every six months or so as the amount of UVB that it produces decreases with time and it eventually becomes worthless. Even when it is not producing useful amounts of UVB it will still be quite bright, so you won't be able to tell whether it is burnt out simply by looking at the light.
Conversely, if you have other fluorscent lamps, bulbs older than 6 months make good general purpose bulbs as they typically look more like natural sunlight than the yellowish bulbs which are commonly used in fixtures for humans (or fish tanks, etc.). You don't have to throw out bulbs older than 6 months, you just can't use them as the primary UVB source for your reptile.
Care Sheet
Enclosures
For indoor enclosures I would suggest a minimum size of 2'x4'x4' (Width x Length x Height). Hiding places and branches in one half of the enclosure and the other half should have a water bowl and a sandy area (imitation of a beach or river bank). The water bowl must be in a position where it can be cleaned very easily, as they defecate in the water. This may sound like a problem, but in fact it makes things easier for you as now the whole terrarium stays clean. You only have to clean the water bowl regularly. Be sure the lizards can get in and out of the water easily. I use those things in which you can dip your paint-roller to pick up paint, which are ideal for the lizards.
A terrarium which is transparant all around either with screening or glass will make your young water dragon nervous. A terrarium which has only a transparant front and in the back enough hiding places will prevent stressing. After the new lizard is put in his terrarium, it is best to leave and not touch it for a day or so, untill the lizard has learned where to hide in case of danger. Then he will feel secure and will be much less nervous. Older water dragons are not so easily stressed, but will still be more comfortable in such an enclosure.
Terrarium
The terrarium size for one pair of adult water dragons should be about 4 feet long by 4 feet high by 2 feet wide, though bigger is of course better. In the terrarium you can place a tree branch or tree trunk on which they can climb and sit. A warm basking spot is also needed. They also like a small box or place into which they can both sleep and hide. The water bowl needs to be situated so that it can be cleaned easily. The lizards should to be able to get in and, also, out off the water easily. Although not very elegant, we often use paint-roller dishes as they have a sloped "beach" area.
A larger pond, with water plants such as lotus, should get a filtering system. Another possibility is to use a water bowl with a drain, which can be cleaned and replenished without opening the terrarium.
Food
Newly arrived water dragons will normally start eating after 3-4 days as they need some time to adjust to their new surroundings. If you have recently arrived water dragons, it is important to have the temperature inside the terrarium high enough (80F) if you want them to start eating soon. In Australia they will stop eating when days get shorter and cooler; they may do the same in your terrarium if temperatures and light periods decrease. Also, young water dragons will generally stay motionless when they think that they are being watched, which may prevent them from eating if you stick around after feeding them. If you would like to watch to see if they are eating, do it from enough distance away that you don't think the water dragons are likely to see you.
At Agama International, Inc. we feed them mainly superworms as they can be fed from a feeding dish. This allows for very easy checking on their feeding habits. They also eat crickets. The drawback with gray- or house-crickets is that they are nocturnal and hide during the day, while the lizards are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. So it can happen that there are more crickets in the terrarium then needed, and that the crickets disturb the lizards at night. Worse, if the crickets are hungry enough they may eat the toes of your lizard. If you feed crickets, put some food for them such as a carrot so that they have something to eat at night and will leave your animals alone.
Cockroaches make good food, though you should never feed German or American ones because they will escape and become a real pest in the house. Hissing cockroaches and Deadhead cockroaches (Blaperus cranifer) can be fed easily from a container with smooth sides.
Cat food and all kinds of sweet and soft fruits (banana, peach, watermelon, etc.) can also be offered to your Australian water dragons. Although some will never touch it while others may eat it with gusto. Adults may also eat pinkie rats and pinkie mice.
As always, it is important to "gut load" your feeding insects first. This means you have to feed the insects before they are fed to the reptiles. This way the reptiles get extra nutrients which they may otherwise not be able to get. Sweet potato or carrots are very good choices for "gut loading" your insects.
You can also increase the food value of the feeder insects by dusting them first with a powder specifically made for that purpose, like for example Miner-All. These powders are easily available at all pet stores.
Lighting
If you keep your water dragon indoors you need a UVB lamp to provide ultraviolet radiation for the reptile. You should only purchase Zoomed Reptisun 5.0 fluorescent bulbs as they are the only fluorescent bulbs that we know of which produce enough UVB light for proper calcium metabolization (there is not much quality control in the reptile supplies industry). Incandescent bulbs don't produce UVB, though they may produce UVA, which is good for the animal's psychological health, but does nothing for calcium absorbtion. On the other hand, mercury vapor bulbs produce quite a lot of UVB, but are more expensive and are more work than fluorescent since they run hot enough to badly burn the animal if they come into contact with it.
Please read and follow the instructions that accompany the lamp. It is always important to place the lamp at the correct height (as listed on the lamp's instructions) above the lizard basking spot. Just 2 inches higher or lower will greatly change the amount of ultraviolet radiation that the lizard will absorb. Also, it is important to replace the bulb every six months or so as the amount of UVB that it produces decreases with time and it eventually becomes worthless. Even when it is not producing useful amounts of UVB it will still be quite bright, so you won't be able to tell whether it is burnt out simply by looking at the light.
Conversely, if you have other fluorscent lamps, bulbs older than 6 months make good general purpose bulbs as they typically look more like natural sunlight than the yellowish bulbs which are commonly used in fixtures for humans (or fish tanks, etc.). You don't have to throw out bulbs older than 6 months, you just can't use them as the primary UVB source for your reptile.
