Diet

Water dragons are carnivorous reptiles accustomed to warm temperatures in humid environments.  The diet recommended for Water dragons consists of insects and pinkies.

Animal Items

*Never offer scorpions or lightning bugs.

Vitamin supplements are unnecessary, and in fact are often harmful. When feeding live insects, only provide as many insects as the animal can eat in a few hours.  Clean water should be available at all times and, due to high cage humidity, frequent water changes are necessary to minimize bacterial contamination.

Temperature and Lighting

Daytime ambient temperature (everywhere in the enclosure) should be maintained around 85 degrees F (29 - 32 C). Night time ambient temperature should be maintained at 75 - 80 degrees F (29.5 - 35 C).   Water dragons prefer to bask in elevated branches. An Incandescent lamp for basking should should be placed over the branch.  Light bulb wattage should be adequate to provide a basking temperature around 90-95 degrees F (32-35 C). This temperature should be measured with a thermometer placed directly at the basking site.

  Water dragons require a good source of UVB light for at least 8 hours every day.  Fluorescent lamps with a stronger UVB output, such as the Repti-sun 8.0 (ZooMed) or ReptiGlo 8.0 (Exoterra) are appropriate. The lamp should be within 18 inches of the animal's body, with no glass or plastic between them.

Housing

Water dragons require relatively high ambient humidity levels.  Recommended cage substrates include orchid bark or bedding bricks made of coconut fiber which absorb and expand when exposed to water.  The majority of intestinal impactions occur due to sand (including Calci-Sand), crushed walnut shell, or other substrates composed of small, equal-sized particles and therefore these are not recommended.  Indoor-outdoor carpeting is also not recommended due to the possibility of carpet threads constricting toes or being ingested.

Gut-Loading

Gut-loading is the practice of feeding insects a diet high in calcium, protein, and other nutrients prior to offering the insects to reptiles and amphibians.  Domestic crickets and meal worms should be fed a diet consisting of four parts chicken or turkey starter mash and one part calcium carbonate for two or three days before offering the crickets to your pet. Also, offer the crickets water in a shallow dish or wet sponge.  Gut-loading beyond 2-3 days is not beneficial, and can actually decrease the life expectancy of the insects.