i was told that if u feed mice,and orther good foods , and use a mvb bulb. that they dont need any supplements or vitamins is this true? i think they would still need some but i am not sure. thought i would ask seeing as i am thinking about geting one and trying to learn everything i can. thanks for your time and any help
Sometimes it takes longer than 48 minutes to respond on this forum.... :roll: That being said, from what I have read, the care of the australian water dragon is just like the green water dragons. I dust my WD's food 2-3 times/week with calcium and a multivitamin. I think it is going to be based on what the lizard will and will not eat. My two cents.
thank u very much. sorry i was in such a hurry i wanted to tell the guy at the pet store that he was way off and that they needed it atleast 2 time a week
ok one more ? i know that the basking spot needs to be around 95-100 and that the cool side needs to be around 80. but i have raed a lot of diff. things about the night temp. ones says that they r fine till 70 and some say dont go under 75 could some one please help me with this. i have raed every care page i can find most of them say 70 but i want to make sure. thanks for ur time and any help u can give me.
My WD's night temp was around 72 for 6 months, she was fine. For the supplementing, if you feed your dragon a variety of healthy foods and veggies, you don't necessarily have to dust it's food, although it isn't a bad idea. My vet has 2 WD's and she hasn't supplemented them in 3 years, with no problems, although she doesn't necessarily recommend this.
thanks. what brand of supp. sould i use? and would this be ok for uvb in the viv i am going to buld? it will be 4x3-4x4 i am not sure about the depth that is why i said 3-4 foot deep. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2006+113030 i am going to get the striplight from lowes or homedepot and get the bulb from the pet store when i get my dragon. thanks for ur help
95-100? That is way high. According to the sources I have read as well as local pro's, it should be around 84-88 in the day and 75-80 at night. I was advised to raise the temp to 95-100 only when my dragon was sick with a resperatory infection.
so around 85 would be good for basking? so that would mean i need to make the cool side like 75 right? and let the night temp just stay at like 70-75?
during the day one side of my tank is high 80's and one side is low 80's and at night it is usually just under 80
yeah that will work, but not for your heating needs if that's what you are asking. I use a similar bulb to that as well as a 100w basking light and a ceramic heat emitter
madmouse, the basking spot temps should be around 95-100, and the ambient temps in the cage could be in the 80's. if you plan on going with a flourescent tube UV bulb, plan on having the dragon basking 4-6 inches from it. your best bet in a custom enclosure is a mercury vapour bulb (the best ones are mega-ray and T-rex). They are more expensive, but they produce 3-4 times more UVB than a regular flourescent, and the amount of UV produced doesn't drop much as the bulb gets older. You have to replace flourescents around every 6 months, (even if they still work) because the UV produced drops off to almost nothing. You can use MV bulbs until they burn out. Your basking spot with an MV bulb can be around 12-16 inches from the bulb.
i am going to use a 100w chm at night and then a 100w basking light in the day. my home will be in the 75-80 range so i prob. wont even need a 100w chm but it cant hurt to start with one. i have been looking at the mvb but i dont think the pet store has them, they have just about everything else though. the mvb would act. cost me less because i wouldnt have to buy a strip light,uvb bulb and a basking light. i would only need the mvb,chm.
Australian water dragon's requriements are not exactly like the Asian water dragon's. They do not require a basking temp higher than 80 to 85. They do not need the high humidity that an Asian dragon needs. The other requirements are generally the same as far as cage size and vitamins, and UVB goes. Australians can withstand much lower temperatures without it hurting them. They are more disease resistant. They are also less likely to get veggies than an Asian water dragon and yes you still need the calcium. You can not go by directions for an Asian waterdragon for an Australian dragon.
from what i have looked at this is what i need to do. basking temp 85-90 cold side of viv about 75-80 night temp about 70-75 (nothing lower than 70) dust food 4 days out of week with cal. and then 2 days out of the week with the d3 feed crickets, some meal worms and 1-2 pinkys every 2 week water dish in viv big enough for her to fit all of he body in that should be about it unless i foregot something
All of the care sheets I have seen group them together as far as basic care and from what I gather from your post all you are saying is that if you follow the basic guidelines of the Chinese Water Dragon they will be fine as they are more durable. They have been known to eat fruit sometimes and the occasional veggie which is all I have ever read about the Chinese Water Dragon as well, mine won't eat any of that stuff.
Thank goodness Bert Langerwerf has a book coming out this month that will explain and define the differences between the Chinese and the Australian water dragon's care. They have always been lumped together until now and that is a mistake. Bert is the world's largest water dragon breeder in the US and he was the first to breed the AWD here, not to mention that he is highly educated and experienced with reptiles. His book should be released on April 15th.
