What you feed your Chinese water dragon and how often you feed it is very important. In this post, you will find a complete guide to Chinese water dragon diet – feeding schedule, what to feed (best, occasional, toxic food list and chart for vegetables, greens, fruit, insects, worms), water needs and supplements.
What do Chinese water dragons eat?
Chinese water dragons are omnivorous – they eat insects and vegetables, greens, fruit. Also, Chinese water dragons can eat small pinkie and fuzzy mice. In the wild, they might also eat small animals, including lizards, and even fish.
How often to feed a Chinese water dragon?
Young Chinese water dragons will eat more often – feed baby-juvenile dragons of up to 6 months old every day. Feed 6-18 month old Chinese water dragons every two days, and dragons of over 18 months old – every 2-3 days.
If offering smaller portions, you can feed your Chinese water dragons daily. Also, feed sick or underweight Chinese water dragons daily, even 2 times a day. Regulate portions in adults to prevent obesity.
Feed few hours after lights turn on. This is to allow your Chinese water dragon to digest food during the day, and to also make sure it’s already warm in the cage to facilitate good digestion.
How much to feed a Chinese water dragon?
When feeding a Chinese water dragon, offer as much as it can eat. To prevent obesity, limit higher fatty bugs and any whole prey. Feed adults every 2-3 days, but if you feed daily, split the normal portion to prevent obesity. With time, you will learn how much your dragon normally eats.
Chinese water dragon food chart
- Live feeder insects and some whole prey – 80% (up to 85% for young Chinese water dragons of up to 12 months old). From 80%, you must feed 50-60% of insects and only 20-30% of worms.
- Vegetables and greens – 15%
- Fruit – up to 5%
- Mice/baby rats of appropriate size – 1-2 times a month
Chinese water dragons mainly prefer insects and meat over vegetables, greens and fruit. On the day when you need to offer vegetables/greens, offer them first because otherwise it won’t touch them. Make sure to offer different bugs daily.
Feeding mice to Chinese water dragons
Limit fuzzy or pinkie mice to 1-2 times a month. They are high in fat and harder to digest. Pinkie mice are smaller newborn mice, while fuzzies – larger juveniles. Offer mice only to Chinese water dragons that can eat them (over 18 months old). 1 mouse per feeding.
Mice must not be longer than the length of the head, and equal maximum to only half of your dragon’s head width. Please don’t feed live mice, as it’s inhumane. You can get packaged frozen mice like this that you can store in a freezer and thaw one before feeding. Occasional mice feeding is exciting for your dragon and provides extra calcium.
Feeding fish to Chinese water dragons
In the wild or in captivity, Chinese water dragons do sometimes eat fish that they love catching. However, most fish are very high in fat (such as goldfish) and carry parasites. It is a good idea to avoid feeding any live fish to your Chinese water dragon.
Also, don’t add fish to your Chinese water dragon’s soaking tub or pond. They will die from being in the water that has your dragon’s waste and suffer a lot.
Food size – important
When feeding your Chinese water dragon whole prey and even live insects, watch the size. Food that is too large can cause choking, paralysis and even death.
Calcium to Phosphorus ratio is very important in the diet
When feeding your Chinese water dragon, you must always think about the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in foods. Because your Chinese water dragon will eat mainly insects and worms, you will need to gut-load them to make sure that the ratio is ideal.
Gut-loading is when you feed live bugs nutritious foods for at 24-48 hours before offering them to your Chinese water dragon. Never feed bugs without gut-loading them first.
Ca:P ratio must be at least 2:1, or ideally higher. There must always be more calcium in food that phosphorus, otherwise phosphorus will eliminate calcium from the body and cause metabolic issues or secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism.
Chinese water dragon food list
Best live feeder insects and worms for Chinese water dragons
- Black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms/CalciWorms/Reptiworms)
- Dubia roaches
- Discoid roaches
- Tomato Hornworms (Goliath worms, Tobacco worms)
- Madagascar hissing cockroaches
- Crickets (Acheta, Black or Banded)
- Earthworms
- Grasshoppers
- Locusts
- Lobster roaches
- Silkworms
- Ivory head roaches
- False Death Head Roaches
- Turkestan roaches
- Orange head roaches
Out of all feeder insects, the best ones are Black soldier fly larvae. That’s because they are highest in calcium and rather low in phosphorus (Ca:P ratio of 1.5:1), and you can skip gut-loading them.
Make sure to offer your Chinese water dragon a variety of live insects, as they love variety and can become bored with same food quickly. Limit fatty bugs as your dragon can become picky and fussy about food.
Offer 3-4 varieties during each feeding, especially for juveniles under 12-18 months old. Do this even for older dragons, or at least offer different insects/worms every day.
Please don’t get any bugs or flowers from outside, as they could come in contact with pesticides, fertilizers etc. This is extremely harmful and dangerous to your Chinese water dragon.
Occasional feeder bugs for Chinese water dragons (once a week)
- Mealworms (Ca:P ratio – 1:7, rather high in fat – 13%, high chitin content). Can offer twice a week in small quantities, only to dragons over 12-18 months old.
- Superworms (Ca:P ratio – 1:18, high in fat – 18%).
- African land snails – treat once in 1-2 weeks
- Six-spotted roaches (Ca:P ratio – 1:6, high in fat – 27%, can remove legs as they have spines on them).
- Buffalo worms (high in fat – 24%, must not offer buffalo beetles)
- Waxworms (Ca:P ratio – 1:8, high fat – 25%)
- Beetle grubs – high fat
Some insects or worms have a high chitin content in their exoskeleton, and are harder to digest. In young Chinese water dragons, they can cause impaction or difficult digestion.
Avoid feeding mealworms, morioworms, grubs, pinkie/fuzzy mice, or larger & tougher roaches to dragons under 12-18 months old! For babies and juveniles, small crickets, hornworms, silkworms, earthworms and smaller & softer roaches are the best options.
Toxic insects for Chinese water dragons
- Box elder bugs
- Ladybug (ladybird)
- Monarch or Queen butterflies and their caterpillars
- Centipedes and millipedes
- Ants
- Spiders (bites)
- Scorpions (bites)
- Bees, wasps, hornets (bites)
- Lubber grasshoppers (very toxic)
- Fireflies (lightning bugs)
Best vegetables and greens list to feed your Chinese water dragon
- Collard greens
- Fresh alfalfa (not dried)
- Dandelion flowers and greens
- Mustard greens
- Prickly pear
- Butternut squash
- Turnip greens
- Spaghetti squash
- Escarole
- Endive
- Chicory
- Herbs that you can add to salads – mint, basil, rosemary, coriander, peppermint
- Hibiscus
- Nasturtium
Vegetables and fruits to feed occasionally
- Scallop, Hubbard, Acorn squash
- Watercress
- Rocket
- Pumpkin
- Bell peppers
- Chickpeas, pinto or green beans (canned in water or fresh)
Please don’t feed any lettuce to your Chinese water dragon. Lettuce is very low in nutrition. Offer only if you want to provide extra hydration.
Best fruits for Chinese water dragons (5% of the diet or less)
- Mango
- Papaya
- Apples
- Cantaloupe melon
Toxic to Chinese water dragon vegetables, greens or fruits
- Leaves of tomato, potato or eggplant plants
- Onions
- Garlic
- Rhubarb
- Avocado
- Leeks
- Chives
- Eggplants (aubergine)
Also avoid corn, mung bean sprouts and yam, as they are too high in phosphorus. Too much phosphorus binds calcium and overtime, leads to calcium deficiency.
Goitrogenic and oxalic food list – foods to limit in the diet
Goitrogenic foods are foods that bind iodine and disturb its absorption in the organism. Over time, feeding too many of those foods can lead to thyroid issues. Example of goitrogenic foods that you should limit are:
- Radishes
- Rapini
- Rutabaga (swede)
- Turnips
- Kohlrabi
- Cabbage (especially green cabbage)
- Broccoli
- Bok Choy/Pak Choi
- Kale
- Apricots, peaches
- Cherries, raspberries, strawberries
- Plums
Oxalic foods are foods that bind calcium and disturb its absorption by the organism. Over time, will lead to calcium deficiency. Examples of high oxalate foods include:
- Swiss chard
- Okra
- Parsley
- Celery
- Carrots
- Beetroot and beet greens
- Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries
- Figs
- Pears
- Kiwi
- Star fruit (Carambola) – very high in oxalic acid, don’t feed
Limit oxalic and goitrogenic foods to only 5% of the diet, or offer in very small quantities with staple greens and veggies.
If you would like to see a full list of best insects, worms, veggies, greens and fruit with Ca:P ratios, please see this post.
Commercial foods for your Chinese water dragon
If you are thinking about offering your Chinese water dragon commercial food from time to time, it’s possible. However, the food must be of high quality, and only offered to supplement the diet and not replace it.
One of the reputable brands for food and supplements is Repashy. A product like this (bearded dragon omnivore gel premix) would be suitable for a Chinese water dragon. However, some Chinese water dragon won’t recognize gel or paste as food. Wiggling with tweezers might initiate a feeding response.
Gut-loading live feeder bugs for your Chinese water dragon
Gut-loading is the process of feeding and nurturing live feeder bugs. This is crucial to make sure they are nutritious for your Chinese water dragon. 24-48 hour gut-loading is a standard. All live feeder bugs (insects and worms), apart from Phoenix worms, will require gut-loading.
To gut-load your feeder bugs, place them in a container and offer nutritious food. Place hides for them to hide in – you can use egg cartons, for example. For food, you can offer dry/gel insectivore food. You can even get special gut-load food, such as this one from Repashy.
Also, offer fresh greens and vegetables – such as collard or mustard greens, dandelions, arugula and other staples. For moisture, you can offer water crystals or fresh slices of apple, mango, papaya.
Before feeding, you also need to dust them with supplements on specific days. Supplements must only lightly coat the insects & worms. You can place them in a shaker like this, add powder and shake to coat.
Can Chinese water dragons eat oranges?
No, don’t feed oranges or any citrus fruit to your Chinese water dragons. Acidic fruits will cause digestive upsets and diarrhea.
Can Chinese water dragons eat bananas?
Yes, Chinese water dragons can eat bananas, but they are extremely high in sugar and phosphorus. Offer once a month or less as a treat.
Can Chinese water dragons eat grapes?
While Chinese water dragons can eat grapes (peeled), you might want to avoid feeding them. That’s because they are believed to cause liver and kidney damage in larger quantities in reptiles.
Can Chinese water dragons eat kale?
Yes, your Chinese water dragon can eat kale occasionally, less than once a week. It’s rather goitrogenic, similarly to broccoli, Bok Choy, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, rutabaga, radishes, turnips etc.
Can Chinese water dragons eat fish?
While Chinese water dragons do eat fish in the wild, it’s better to avoid feeding any. Chinese water dragons are only interested in whole fish (so it won’t eat cleaned or boiled fish). Most fish are high in salt, fat, heavy metals and parasites.
Can Chinese water dragons eat lettuce?
No, you shouldn’t feed your Chinese water any lettuce, unless it’s very dehydrated. Eating lettuce will not provide much nutritional value (similar to cucumbers, watermelons and other watery veggies or fruit).
Can Chinese water dragon eat tomatoes?
No, Chinese water dragons should not eat tomatoes. Tomatoes are acidic, and will cause adverse digestive reactions, so avoid offering at all.
Can Chinese water dragons eat eggs?
While your Chinese water dragons can eat eggs, it’s rather high in cholesterol and fat (yolk). You can offer a small chicken or quail egg few times a year, but only as a treat. Make sure to boil or scramble an egg, remove the shell, don’t use oil or seasonings.
Supplements for Chinese water dragons
Supplementing your Chinese water dragon’s food will help prevent deficiencies. However, make sure to use only a little bit of supplement to lightly coat the food (especially when dusting with multivitamins).
For your Chinese water dragon, the best thing is to get a separate pure calcium (no phosphorus or D3) and a separate multivitamin supplements. You will need to use pure calcium more often than multivitamins. Few of the supplements that you can get are:
- ReptiCalcium by Zoo Med, like this – for pure calcium without vitamin D3
- Repashy calcium, like this, with a low amount of vitamin D3
- NutroBal like this – multivitamin complex
- Herptivite like this – multivitamin complex
- Repashy calcium plus or another multivitamin complex
Make sure to gut-load the insects and worms. For babies (that eat daily), sick and gravid Chinese water dragons, sprinkle pure calcium 4 days a week, and with multivitamin – once a week.
For older Chinese water dragons that eat every 2-3 days, sprinkle calcium 2 days a week, and multivitamin – once in 2 weeks. 1 pinch for sprinkling a jar of bugs is enough.
Drinking water for a Chinese water dragon
Apart from a soaking tub with water, make sure to have a large shallow drinking bowl with fresh drinking water in the cage at all times. Make sure to refresh it daily, and as soon as it’s been soiled. It’s best to use bottled water instead of tap.
Thank you for reading this diet guide. If you would like to see a full Chinese water dragon food list of best, occasional and toxic insects, worms, veggies, greens and fruit with Ca:P ratios, please see this post.