Chinese water dragons are truly beautiful and mesmerizing lizards. If you are gathering more information about Chinese water dragons or thinking about getting a Chinese Water dragon as a pet, this post will help you learn more about them. In this post, you will find different interesting Chinese water dragon facts and even their needs.
Where do Chinese Water dragons come from?
Chinese water dragons, also called Asian/green/Thai water dragons, come from tropical forests of China, Thailand, Vietnam and generally – mainland of Southeast Asia.
Do Chinese water dragons live in water?
No, Chinese water dragons don’t live in water. Chinese water dragons are semi-arboreal, which means that they spend most of their time up in the trees, but come down to eat, and can jump into water to swim away.
What is Chinese water dragon full grown size?
Hatchling Chinese water dragons are small in size – only around 5-6 inches (13-15.2cm) long in total. Chinese water dragon full grown size is around 3-3.3 feet (91-100cm) for males, and around 2-2.5 feet (61-76cm) for females, and they weigh around 1kg.
When do Chinese water dragons reach full size?
It takes a rather long time for Chinese water dragons to reach full size. In general, it will take at least 2 years to reach near to maximum full size, and up to 4-5 years to get to the full possible size (especially for males that get bigger).
How long do Chinese water dragons live for?
With good care, Chinese water dragons can live for 12-15 years. 10 years is often the minimum lifespan with proper care in captivity.
Do Chinese water dragons have teeth?
Yes, Chinese water dragons have small and pointed teeth, and use those teeth to eat both vegetation, insects and even small animals. But fortunately, Chinese water dragons rarely use their teeth to bite people.
Do Chinese water dragons brumate?
Chinese water dragons don’t naturally brumate as they come from the tropical areas of the world. There, temperatures stay similar throughout the year. In captivity, Chinese water dragons shouldn’t brumate with constant temperatures, but might slow down a little, or start brumating if temperatures drop suddenly.
Do Chinese water dragons swim?
Yes, Chinese water dragons are adapted to swim and enjoy swimming. There must always be a large enough water tub for your water dragon to soak and swim a little. In the wild, they drop from branches into water if there’s a threat.
Do Chinese water dragons make good pets?
Yes, Chinese water dragons make good pets, due to their large size, interesting personality, docility, handling tolerance and ability to become tame. They are not mean and rarely bite, and babies tend to tame out with handling.
Are Chinese water dragons easy to care for?
No, Chinese water dragons are not easy to take care for. When getting a Chinese water dragon, you must remember that it will potentially reach 3 feet tall and will require a huge tank that is at least 4x3x5 (L x D x H).
You will also have to have a swimming tub with filtration and moving water on the bottom of the tank and a fogging/misting system to keep high humidity levels of around 60-80%. On top of that, you will have to feed your Chinese water dragon lots of various live feeder bugs (however they eat less bugs with age).
What do Chinese water dragons eat?
Chinese water dragons are omnivorous, which means that they eat both vegetables, greens, fruit, various insects and even small animals occasionally.
Are Chinese water dragons related to iguanas?
You have probably noticed a lot of similarities between iguanas and green water dragons. They indeed have some relation – iguanas and Chinese water dragons belong to suborder of Iguania.
But green iguanas belong to the family of Iguanidae, while Chinese water dragons – to Agamidae. Other lizards that belong to the family of Agamids include uromastyx, bearded dragons, frilled lizards etc.
Are Chinese water dragons diurnal or nocturnal?
Chinese water dragons are diurnal, which means that they are active during the day and rest at night. Because they are diurnal, we must mimic these conditions in their enclosure, too.
Can Chinese water dragons live together?
Yes, Chinese water dragons can live together. But you must not house males together as they are likely to be aggressive towards each other. A male and 2-3 females is often the best option. Few females might work, but sometimes females don’t like the presence of other females. This can cause aggression, so you will have to separate them.
You will need a lot more space to keep pairs or trios – even single adults require a minimum 4x3x5 feet(LxDXH)! Two Chinese water dragons will need a tank that is at least 6x4x6 feet. Bigger enclosures are highly recommended, as green water dragons are very active and love climbing.
If getting babies, they might turn out to be males, so be ready to separate. Even females might not like each other, and might need time to get used to each other.
Can Chinese water dragons drop their tails?
Chinese water dragons might lose the tip or a big part of their tail due to rough handling, falling from a high structure (breakage), tail rot and bites. Depending on breakage, the tail might regrow a little, but will not have the original look.
Are Chinese water dragons poisonous or venomous?
No, Chinese water dragons are not poisonous or venomous, and handling them or their bite cannot kill a human.
Are Chinese water dragons social?
Yes, Chinese water dragons are curious, often friendly and social. Most new Chinese water dragons might be shy and skittish, but tame out very well and make great social pets.
Thank you for reading this post on interesting Chinese water dragon facts. Make sure to check out other posts on keeping Chinese water dragons as pets.
Thank you for reading this post. To learn more about Chinese water dragons, please see this resource page.