The Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) is an amazing, docile lizard that can be easily tamed, making it a popular choice for reptile enthusiasts. Native to Southeast Asia and the rainforests of Australia, these semi-aquatic agamid species, including the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii) and the Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) subspecies, are known for their friendly personalities. While they require a large cage, their ability to wander around with you makes them a rewarding pet.
Appearance and Characteristics
Male water dragons are larger and more colorful than females, reaching lengths of 2 to 2.5 feet, while females typically stay below two feet. The tail accounts for a majority of their length. In the wild, females need to blend in to foliage to protect their eggs, while males have red chests, making them more visible. Their tails are wide and powerful, used for defense and swimming. If threatened, they will whip with their tails, which can cause more bleeding than a bite. If kept healthy, water dragons can live up to 20 years.
Chinese water dragons look similar in size and shape, but are greener. The Gippsland water dragon may be distinguished by its green-blue color, especially during the breeding season, when this overall coloration is quite distinct. Another key difference is the absence of a prominent dark stripe behind the eye in the Gippsland water dragon, which is characteristic of the Eastern water dragon. The gular region of the two subspecies is also quite different, with Intellagama l. howittii having orange-yellow streaked with darker striping, which is sometimes quite striking, particularly in mature males, whereas Intellagama l. lesueurii typically has a pale, unmarked throat that is sometimes immaculate white in mature males. The belly and chest of Intellagama l. howittii are also quite different to Intellagama l. lesueurii, usually being blackish green, especially in mature males, and the limbs are often quite dark, sometimes even black. Whereas in Intellagama l. lesueurii the chest and belly are usually bright to deep red, particularly in mature males.
Handling and Aggression
Baby Australian water dragons may be jumpy at first, but they usually adjust to being handled as they mature. They may even claw at the door if they want to roam around. They can sit across your shoulder watching television for hours as long as you don't make sudden movements.
Housing Requirements
Water dragons need a minimum enclosure of 4 feet long, 3 feet high, and 2 or 3 feet deep. Hatchlings can be kept in 10 or 20 gallon tanks, but they grow quickly and will need an upgrade. They will use all the space provided. A thick tree branch is necessary for resting, and additional foliage is welcome for climbing and resting.
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Substrate
Non-fertilized potting soil, bed-a-beast, and other moisture-absorbing substrates should be used. Paper towels are acceptable but will be pushed around and ripped. Avoid sand because it does not release moisture and is easily swallowed.
Shelter
Provide a couple of hides on the ground for them to easily crawl into. These can be basic cardboard boxes or more elaborate hides.
Temperature
A basking spot of 95F is needed, and the rest of the tank should be 80F. If your Australian water dragon stays in the heat all day, you may need to raise the air temperature of the rest of the tank. A bulb is preferred over under tank heaters. A heat-emitting UV bulb is also beneficial for vitamin D absorption. Be sure to read the instructions that come with the bulb because a couple inches off can be the difference of life or death. Australian Water Dragons need to bask around 100-110 degrees (babies tend to like hotter basking spots than adults) with options to either raise or lower this temp themselves. You can do this by stacking platforms (hotter temps at the top of the basking areas with cooler basking spots down lower). You’ll need to adjust the wattage to reach optimal temperatures based on the temperature of your house/size of the cage.
Humidity and Water
Water dragons need a pool of water at the bottom of the tank that they can easily get in and out of. They also require high humidity of 60-80% throughout the cage. Misting the entire cage down a couple times a day is a chore, and automatic misting systems are a wonderful alternative. Live plants in the cage and in pots on the sides will help increase humidity. Water needs to be changed daily or when dirty (you can have a pump filter if you have a larger cage with say a pond) but the body of water needs to be large enough for the animals to fully submerge themselves.
Cleaning
Plants in the cage need to be watered, and water should be refilled daily. Loose substrates should be replaced every couple of months, and paper towels when soiled. If you use a filtration system, replace the water once a week.
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Australian Water Dragon Diet
Water dragons are omnivores, but as predators, they tend to prefer meaty foods over fruits and vegetables. Protein : Crickets, Superworms, Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Mealworms, Roaches, Feeder Anoles, Fish, Snails, Hornworms, Silkworms, Mazuri Insectivore Diet. They eat a lot, but their friendly personalities make them worth it.
Give your water dragon a couple of days when you get them to adjust and start eating. Appropriately sized crickets, cockroaches, and super worms should make up their main diet. You do not need to worry about them being picky eaters and they will eat anything from lettuce to the occasional pinkie mouse. Some vegetables that are edible include yellow squash, sweet potato, or green beans. Water dragons may love, or hate sweet food like cat food, bananas, peaches and strawberries. These are healthy choices and if they take fruit, switch up insects and fruit so they get the most out of their food. Be sure to dust and feed any live insect you feed to your dragon so their bones stay strong and healthy. 100% calcium dust should be used.
The diet of Australian water dragons depends on their age. Juveniles and yearlings tend to feed on spiders and small insects such as ants, crickets, and caterpillars. When they get bigger, so does their prey. An adult diet includes small rodents such as baby mice, although insects are still the most commonly consumed. Australian water dragons also consume fruits, berries, and flowers.
We also have created our own mix that we offer to our Aussies periodically that consists of Ground Turkey, Raw Eggs, Mazuri Insectivore, ProBugs Insects, Bee Pollen, Calcium Powder, Multivitamin Powder, Shredded Greens and usually blue berries.
Feeding Schedule and Variety
Be sure to feed your dragon on a schedule and serve them a variety of foods. Frozen/thawed newborn mice (“pinkies”), juvenile mice (“fuzzies”) and small common goldfish can be offered as an occasional, tasty treat to larger water dragons. Live prey should not be fed directly to a water dragon. Put the frozen food in a sealed plastic bag and place it in a thawing container filled with cold water. Keep the food in the water until it thaws. Place the thawed prey, still in the sealed plastic bag, in the warm water. Never use a microwave to thaw or warm frozen rodents, and never offer food that's still frozen to a pet. Avoid preparing frozen rodents in the same area that used to prepare food for personal consumption.
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Supplementation
When giving vitamin supplements to water dragon, make sure to dust a water dragon’s insects with a powdered vitamin supplement. To dust insects quickly and efficiently, place insects in a bag or disposable plastic container along with a powdered supplement. Babies We give calcium with D3 to our babies atleast 4 times per week, dusted on their salads. Always remember to offer a varied diet.
Water
Fresh, clean water should always be available and replaced daily. Never use a microwave to thaw frozen rodents. Do not prepare your lizards’ food in the same area you prepare your own food.
Gut-Loading Insects
Before being fed to a water dragon, live insects must be “gut-loaded” with a nutrient-dense insect supplement to improve their nutritional value. To gut-load prey, place insects in a container with a gut-loading diet that they can gorge on.
Important Note
Pet parents should always purchase insects, worms, and mice from a pet supply store or raise them by themselves. Never feed a water dragon insects, worms, or mice found in the wild, as they may carry parasites or other infectious organisms that can make a water dragon fatally ill.
Breeding
For the best chance of breeding, bring the light down to ten hours a day. During this time of shorter light, bring up the humidity level. The temperature should be dropped to 75F, and to 65F at night. Feeding should also be reduced to once every five days or so. This whole process should be a total of 2-3 months. A male will signal when he want to breed with another female. He may pop out his crimson chest, and bob his head. Once the female accepts the male, the will start breeding. Keep them in the cage until they have successfully bred, but separate them afterwards to avoid another session because this may make the female egg-bound.
Before you breed, make sure the male is over a year old, and the female should be over two years old to make sure they are fully matured. After they have mated, and the female has laid her eggs, there will be about 20. They will hatch after 60-70 days. The eggs should be kept in an incubator with temperatures of 77-82F. Once they hatch, place them in a separate enclosure from the parents. For every dragon, there should be 10 gallons of space to start off with. They can be kept together until they can be sexed. Increase the amount of space per water dragon as the get older.
Hatchling Care
Keep the temperatures for hatchling Australian water dragons at about 85F, and drop 10F at night. Provide everything adult water dragons have including a large water dish, stuff to climb on, and UV lighting. Australian water dragons may not eat for a week or two, because they still have their yolk reserves. When they start eating, feed them small crickets. Make sure they all get enough food to eat. If one is not eating or is being bullied, separate it into their own enclosure until he or she catch up in length and weight. As they get bigger, the insect size they receive should increase in size as well.
Health and Maintenance
If left in a habitat that’s too dry, water dragons are at an increased risk of retaining shed skin around their eyes and toes. If water dragons are not soaking or swimming in water voluntarily, at least twice a week, pet parents should soak their dragon in a large, shallow container of warm water to help them shed their skin more easily. Water dragons should be seen by a veterinarian once annually. They can be transported in a pillowcase, snake bag, or other appropriately sized travel container.
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