# Water Dragon Question



## xxwhookiddxx (Jan 10, 2007)

Hey everyone, I just bought a new water dragon from petco and wanted to make sure if my setup is proper. I couldn't find the proper size top for my tank so i am currently using a carboard box for the top and i cut out pieces for the lights to shine through, is this ok? The tank is a 100 gallon and these are the things i put it inside:

*Zoo Med Repti Basking Spot Lamp (150 watt)*

http://www.petco.com/product/4969/Zoo-Med-...Spot-Lamps.aspx

*Zoo Med Reptisun 10.0 UVB Bulb for Reptiles*

http://www.petco.com/product/102889/Zoo-Me...r-Reptiles.aspx

*Zilla Night Red Heat Incandescent Bulb 100 watt (for night-time)*

http://www.petco.com/product/108339/Zilla-...scent-Bulb.aspx

*Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark (for substrate)*

http://www.petco.com/product/4956/Zoo-Med-...Repti-Bark.aspx

*Zoo Med Repti Rock Poly-Resin Reptile Corner Bowl (X-Large)*

http://www.petco.com/product/104871/Zoo-Me...orner-Bowl.aspx

*Aquarium Systems Duetto Multi-Function Internal Filters (for the water bowl and to maintain high humidity)*

http://www.petco.com/product/5409/Aquarium...al-Filters.aspx
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The basking temp is at 90 degrees

The cool side is 78 degrees

The humidity is 80%

My night temperature is around 80 degrees

Please let me know if the carboard box is ok for now and below are pictures of my setup....
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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

Holly zoo med plug









I dont know about their temp/humidity needs, but you certainly have space and uv covered. I'd like to see some spots to hide in there. My monster concern is fire. 150 watts gets hella hot. Hot enough that I've be VERY worried about that cardboard catching on fire. Although I love all animals and hate to see them go without. I'd probably leave the lights off for this morning, and go get a proper lid. Peoples houses are more important than lizards.

forgot to mention. I'm lovin that piece of wood, and its position in the encloser. Very cool piece.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Ditch the cardboard top asap. It is a fire hazard.

The 10.0 UVB might be a bit much as well. 10.0 is designed for desert animals. You'd be better off with 5.0.

I like that there's plenty of space to thermoregulate. That's great. A bit more stuff for the little guy to hide in may be appropriate. But you don't have to go too crazy on that. Water dragons aren't the type to curl up in a burrow and hide all day and/or night.

You'll eventually need a bigger water bowl for the dragon to soak in. And you'll eventually need a larger tank as well. But for the time being it looks to be a pretty awesome set-up. I'd give it more branches and wood to climb on though. It really needs that.

The biggest issue with CWDs is the nose rubbing thing which often occurs when an animal is in a glass tank that's too small for them. So keep an eye out for that.


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## xxwhookiddxx (Jan 10, 2007)

Thanks for the comments, yeah it took some time for me to find that wood and i think its perfect for the basking. Ill take out the cardboardbox and as far as decorations, im still not finished with the setup. Im still working on a custom backround for the back and sides of the tank. Are there any live plants that i could plant in reptile bark lol? and I will change my UVB to the 5.0. I know 150 watts is alot but i have it on a dimmer so i control the temps to what they need to be. I'm aware of how big they get and I am responsible and ready to provide this lizard with it proper needs. any decor or setup ideas, please let me know....

Thanks

BTW, I will ex-change the UVB to the 5.0 later today, but just curious about what would happen to the water drragon if i kept the 10.0 ?


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## xxwhookiddxx (Jan 10, 2007)

also, what would be a good top for the tank ?


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

You can make a top for the tank if you're handy enough. Some 1"x1" wood with some chicken wire or similar screening would be adequate I think. Best to look for something coated if you can so that it won't rust from the humidity. You can also incorporate some partially covered areas if you have access to plexiglass and/or sheets of non-tempered glass (non-tempered can be cut). This will help maintain humidity.

Otherwise you can look for something premade at the pet store. But it'll cost a lot of money.

To protect the wood coat it in water based varathane (MAKE SURE IT'S WATER BASED AND NOT OIL) and that'll help protect it from the moisture.

For climbing... Try finding some various branches and stuff if you have any forests near you. I went out collecting with a friend recently and we found some great fallen branches and stuff for her amazon tree boas. A good scrub and you should be alright. It's also a cheap way to do things.









Otherwise, you can look at sandblasted manzanita wood. It's a great type of wood that won't rot or have any issues with high humidity. You can also get some really nice branchy pieces. I just picked up a huge case of it for a really reasonable price.

For leaf cover... Go look at some of the fake plants at Walmart. I get bunches there for like $4. Just presoak them in a bucket to remove any potential excess dye and you'll be fine. I bought a huge lot of suction cups a while back on Ebay for cheap and use those to stick the fake plants to the walls of my enclosures. Some people I know also get their plants from the dollar store, but the dollar stores around here have crap plants. So I don't get mine there. For what I get at Walmart I find it's a better value to go there. Different Walmarts, I've found, also have different selections. The one immediately by me sucks but others in the city are pretty good.

Using too high of a UVB index can give your animal sunburns and potentially do damage to their eyes.


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## xxwhookiddxx (Jan 10, 2007)

Thanks mettle for your reply, ill make sure to check out walmart and get a few things and im pretty good at making things so ill try to make my own top from what you suggested. I'll make sure to post up updates and pictures later when im finished.

-also, do you think its a good idea to handle the water dragon? like take him out and let him sit on me and stuff? i want it to come in contact with humans so when it gets older, it wont be aggressive or snap. I live pretty close to the beach so the weather is pretty good, and i want to take him out to my patio and let him sit in the sun for awhile to get rays and stuff. I dont want it to be afraid of me. i want him to get to know me so i can hand feed him and play with it.


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## TimmyTeam (Jun 20, 2003)

Yes it is fine to hold him. My bud has a water dragon that just roams his house, tho he usually spends his time in his own temp/humidity controlled room.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I'd go easy on the handling for now if he's new. Although these aren't a high stress animal, a solid week (at least) with no handling is always a good idea for any new reptile getting used to a new home.

Bringing him outside for sun in the summer months is a great idea. Just be careful. There are lots of birds near the coast (or at least there were when I used to live on an island off the coast of BC called Vancouver island). So you don't want any swooping down and getting your water dragon. Also, they're quick and can get away easy.

When I bring my beardie out for extended periods in the summer I put him in a large wire cage made for rodents. Never use a glass tank as the beneficial uvb rays will not reach the animal and it can also super heat them (the glass being a magnifier). I use the cage simply because it was on hand in my storeage space in the basement. I'm sure one could make something simple out of wood and chicken wire as well... I also always make water available to my dragon when he's outside and bask. Never a bad idea. But more important for you even because yours likes it more humid so a spray might even be in order. If out for a really long time you also need to give them a place to get out of the sun and escape its direct rays.


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## xxwhookiddxx (Jan 10, 2007)

Thanks Mettle, i appreciate all of your help. I am in the process of creating a custom background from styrofoam for the back and sides of the tank. I am removing the water bowl and switching it with a 10 gallon aquarium with a filter so he can have a bigger pool of water*.( I will be adding graval for the bottom of the tank with a turtle dock. )* I will also decorate the 10 gallon which is inside of the 100 gallon to match the setup. I am thinking to add a custom pot into the tank as well, to plant some seeds of spider plants because i dont think i can plant them in the reptile bark. I want to create the pot to match my theme and just put in some soil with plants in there. I really want to make a perfect and realistic tank for the dragon.

-In my previous post, i stated that I was using the cardboard box, (as shown in the pictures) but i finally got rid of that and made my own top with wood and chicken wire thats big enough to let the rays through it.

- I also mentioned that i had the 10.0 UVB light and I switched it to the 5.0 today.

For the custom background, i want to put aqurium sealent over the styrofoam and cgover it with reptile bark. Do you think this will look ok? please give me some ideas for the background.

-Thanks


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## TimmyTeam (Jun 20, 2003)

I'd use a cat litter box or something instead.


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## xxwhookiddxx (Jan 10, 2007)

TimmyTeam said:


> I'd use a cat litter box or something instead.


Yea, i guess that would be a better idea instead of the 10 gallon.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I'm not sure that I would go the route of the styrofoam background unless you're covering it in something really tough. The reason being is that water dragons have some big claws and they'd likely shred the background. You can attempt to make something similar to what people do for fish though using some type of cement. It would need some time to off-gas and such to ensure that nothing leeched into the water dragon's habitat. But that would be a better option imo.

If you do decide to go with the styrofoam... For covering it, I've seen people use the aquarium silicone (brown) and press coco mulch into it to cover it. Do a small section at a time otherwise it dries too quickly.

And I agree that something lower and broader would be a better idea for the water. A 10 gallon tank seems hard to access, like it would look odd, and be a potential hazard especially for such a small cwd. You could still possibly using a hotglue gun attach some plants and such to the sides of it to make it "fit in" to your general motif a little better?


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## erikcooper (Feb 18, 2004)

updates?


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