Australian Water Dragon Care & Information

Physignathus lesueurii

The Australian Water Dragon is definitely agile in water as well as land. This large lizard is a shy and docile pet for those who take the time to treat him properly. With its ferocious name and fairly large body, the Australian Water Dragon is an impressive lizard. These Water Dragons can be tamed and kept as pets in large enclosures.  Australian Water Dragons are generally not nervous like some other lizards. It is rare that Water Dragons bite; more often, they will flee if they feel threatened. It is important to handle your Australian Water Dragon with caution and patience until he is used to you. Captive born Water Dragons will be more even-tempered and docile than wild-caught Water Dragons. With the right treatment and care, you will have an impressive-looking pet that makes a sweet companion.

Male Australian Water Dragons grow to an average two and a half feet, though some larger specimens have been seen. Females are generally smaller staying around 20 inches in length. In addition to size differences males are generally more colorful than females as they have beautiful read chests. The heads of the Australian Water Dragon are large and white. They also have broad, flat tails, which aid them in swimming.

Food

Newly arrived water dragons will normally start eating after 3-4 days, as they need some time to adjust to their new surroundings. If you have recently arrived water dragons, it is important to have the temperature inside the terrarium high enough (80F) if you want them to start eating soon. As in Australia they will stop eating when days get shorter and cooler; they may do the same in your terrarium if temperatures and light periods decrease.

We feed them mainly Crickets.  The drawback with crickets is that they are nocturnal and hide during the day, while the lizards are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. So it can happen that there are more crickets in the terrarium then needed, and that the crickets disturb the lizards at night. They also eat super worms.

The Australian Water Dragon is not picky, they will eat most anything from insects like crickets, mealworms, and earthworms, to green leafy vegetables, pinkie mice, and sweet, soft fruits. A balanced nutritional diet is the key for good health. Occasional dusting with multivitamins and frequent dusting with calcium powder is recommended. These powders are readily available at most pet stores.

Cat food and all kinds of sweet and soft fruits (banana, peach, watermelon, etc.) can also be offered to your Australian water dragons. Although some will never touch it while others may accept it readily. Adults may also eat pinkie rats and pinkie mice.

Of the cockroaches you should never feed German or American ones for obvious reasons (they will escape and become a true pest in the house). Hissing cockroaches, and deadhead cockroaches (Blaperus cranifer) can be fed easily from a container with smooth sides.

As always, it is important to "gut load" your feeding insects first. This means you have to feed the insects before they are fed to the reptiles. This way the reptiles get extra nutrients which they may otherwise not be able to get. Sweet potato or carrots are very good choices for "gut loading" your insects.

Terrarium

The terrarium size for one pair of adult water dragons should be about 4 feet long by 3 feet high by 2 feet wide. In the terrarium you can place a tree branch or tree trunk on which they can climb and sit. A warm basking spot is also needed. The water bowl needs to be situated so that it can be cleaned easily. The lizards should to be able to get in and, also, out off the water easily. If you live in a suitable climate they do very well kept outside.

Australian Water Dragons need a water bath, as they enjoy bathing and swimming, in addition to a dry, basking spot kept about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Hiding places should be provided (into which they can both sleep and hide), which are cooler than the rest of the cage, which should be kept at 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime.

Be sure to give sturdy plants and branches to your Water Dragons so that they may exercise and climb, or hide if they should feel stressed or nervous.

Lighting

If you keep your water dragon inside you need a UVB lamp to provide ultraviolet radiation to the reptile. Please read and follow the instructions that accompany the lamp. It is always important to place the lamp at the correct height (as listed on the lamp’s instructions) above the lizard basking spot. Just 2 inches higher or lower will greatly change the amount of ultraviolet radiation that the lizard will absorb.