Australian Water Dragon Care Sheet

Australian Water Dragon Care Sheet

Intellegama lesueurii

Life Span :

Australian water dragons have been known to live up to 20 years or more in captivity.

Adult Size :

Male Australian Water Dragons tend to be much larger than females with a 3 feet in length or more and 1000g. Females will tend to be around 2 feet in length. They do display sexual dimorphism which means the sexes are obviously different as adults. Females are much smaller and a grey/brown coloration while adult males are quite striking, with bright red chests, black eye masks and a much larger body with an impressively larger head.

Male:

 Female:

Cage Size :

Babies/Juveniles – Minimum 40 gallon breeder tank or a 3’ x 2’ cage. We suggest not going smaller because they do need to have a pool available and temperature gradients are hard to accomplish in smaller cages.

Adults – Adults require a cage that is atleast 4’ x 2’ x 2’ with more space being optimal. For housing in groups you will definitely want to go larger. This species enjoys climbing along with being able to swim in a pool, so ensure that your cage has plenty of basking platforms along with a large enough pool for them to enjoy.

Cage Substrate :

Perfect caging substrate is Cypress Mulch and a mix of Sand and Top Soil (don’t use soils, sands or mulch that contain any pesticides of fertilizers)

Add branches and basking platforms. Make sure any basking platforms are strong enough to hold your Aussie safely.  Fake plants are ok, and can help especially with babies and feeling more secure, however make sure your Dragon is not trying to munch on them. If you notice them testing, you may want to remove the fake plants and find some to replace them with that is safe to eat.

Lighting and Heating :

Australian Water Dragons require both UVB and heat. There are a couple of different types of lighting you can use:

• You can use a UVB bulb such as Reptisun 10.0 (linear, no coil bulbs), or Arcadia Desert 12% UVB however with these options you need to include a basking light as well.
• You can use a Mercury Vapor Bulb which provides heat and UVB in one such as Powersun, Mega-Ray or Solar Glo.

Basking Bulbs are bulbs that provide a basking area with a rise in temperature. 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. We recommend using a heat gun to spot check temperatures, they are more accurate than probe thermometers.

Feeding :

Australian Water Dragons are Omnivores. This means they require a mix of leafy greens, veggetables and occasional fruits along with a source of protein.

Below is a list of foods we frequently offer, but remember as always variety is key.

Appropriate Greens: Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens, Dandelion greens, Spring Mix Lettuce, Arugula, Alfalfa, Clover Sprouts, Spineless Cactus

Salad Toppings: Butternut Squash (honestly most squashes are superb, have high fiber, and great calcium and low phosphorous ratios), Summer Squash, Acorn Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Carrots, Zucchini, Bell Peppers, etc.

Occasional Treats : Flower petals (Calendula, Hibiscus, Corn Flower, Clover, Nasturtiums, etc), Mango, Strawberries, Black Berries, Blue Berries, Papaya and Bananas.

Protein : Crickets, Superworms, Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Mealworms, Roaches, Feeder Anoles, Fish, Snails, Hornworms, Silkworms, Mazuri Insectivore Diet. 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. They LOVE this mix as a treat once per week and it is also a great way to ensure they are getting their vitamins as well.

**REMEMBER variety is Key!

FEEDING SCHEDULE :

Babies/Juveniles: Babies will eat salads and insects daily.

Adults : We feed our adults 5 times per week a mix of salads and protein.

Water :

Australian Water Dragons do require more humidity and such we keep a water bowl inside their cages at all times. 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. They do like to sleep in their water sometimes, that is completely normal and yes that did scare us too at first!

Multivitamins and Calcium:

Babies We give calcium with D3 to our babies atleast 4 times per week, dusted on their salads. Multivitamins can be given atleast 3 times per week served the same way.

Adults We give our adults calcium with D3 and multivitamin twice per week (No D3 if being housed outdoors)

Supplements we recommend :

            Calcium: Repashy Calcium Plus (includes multivitamin), Calcium Complex (our blend made in house comes with or without D3), Liquid Calcium Glubionate

            Multivitamin: Organic Multivitamin Powder (our blend made in house comes with or without D3), Liquid Multivitamin (with or without D3), Bee Pollen Powder, Repashy Super Veggie

Always remember to offer a varied diet. That is the best way to ensure your Australian Water Dragon is getting the nutrition they need!

*Do you want a printable version of this care sheet? Click Here for a printable PDF!