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InfinityandOne In reply to TinyPaws-PHOTO [2014-07-12 03:59:38 +0000 UTC]

He is definitely a male, I've had them for years and years, have studied herpetology, and work in veterinary medicine. He had a large crest, very brightly colored chin, femoral pores, and he would attack his reflection in the mirror as a rival male. Cool that you know CWDs so well, though!

I have a male and female now. 

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TinyPaws-PHOTO In reply to InfinityandOne [2014-07-19 04:50:09 +0000 UTC]

Oh yeah, it was probably the angle that tricked me, I can definitely tell he is a male now. His cheeks are frikken huge(and adorable) lol

Yeah I love these guys, they are adorable. I want one really bad and as soon as I move out of my apartment into our own (with my hubby) I am getting one. I have already gathered some things I need to have one and keep it healthy. I am hoping I can get a male. The problem is its way harder to tell if they are male or female when they are young, and thats what my local pet store sells. If they had multiple at a time, and I was able to examine the genders next to eachother I could tell which is which but that is about it unfortunately. Have any tips?

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InfinityandOne In reply to TinyPaws-PHOTO [2014-07-19 13:53:39 +0000 UTC]

Be sure to look into local reptile rescue or reptile enthusiast groups.  All three of my CWDs have come from rescues.  You miss the cute--but very fragile--baby stage, but you give a good home to a herp that needs it. You will also meet people who are more knowledgeable about CWD care than pet store employees, and a group of people with a similar hobby and interest in herpetoculture!  At the older age, you'll be sure to get a male, too (although females are SPUNKY, oh my goodness).

The biggest factor in these guys' health is husbandry, so make sure you have a good setup that is big enough.  They get to be too big to live in glass terrariums. Personally, I use large ferret cages with mist systems/waterfalls to keep the humidity up high. A lot of people make custom setups. I also handle mine daily, not only to check on them but to let them run around my lizard-proof living room and get some exercise and stimulation.

Tricia's Water Dragon is pretty much the top-notch care guide for CWDs. She has tremendous advice for their husbandry and care.  www.triciaswaterdragon.com/dra…

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TinyPaws-PHOTO In reply to InfinityandOne [2014-09-06 02:08:21 +0000 UTC]

Omg you have no idea how much I would LOVE to do that. . . but unfortunately we have NOTHING of the sort here. I live in a very small country area in Idaho. I would die if I could be around more reptiles to learn about etc. >.> And believe me, I KNOW that the pet-stores have pretty much NO clue what they are doing. . . and they don't give out the correct information if they give you any at all. It pisses me off a bit really, they are very misleading because all they want to do is sell you the thing, get it out of their hair and make money. Petco and PetSmart both say they care, but they don't. They care about money. That's it. The only reason they keep the poor thing "healthy" is so they can market them. They do a horrible job of it too. I could rant on forever about it. For me, adopting a water dragon from the pet store is pretty equivalent to rescue. . . lol.

I have been visiting this one juvenile water dragon in PetSmart for months now. . . I wish I could get it now and end it's misery. . . soon enough I can though.
They have had it for months and he's been growing. . . they have him in a TEN GALLON TANK and even one time stuck a bullfrog cage with a fat ole bullfrog in there with him. . . and last time I visited him the humidity was at 40. . . and it looked like he was having shedding issues. . .

I am scared that if he gets too big by the time I can get him. . . that they will have "put him down" for being too big for the glass. . . I mean what else would they do. . . I wouldn't put it past them.

Anyway, yeah I have looked up all the requirements for the Chinese Water Dragon, over and over and over again from MANY different sources. I wanted to be sure it would be perfectly healthy and happy. I already spent so much on it, I may as well spend more to be sure it's perfectly happy

I am planning to get this cage I found, it's a reptibreeze cage. 36x18x48" with wheels to make it mobile. www.petco.com/product/105900/Z… That will be its "temporary" cage til I can custom build one that is much larger, and has sliding glass doors to help keep in humidity better.

Dude, I love talking to someone about this finally, seems like not many people know about Chinese Water Dragons and I am driving my husband nuts lol

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InfinityandOne In reply to TinyPaws-PHOTO [2014-09-06 15:11:17 +0000 UTC]

Unfortunately, rescuing one from a pet store usually just prompts the store to get another one, but you would definitely be saving the life of that individual dragon. Sounds like he is having a really rough time. 

I have no idea where you are in Idaho, but these are two places I found: shannonhavins.wix.com/cagedcri…  or www.reptileadventures.org/

I have used the Reptibreeze Iguanarium! If your little guy is a juvenile, make sure he won't be able to get his head through the bar spacing. An adult would not be able to.  I know that some husbandry sites disagree with me, but I really hate glass with these guys. It keeps the humidity way up, but they don't really understand it and rub their noses on it trying to get out. If you use glass, watch his nose carefully for any sign of trauma and try to use plants to cover the glass where he would be rubbing against it.

Good luck with your little guy!  Let me know if you have any more questions, and when you finally get him!

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TinyPaws-PHOTO In reply to InfinityandOne [2014-09-12 06:25:22 +0000 UTC]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_p969…
Apparently. . . . my question of what they do with them after they get to big for the tank is answered. . . they don't even put them down. . . they just throw them away. . . what the hell. . . . I am so heart broken.

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InfinityandOne In reply to TinyPaws-PHOTO [2014-09-13 14:38:50 +0000 UTC]

 Some people treat animals so horribly; I can't understand how they don't see them as living, breathing, feeling, thinking beings.

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TinyPaws-PHOTO In reply to InfinityandOne [2014-09-07 04:03:28 +0000 UTC]

Also about the Reptibreeze Iguana cage, I was worried about that, and if the holes are too big etc I do have plans to cover them. . . do you know about how big they are? I don't want him to get his head stuck OR escape. Though I do doubt he would want to as it will be large to him, and I will have plenty of foliage and hiding. . . but there is always that risk which I don't like. I THINK the one I have been visiting IS big enough so he wouldn't get stuck or escape. . . but I wanna make sure. . .

Do you know if there is a smaller mesh I could buy somewhere to put around it? I have no idea what it's called or where to get it.

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InfinityandOne In reply to TinyPaws-PHOTO [2014-09-13 14:41:03 +0000 UTC]

The reptibreeze had BIG spaces because it was originally intended for an iguana. I remember that my big guy would not have been able to get through, but he was an adult male.  It will depend on how big your guy is. 

Window screen is incredibly cheap and available at any hardware store, just make sure to wash it before wrapping it around. You'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not nose-rubbing, but with the bigger bars there, too, I don't think he will.

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TinyPaws-PHOTO In reply to InfinityandOne [2014-09-07 01:50:47 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, I know that. . . but there really is nothing I can do about the future babies. Apparently they go through hell before petco/petsmart get them because they are "not worth much" where they come from. So they treat them badly.

Oh cool I will definitely check those out! I am in eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls area. I'm guessing where these are, are probably in Boise or something which is quite the drive but I'll have to see.

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InfinityandOne In reply to DuckOfDeath [2010-10-14 04:30:46 +0000 UTC]

Thanks! He's a lucky lizard.

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DuckOfDeath In reply to InfinityandOne [2010-10-14 04:44:18 +0000 UTC]

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InfinityandOne In reply to Lady-Madbeth [2010-10-12 00:03:04 +0000 UTC]

Thanks. I don't know how anyone could do it; all I can do is try to undo the damage for as many animals as I can.

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Lady-Madbeth In reply to InfinityandOne [2010-10-12 00:08:47 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, same here. I only wish I could also help some mammals - sadly though, I'm allergic.

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InfinityandOne In reply to Fantasybangcomix [2010-10-11 23:48:05 +0000 UTC]

He and and all my rescues get all the love I have. It's so rewarding to take an animal on the brink and make him happy and healthy again. It's something I've done my whole life.

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Fantasybangcomix In reply to InfinityandOne [2010-10-12 12:04:18 +0000 UTC]

I wish it was something I could do more often. I'm buying a new water dragon next month to give the one I have now some company. But you have some great pictures.

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InfinityandOne In reply to Fantasybangcomix [2010-10-12 16:39:51 +0000 UTC]

Make sure to get the right sex when you buy: if you have a male, he will not get along with another male. Females get along fine and male-female pairs also work well.

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Fantasybangcomix In reply to InfinityandOne [2010-10-12 22:26:29 +0000 UTC]

i know but its so hard to tell there sex at a young age.

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InfinityandOne In reply to Fantasybangcomix [2010-10-12 22:59:24 +0000 UTC]

By the time they're in pet stores, you can usually see some femoral pores on the males. If you get one and it turns out to be a male, just be prepared to get a separate tank.

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Fantasybangcomix In reply to InfinityandOne [2010-10-13 14:36:36 +0000 UTC]

I was thinking of getting the other one at a reptile expo where there like a month or 2 old.

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