# Lizards > General Lizards >  My Chinese Water Dragon and His Setup

## CoolioTiffany

I just put him in this enclosure tonight, before he was in a 20g long since Saturday and I had this spare enclosure.  It was definitely perfect for him, he needed the climbing space.  I will be adding a lot more branches and plants.



Anyone thinking of what to name him? :Very Happy:

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## wafisherman

That looks nice for a temp home.  But it is really WAY to small for him for very long.

Also, glass tanks are not ideal.  They are prone to jump in to the glass and hurt themselves.  Better to cover all sides if you can - except the front.

Water dish is way too small.  It is a WATER dragon.  They need room to swim or at least fully soak.  So it needs to be deeper and longer. 

Keep an eye on the substrate and the poo.   They are prone to eating it and you may notice wood shavings in the poo.  This can lead to imapaction.

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## CoolioTiffany

> That looks nice for a temp home.  But it is really WAY to small for him for very long.
> 
> Also, glass tanks are not ideal.  They are prone to jump in to the glass and hurt themselves.  Better to cover all sides if you can - except the front.
> 
> Water dish is way too small.  It is a WATER dragon.  They need room to swim or at least fully soak.  So it needs to be deeper and longer. 
> 
> Keep an eye on the substrate and the poo.   They are prone to eating it and you may notice wood shavings in the poo.  This can lead to imapaction.


I do soak him in my bath tub daily for him to swim around and such since I don't have too big of a water dish.  I will be covering all sides of the tank (besides the front) as well, I just set it up last night so I'm still adding some things to it.  This enclosure is temporary, I'm working on getting a larger enclosure soon.  He was in a 20g long before, which I knew wasn't acceptable at all so I had to move him into this for now.  Once I start to feel better I will be working on the enclosure more.

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## Beardedragon

> I do soak him in my bath tub daily for him to swim around and such since I don't have too big of a water dish.  I will be covering all sides of the tank (besides the front) as well, I just set it up last night so I'm still adding some things to it.  This enclosure is temporary, I'm working on getting a larger enclosure soon. * He was in a 20g long before, which I knew wasn't acceptable at all so I had to move him into this for now.*  Once I start to feel better I will be working on the enclosure more.


Just remember that, a 30 gallon, is the same floor space as a 20 gallon, just a few inchs taller. Its better than a 20 gallon, but not by much. How long until you get the new cage?

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## CoolioTiffany

> Just remember that, a 30 gallon, is the same floor space as a 20 gallon, just a few inchs taller. Its better than a 20 gallon, but not by much. How long until you get the new cage?


This might be a 30g, I'm not sure what it is actually.  I put the cypress in there that ithad in the 20g long, and it filled up the same.  I think this is a 29g, but I really have no clue what it is.  I used it for my RES a while back, but honestly Idk what it is.  I could measure it, in a bit though.

I might get a new enclosure this week, but it depends.

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## BOWSER11788

my friends is in a 90 gallon and its perfect, but a 75 is an approperate size tank. also tile is better than mulch, they can get impacted like beardies on sand.

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## CoolioTiffany

> my friends is in a 90 gallon and its perfect, but a 75 is an approperate size tank. also tile is better than mulch, they can get impacted like beardies on sand.


Well, my Beardie is an adult which is why I keep her on sand and it is much, much easier to clean up.  She has never had a problem with impaction and eats, poops, acts just fine.  She's pretty clean too, she picks up crickets without touching the sand and eats greens without flying it everywhere.  For now I'm using mulch with my CWD, but I'll most likely change to something else.  I just find it a lot easier to keep humidity up with mulch because it's so dry in AZ and the heat lamp dries everything out.

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## BOWSER11788

oh, humidity issue, i wish i had an isssue, my house stay constant 70% my snakes always hit a body long shed. want pics of new viv when finished  :Smile:

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## flynn

+1 on the points already mentioned.  Doubly so regarding the size of the water feature.

I think the rule of thumb for these guys (last I kept them anyways) is something like 2' x 2' x 4' per animal.  Just a guide to keep in mind while your sourcing out the new home.

How about some closer shots of your dragon?  I love these little guys.  Is it cb/wc?

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## flynn

To correct myself...according to one of the sources I used when I was keeping CWD....

"Water Dragons need a space at least 2 x their total length therefore you will need to provide an enclosure that is a min. of 6 ft long (side to side), 2-3 feet deep and 4-6 feet high to do it right."  (Enclosure for Chinese water dragons)

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## CoolioTiffany

Once I get my camera back I'll definitely get a bunch of closer shots.  I'm not sure what he is, but probably WC since I've read most are, but he's pretty tame and more active now rather than he was before.

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## BOWSER11788

well Tiffany, guess what, lol i was at petco, getting super, i dont order in ulk, my beardfies occasionaly eat them, the had a CWD for adoption, so I am the owner of one as well, how odd, its been 4ever since i've kept them

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## CoolioTiffany

> well Tiffany, guess what, lol i was at petco, getting super, i dont order in ulk, my beardfies occasionaly eat them, the had a CWD for adoption, so I am the owner of one as well, how odd, its been 4ever since i've kept them


LOL that's awesome, is he just a little guy?

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## BOWSER11788

yea he is bad, prev. owner sit him in a 1o gallon with a basking light, no humidity or anything,, right now im keeping him at 80 percent, so yea, hes 8 inches

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## CoolioTiffany

> yea he is bad, prev. owner sit him in a 1o gallon with a basking light, no humidity or anything,, right now im keeping him at 80 percent, so yea, hes 8 inches


Good luck with him!  He'll most likely come around, keep the humidity up at 80% and don't be afraid to mist the enclosure at least a couple times a day.  They also like to take a dump in their water A LOT, and they love to kick substrate in there too.  I find myself dumbing out so much cypress because of all the substrate he kicks into his dish.

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## BOWSER11788

yea, when i mist it hits 90% no substrate tile, and he seem scared of water at moment, poor babies terrified

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## CoolioTiffany

> yea, when i mist it hits 90% no substrate tile, and he seem scared of water at moment, poor babies terrified


He's a Water Dragon LOL, I'm sure he's just stressed because of the new surroundings.  I let mine swim around the bathtub because they do need swimming space, so once your little guy gets settled in you should fill up the bath enough for him to be able to somewhat swim around and let him stay in there for 20 minutes or so to have a little fun.

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## BOWSER11788

:Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## flynn

Hey hows this guy doing? Still would like to see moar pics  :Very Happy: 

Have you finished his/her new home yet?

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## CoolioTiffany

> Hey hows this guy doing? Still would like to see moar pics 
> 
> Have you finished his/her new home yet?


I actually took him back.  He was acting pretty lethargic and would barely even eat for me.  At the sanctuary he seems a lot more active being with the other dragons and eats a lot.  I guess he was just sad because there were no others in the enclosure for him to be with or something like that.  I still handle him there and everything and feed him.  He seems a lot more happier being with other dragons there.

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