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#2264032 Sevi View Profile	Chinese or leseurs water dragon. Hey guys, so i made a post asking about what pet would be great for me. And i am now researching about a chinse water dragon, preparing myself for when the time comes. now i have come to the conclusion that there is another kind of water dragon called the Lesueurs wateragame. (Istiurus lesueurii). i like the look of these dragons a bit more and they seem a bit smaller, but its hard to find info about them. do any of you guys know if they make great pets like the chinese?
04/24/12  10:38am
#2264040 Rexxaroo View Profile	Message To: Sevi   In reference to Message Id: 2264032  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. Hey Sevi, i see youre looking at water dragons again. The Istiurus lesueurii is more commonly known as the Eastern Water Dragon, they are around the same size, 2 1/2 to 3 feet for males, and 2 to 2 1/2 feet for females. They are pretty cool looking, but uncommon in the pet trade. They are much like a chinese water dragon, in that they need a large water dish to swim and plenty of space to climb. Their care is more that of the Australian water dragon because the eastern is a sub species of the Australian. There are two sub species, The Eastern, and the Gippsiland. They need an enclosure around 5x4x3, or 4x4x3 for females. (You could easiy keep a pair in an closure 6x5x4) I personally have not handled this particular sub species, but from what i understand they are like the Australian. Temperatures should be kept at 84° - 88° F during the day with a basking temperature of 90° to 95° F. Night-time temperatures should be kept at 75° - 80° F but they will tolerate temperatures a lot lower, particularly during winter months. Since they can tolerate the low winter temps, they will brumate, unlike the chinese. These guys will need UV just like any other diurnal lizard as well. As far as humidity goes, 50-60 percent should be sufficient as they live in pretty arid enviroments. They are mostly insectivorous, so roaches, mealies, silks, supers, crix, etc will be good prey items. They will also take veggies more readily than most other dragons. Collards, endive, mustard, spinach, etc. can be offered and mixed with bits of fruits and the bugs. Once they are larger you can feed fuzzy mice and pinkie mice, but only do so if the prey item is big enough to fit between the space between their eyes or they could choke. I reccomend feeding mice two to three times weekly because they can be high in fat, but have other great nutritional value that will benefit your dragon greatly. I would also reccomend using a small ceramic dog bowl if you want to leave food in the cage, that way none of the bugs can roam around the cage. These guys can be tamed and handled just like the australian and chinese water dragons, but it is more about patientce and trust. You’ll get the hang of it :) I know this is alot of info haha this is the best i can do! Personally, i would love to own the other sub species (a pair of Gippsiland WDs) someday, i think they are beautiful and exotic :) Maybe someday! Anyway, i hope this helps you out some. Good Luck!! Rexx
04/24/12  11:25am
#2264041 Sevi View Profile	Message To: Sevi   In reference to Message Id: 2264032  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. aha they are called australian water dragons in english.
04/24/12  11:29am
#2264044 Rexxaroo View Profile	Message To: Sevi   In reference to Message Id: 2264041  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. I figured you were talking about the australians haha. Easterns, Gippsilands, and aussies all have the same care really. Just slight variations :) Rexx
04/24/12  11:31am
#2264057 Sevi View Profile	Message To: Rexxaroo   In reference to Message Id: 2264044  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. My favorite! Rexx! Thx for replying again. truely helpfull info. And yea, i’m taking my time, learning about different species.. reptiles are so fascinating.. even when not owning one i just love reading about them. Do you by any chance know something about frill necks and monitors? (i’m not really planning on them as they seem to hard to start of with, but just curious!) ;)
04/24/12  12:39pm
#2264059 Rexxaroo View Profile	Message To: Sevi   In reference to Message Id: 2264057  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. Haha! :) Im flattered. Yes, reptiles are truley fascinating creatures, surviving on almost every corner of the earth :) I know a little about monitors and ive done my fair share of researching on frilleds, almost bought one a few months ago but didnt have the space sadly, he was so cute! They need alot of space, lots of climbing room and time to roam around outside the cage because they love to run! The need about the same size enclosure as a water dragon and eat pretty much the same things, their heat and humidity and over all cage set up is different though. Enclosure should be about 4x3x3, minimum. (comfortably, id go with a 4x 4x4 at the smallest) But of course with most reptiles, bigger is better. They are arboreal and diurnal, and enjoy having alot of vertical places inside the cage to bask and climb. They need alot of plants and branches to hide and explore to offer excersize oppourtunities. They prefer running water, but will drink from a dish, or when being sprayed. It would be best to keep a dish of clean fresh water big enough for them to turn around in comfortably and submerege their body when standing on all fours. As for heating, they need a high temp basking area of at least 95-105/110 degrees. (be careful though, they need to drink alot because of these high temps, they are one of the more prone lizards to dehydration issues) ambiant temps should be about 80-85, and cool side and night temps can lower to around 70. They need high uvb as well, im sure you already know :) they can be very skittish as far as handeling goes. Gender does play somewhat of a role here, i have seen males that refuse to be held by a male human but adore female human company, and visa versa with female dragons. They remember things more than other lizards and take a VERY long time to tame down properly if they have had a past issue. There is another member in the frilled dragon forum who is extremley knowledgeable with these creatures. As for monitors, (this post is really long, im sorry haha!) it really depends on the species you want. Personally, i have always wanted either a B&W Tegu, or a roughneck monitor. I love their impressive size and dinosaur like features. Just an incredibley awestriking beast if you ask me. Im always mesmerized by their sheer size and power. They need a ton of room, really they need their own bedroom if you want them to be comfortably housed LOL! 8x8x8 is your best bet. High basking temps, and LOTS of food. Most monitors are look dont touch kind of pets, but i know many people with tegus, svannahs and the like are able to handle easily. I know Tegus are not really monitors, but they are one of the most friendly affectionate large lizards out there. Rexx
04/24/12  01:00pm
#2264286 Sevi View Profile	Message To: Rexxaroo   In reference to Message Id: 2264059  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. Haha thx for that! love reading your walls of text. so much info. And monitors sure look awesome, at specially the bigger ones, but the ones im more interested in (for keeping) would be the green tree monitor.. one of the smallest species. ah well its just some general research and curiousity. i’m pretty sure about what ill be getting :) ! and frill necks really are to cool xD
04/26/12  07:27am
#2264297 Rexxaroo View Profile	Message To: Sevi   In reference to Message Id: 2264286  Chinese or leseurs water dragon. Thanks! I love gtms, they are very beautiful :) Rexx
04/26/12  09:42am

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