by Jeannine Miles

Created on: April 10, 2009

A lot of people have a hard time understanding why anyone would want to own a reptile in their home as a pet. Most are simply disgusted by the idea and cannot fathom how one could ever be deemed as cute or funny. The truth is; reptiles can make excellent pets andare full of character and personality. Because of the numerous different species, it's hard to narrow it down to just one, but for me it was pretty easy. I've worked in a pet store now for two years and I've secretly fell in love with a reptile most commonly known as the Chinese Water Dragon.

Water Dragons grow to be about three to four feet (depending on gender) but the length comes mainly from their long, skinny tail. True to their name, they love water and a half land/half water set up is the ideal terrarium for these lizards. They use freshwater lakes in the wild as shelter from pray; some can stay completely submerged for up to twenty five minutes! The best thing about their terrarium set up is watching them run through the water; they are truly hilarious little lizards.

Like most all other reptiles, you will need UV lighting in the terrarium. A basking area of about one hundred degrees is ideal; with a cooler side in the tank around sixty five. Because of their link to water, dragons (unlike most other lizards) prefer their tank to be a little cooler. A fifty five gallon terrarium is ideal at maximum size; however, if you buy a juvenile a twenty or thirty gallon long will work until he triples his size. (this will happen within the first 6-12 months.) Make sure to provide lots of shelter for the dragons, tall trees are best as this is natural cover for them from pray in the wild.

Like most captive bred reptiles, Water Dragons attain their main source of nutrition from gut loaded crickets, which can be found at your local pet store. These differ from those found in bait shops in that these crickets are fed a specific diet that will keep your dragon happy and healthy. A calcium supplement, usually in powder form, is also necessary and can be dusted on to the crickets prior to feeding. To mix their diet up a little, you can feed them meal worms and fresh vegetables; romaine lettuce, tomatoes and a lot of berries seem to work best. One unusual thing about Water Dragons is they will refuse to drink still water; the water HAS to be moving. Because of this, you will need a fountain or water dish connected to a pump to provide them water. If you're using a water set up, the flow from the filter will provide the needed movement.

Unlike a lot of other reptiles, Chinese Water Dragons are easy to take out and old. Although you should never handle a reptile for more than a few minutes, dragons seem to enjoy their human companions as much as we enjoy them. You will find them to be pretty fast movers; however, they typically stay on your shoulder, or arm; i've never had one try to escape. (Though there will always be that one exception.)

Out of all the reptiles I've had the pleasure of taking care of, Water Dragons have stood out the most. With their incredibly fun personality, bonded relationship with their owner and low maintenance care; Water Dragons have proved through out the years that they make great human companions.

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