Australian water dragons are omnivorous meaning that they can eat a varied diet of vegetation, insects and meat. Though they can eat vegetation we only provide a small dish of leafy greens as this species is normally far more focussed on insects and meat.
The Gippsland males have a brightly coloured throat, whilst the Eastern Water Dragons have a dark band from eye to ear. Water dragons are omnivorous, eating both plants and animals. They generally feed on insects, frogs, yabbies, aquatic organisms, fruits, berries, and flowers.
Types of vegetation reportedly consumed include figs, lilly-pilly fruits, and other fruits and flowers. Water Dragons are believed to forage underwater, however this is based on one observation of diving Water Dragons returning to the surface and moving their jaws.
Feeding frequency is daily for juveniles and every 2-3 days for adults. Remember — if the enclosure temperature is not right your dragon may refuse to eat, or not be able to digest its food properly. All dragons are insect-eaters and should be offered a selection of live crickets, silkworms and mealworms.
Water dragons eat both plants and animals, especially fruits, flowers, insects, frogs, yabbies and other aquatic organisms.
The humidity should be kept at around 80 percent; it's smart to use a digital hydrometer to know the humidity of the enclosure. Mist the enclosure once or twice daily as needed. Potted live plants can help keep the humidity up as well.
Mealworms, morio worms and cockroaches can be difficult to digest so these are only provided to mature dragons (18 months or older) and only once or twice a week.
However, when eaten regularly, bananas can actually paralyze or kill your dragon. Bananas have a large ratio of phosphorus to calcium (3:1), meaning the phosphorus outweighs the calcium enough to make bananas harmful to dragons in large quantities.
Peas, green beans, corn, squash, carrots, sweet potato, cucumber, zucchini, green peppers and parsley can also be added. Offer adult dragons coarsely chopped, salad; juveniles prefer finely chopped greens. Fruit should make up no more than 5% to 10% of the diet.
Water dragons have plenty of stored fat, so they can go without eating for two months, although if you are keeping them as pets, keeping food from them is not recommended.
Penrith is a council area at the foothills of the Blue Mountains in Sydney. Water Dragons are omnivorous meaning they will eat nearly anything. Water Dragons in captivity live up to 20 years. They reach sexual maturity around 4 to 5 years of age.
Diet and Nutrition
Water dragons eat a variety of live food items ranging from crickets, mealworms, king mealworms, waxworms, earthworms, grasshoppers, butterworms, locusts, feeder fish, pinkies and fuzzies.
High humidity levels are a must with Australian water dragons. This species will need around 70 percent humidity levels at all times. They can tolerate levels as low as 40 percent, but they could start to experience health issues outside of that range. To maintain this, you'll have to mist the environment regularly.
Water dragons do eat fruit in the wild, including figs and berries (Anonymous 1976, Cogger 2000), but almost all fruit you can buy in the store is heavily domesticated and has little relation to the nutritional content of its wild relatives. Fruit should be used as a flavor enhancer and rare treat.
In the wild, Chinese water dragons have a varied diet. In captivity, they mostly eat insects and some fish. They can eat greens, though they don't need to, and fruit is okay as a rare treat.
Water dragons should be regularly fed large insects such as woodies, crickets and mealworms. A lean, salt and fat reduced (less than 1.5%) dog food (not fish) can also be mixed in with vegetables, calcium supplements and vitamin supplements to form a staple part of their diet.
The substrate used in the green water dragon habitat should be one that will encourage the high humidity levels that these lizards prefer. Reptile (orchid) bark, cypress mulch, or any number of coconut husk products are ideal choices. Avoid using any type of overly drying substrate such as sand or paper based products.
Long story short: reptiles are lactose intolerant! Unlike mammals, reptiles are not born with the enzymes necessary to digest dairy products.
As adults Water Dragons will require as big an enclosure as possible. 2700mm x 750mm as a minmum would be recommended. They can also be kept outdoors in aviary style enclosures once adults. As juveniles you can keep them in smaller enclosure and upsize as you dragon gets larger.
If you want to bring your water dragon outside, there are a few things to consider. Make sure the temperature will be comfortable (70-90 degrees). Remember that your dragon cannot regulate his own body temperature. The only way he can warm or cool himself is by moving to a warmer or cooler location.
This lizard is found around creeks, watercourses and backyard ponds and is more often heard than seen plopping into water from its basking position. Don't approach water dragons as they have sharp claws and can deliver a serious bite.
Either raw or cooked, they cannot handle them like humans can, and ingesting rice could make your dragon sick. Avoid rice and any other grains as far as feeding them to your bearded dragon goes.
You've got two options when it comes to watermelon: seeded or seedless. Both are fine to use, but you must remove all the seeds. Sometimes even seedless watermelon has a seed or two. Bearded dragons can choke on seeds or can suffer from gut impaction (blockage in the digestive tract) if they swallow the seeds.