Initial set up and yearly
maintenance
of a Chinese water dragon
You are visitor:
Since April, 7th, 1996
Occasionally I receive a letter
asking me to estimate the initial and yearly cost of keeping a Chinese water
dragon. The following letter is my reply to one such inquiry. I was actually
quite surprised when it came time to total the food costs. I know I over
estimated on the amounts that the average dragon, and the amount that the
average dragon keeper might feed the dragon.
It might be a good idea for
potential or brand new dragon owners to see the approx. cost of keeping one
dragon healthy. :) I'm in Canada so my prices may differ slightly from what you
are used to. If you are in the USA you can easily convert my price quotes to
American equivalents by subtracting about 30%.
Initial costs of maintaining a water
dragon:
Purchase price- $20
to $80 or so, depending upon where you live, and if the dragon is wild
caught or captive bred. I highly recommend purchasing a captive bred dragon
because it is likely to be healthier and thus cost less in the long run. Wild
caught water dragons imported from countries like Vietnam often arrive injured,
dehydrated, have parasite infections that need medical attention, and may have
other illnesses that will mean multiple visits to a reptile vet to cure.
Initial visit to a reptile vet- $20 to $40
+
All water dragons, whether captive
bred, or wild caught should have a visit to a reptile veterinarian shortly
after purchase. A fresh stool sample should be taken to the vet to be examined
for internal parasites. If parasites are found the doctor will prescribe one or
two antiparasitic medications (http://www.icomm.ca/dragon/parasite.htm ) to
give to the dragon to cure the infection. I strongly believe that undiagnosed
parasite infections are the number one killer of most new reptile pets.
Cage or Enclosure and set up:
The Enclosure:
I don't recommend keeping a dragon
in a glass aquarium at all. They do not understand glass at all and tend to rub
their snouts off, especially when kept in too small tanks. If you must start
with a tank due to lack of room or lack of funds, please purchase a 50 gallon
(or larger) tank for a small water dragon (less than 12 inches) or a 100 gallon
tank (or larger) for a larger dragon (12" plus).
I don't know what the going rates
are for tanks right now. You could purchase one in a pet or aquarium store, or
you could call up these stores and ask if they have any slightly damaged tanks-
ones with a slight crack on the side or on the bottom, or a problem with the
top of the frame might be ok to use. You can use some aquarium safe silicon to
seal up a crack- but don't count on that area of the tank being water proof.
These "seconds" might be quite a bit cheaper. You can also look in the
classified papers, or go to garage sales or flea markets looking for a tank or
a suitable piece of furniture that might be converted into a great enclosure.
This is often an inexpensive way to find a great enclosure for a great price.
Please see " Inexpensive ways to make a great enclosure!" http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/cheap.htm for more cost
cutting ideas.
Lighting
Depending upon the size of your
enclosure you will need one or two basking lights, which if bought in a pet
store can cost approx. $14, and you will need at least one UVB fluorescent
light (vitalight, reptisun or similar) which vary in price depending upon the
size that you need to purchase. A 24" inch UVB fluorescent vitalight costs
approx. $20, a 24" UVB fluorescent reptisun or Iguana 5.0 costs about $28.
Some will argue that one product is
better than the other, or that the UVB output is higher in one than the other.
I will leave that for you to decide. I've used both of these products and
others over the years and have had no problems as of yet with metabolic bone
disease (calcium deficiency).
Basking lights are necessary for
providing light and heat, UVB fluorescent are important for helping the dragons
use the calcium in their diet properly.
You will also need clamp lamps or
another type of suitable holder for the basking lamps- lets say they are $10
each or so. Plus, you will need a fixture to hold the UVB fluorescent light.
You can purchase both of these in the pet stores, or in hardware stores. Please
see " Inexpensive ways to make a great enclosure!" http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/cheap.htm for more ideas
on how to cut some expenses for lighting needs.
Substrates:
You can purchase commercial
substrates such as repti-litter or repti-bed or similar products but I find
this loose litter type of substrate can be dangerous. It can cause intestinal
impaction or obstructions if accidentally ingested. Please see the water dragon
FAQ for more info about substrates and impaction etc. http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/faq.htm
I prefer to suggest sterile top
soil as the substrate. It's inexpensive, it helps maintain some humidity in the
cage, it provides an area for a gravid female dragon to dig and lay her eggs,
it's soft to land on, you can grow nice plants in it ... need I go on? :)
Orchid bark is also suitable
provided that the smaller pieces of bark are removed. Bark pieces should be
larger than the dragons head to prevent accidental ingestion.
Water area:
You will need a water dish.
Preferably something large enough for the dragon to soak it's whole body, and
at least part of it's tail in, with water at least up to it's chest in depth.
Large tupperware containers are wonderful for this, and they are inexpensive
too.
A misting bottle is also a great
idea. You can pick on up in any hardware store. Mist the dragon twice a day to
keep the cage humidity up.
Cage furnishings:
Plants-
Live plants are always nice in a
cage. It gives the dragon a place to feel sheltered and secure, and live plants
help add some, usually, much needed humidity to the environment. Plants such as
pothos, Philodendron, Dracaena (dragon tree), hibiscus shrubs, ficus shrubs and
spider plants are all safe to use in the cage. Plants aren't very expensive if
you buy them in a large garden centre or nursery.
Just be sure to ask if they use
pesticides on the plants. To be on the safe side, I usually give my plants a
few showers, and keep them out of the viv for a few weeks before adding them to
the enclosure.
Fake plants or fake vines, in
addition to live plants or instead of are great too. I think there are more
benefits to having live plants but fake plants will let you add some greenery
to areas that you cant easily put a live plant. Fake plants and vines can cost
anywhere from $2 to $20 depending upon what you are buying and where you are
buying it.
Branches, logs ... You can purchase
grape vine, or nice pieces of drift wood in the pet stores, and sometimes in
garden centres. Or you can go out hunting for just the right branch yourself.
If you use a branch that you found make sure that it is a hard wood as this
kind of tree is usually safe and non toxic. Do not use a soft wood such as
spruce or cedar as the resins can be toxic to reptiles. Dead or fallen branches
are suitable for use.
Whether store bought or using a
branch found in the forest I treat all of them as if they are contaminated. I
fill my tub with water and add some bleach and soak the branch for 12 hours.
Then I rinse the branch well and let it soak in plain water for another 12
hours. I do this to kill any germs, fungus, bacteria and perhaps any bugs that
might be on the wood. Then I let it air dry, preferable in the sun, for a few
days before adding it to my cage.
That covers the basics of setting
up an enclosure.
Yearly Maintenance:
Substrates should be changed on a
regular basis when it become damp or soiled. If the dragon defecates on the
substrate a large area surrounding the soiled substrate should be removed as
soon as possible.
UVB fluorescent lights only put out
UVB rays for 6 months to a year, even though they continue to provide light
after that period ... don't let that fool you as the beneficial rays do not
last. UVB fluorescent should be changed once or twice a year.
Plants will need to be maintained
and perhaps replaced once or twice a year. The cage will need to be cleaned on
a regular basis, and the water container should be cleaned daily- both with
soap and water, then rinsed, then with a disinfectant such as a weak bleach and
water mix or a quatricide compound. The dragon should not be in the enclosure
when you are cleaning it. So figure in a few extra dollars for cleaning
solutions, and possibly a soft sponge or two for cleaning the cage.
Home-Made Enclosures:
I haven't discussed building a
large home-made enclosure because the materials used and the costs of those
materials can vary greatly. I do suggest building a home-made enclosure, a
large one, over using an aquarium of any size. Depending upon materials used a
home made enclosure can cost $250 or more to build and set up. You can also add
a larger water area with filters for the water in a larger enclosure. These are
extras, beneficial extras, but they cost more initially of course.
Large enclosures may also benefit
from the use of a ceramic heat emitter (I use a 150 watt CHE) or heat panels,
but if you choose to use one of these forms of heating equipment it's a good
idea to use a proportional thermostat as well, such as a biostat or a Helix
brand thermostat. Both of these thermostats cost over $100, but they take the
worry out of keeping your animals enclosure temps regulated properly.
For a complete description of my
vivarium see http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/vivarium.htm and for
additional information about the enclosures set up please see
http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/enclosur.htm I'm
sure I'm forgetting something . :)
FOOD:
A water dragon can eat 5 to 10 food
items a day, or more. The more variety that you can give your dragon diet wise
the better. For a healthy selection of food items and an explanation of what is
good and bad about each item please see the water dragon FAQ diet section
http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/faq.htm
I've tried to raise some of my own
insects to defray the cost of feeding 5 water dragons and two box turtles ...
but living in a small apt I have trouble raising the insects in the quantities
that I need to feed all of my animals so I end up purchasing insects on a
regular basis. I buy my crickets, mealworms and occasionally wax worms in large
quantities. It's usually cheaper this way.
- From the pet store:
- Crickets: 100 for $6 (.06 ea.)
- King mealworms: 100 for $10 (.10 ea.)
- Wax worms: 250 for $25 (.10 ea.)
- Earthworms: 25 for $4.50 (.18 ea.)
- Feeder fish: Ahh I cant remember how much they cost!
- I don't purchase the small mealworms (tenibrio) but I believe
they are $2 or $3 for 100
I can get even better prices
for any of these food items if I buy 500 or 1000 at a time, which I do purchase
on occasion, but I'm trying to give you an idea of daily costs.
- Baby pinky mice, pre killed are $1.00 each.
When I offer these to my
dragons they eat two or three each. It is possible to purchase pre killed
frozen pinkie mice in large quantities, and it's cheaper, but I've never done
that. In fact, being in Canada I have a harder time with mail order. There
doesn't seem to be any large insect or feeder mail order suppliers here really,
and importing insects etc. from the United States is a pain! Plus when you
convert to Canadian funds and add the shipping it's often cheaper to buy in
bulk here. :( But if you are in the United States you might want to check out
http://www.herp.com/ as they list several
mail order suppliers of reptiles, reptile products and food items.
If you'd like to try raising your
own food items please see:
On a typical day one of my dragons
might eat 5 king mealworms (.50) , 2 earthworms (.36), and a few crickets (.18)
. Lets say 10 food items. So that would cost approx. $1.04 a day or $7.28 a
week. But don't forget I also give them whole prey food items once or twice a
week. My dragons don't really like feeder fish, which I cant remember the price
of right now, and which are also much cheaper than pinkies, so they get
pinkies. Two or three a day, once or twice a week. So Pinky day costs about $2
to $3 per dragon. How about we just say, that if you don't raise some of your
own food items, and you don't purchase food items in very large quantities,
that it will cost approx. $10 (Canadian) or approx. $7 (US) to feed your animal
on a weekly basis. That is, if the dragon eats the amount I'm
suggesting/estimating.
Crickets are the least expensive
food item, but don't let that fool you. Crickets have the highest phosphorus
content and a diet high in phosphorus, and perhaps low in whole prey food items
can cause calcium deficiency to develop.
So please, if you get a dragon, be
prepared to feed it a large variety of food items in order to help maintain
it's health. Believe me, curing a sick dragon costs a lot more than feeding it
properly.
Conclusions:
As you can see I haven't broken
everything down into prices for you. There are just too many variables
involved. Water dragons, just as many reptilian pets, are not inexpensive to
care for. They are high maintenance animals, and because they eat unusual food
items, feeding them properly can be expensive. Medical bills tend to cost a bit
more for them than they would for a common household pet, but perhaps the
reason for this is that many reptile owners don't bring their reptiles into the
vet until the animal is very very sick and needs extensive medical care.
Perhaps if the animals were brought in before they became sick, for a check up,
or as soon as a problem started to develop the cost of medical care would be
much less.
A very rough estimate of a basic set up and
initial costs:
- Dragon: $50
- vet check up: $40
- tank: $50
- 2 basking lights $20
- 1 24 inch UVB $25
- 2 clamp lamps $20
- 1 fluorescent fixture $20
- Substrate $5
- water container $5
- plants (live or fake) $20
- grape vine $20
- Misting bottle $ 3
- -------------------------------------------
- $278 Canadian (or approx. $194.60 US) *
Of course these prices will vary
depending upon where you shop, what brands you purchase, and or how savvy you
are ... remember garage sales, flea markets, auctions, herp societies might
have sales too, and of course a good 'ol walk in the woods for some cool
branches.
Extras:
- small filter: $ 30
- ceramic heat emitter: $ 40
- proportional thermostat: $100
- ----------------------------------
- $170 Canadian (or approx. $119 US)
A very rough estimate of yearly
maintenance:
- Replace UVB fluorescent: $20
- Replacement basking lights once: $25
- Replace substrate at least twice: $10
- Second water container to make life easier: $ 5
- Replacement or additional plants: $10
- Yearly checkup at the vets: $40
- Calcium and vitamin supplements $40
- Soap, bleach or quatricide for cleaning: $50
- Yearly food costs, purchased foods: $520
- ---------------------------------------------------
- $720 Canadian Or $504 US
Your first year with your dragon could
cost:
- Basic set up and initial costs- $278 Canadian (or approx.
$194.60 US)
- Yearly maintenance and food: $720 Canadian Or $504 US
- -------------------------------------
- total= $998 Canadian or $698.60 US
- Plus Extras- $170 Canadian (or approx. $119 US)
- -------------------------------------------
- Total with extras= $1168 Canadian or $817.60 US
** Based on a dragon eating 10 food
items 6 days a week, and up to three pinkies on the 7th day, at full insect and
pinky cost. Ahhhhhhhh! Thank god I raise at least half my own food! As you can
see food is the major source of expense. I didn't realize it cost that much to
feed them, provided they eat as much as I'm estimating.
I've double checked my figures, it
seems it really does cost that much. :( Remember I'm doing the best I can to
guestimate prices, and these prices are Canadian ... so if you are in the USA
please take about 30% off of these prices. I have already done the math for you
in the lists above though. :)
 Green Water Dragons,
Sailfin Lizards and Basilisks (General Care and Maintenance of Series) by
Philippe De Vosjoli
Basic but detailed information
about the care, diet, and health of green water dragons, sailfin lizards and
basilisks.
 Anoles, Basilisks and
Water Dragons : A Complete Pet Care Manual (More Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
by Richard D. Bartlett, Patricia P. Bartlett (Contributor)
Discussion of the general care of
many species of anole, basilisks and water dragons. Excellent information
regarding enclosures, cage building, and insect care and breeding.
 Eat This
Bug : A Guide to Invertebrate Live Foods for Reptiles and Amphibians by Lynn
Davis
This book is a guide for owners of
reptiles and amphibians who feed insects and other live foods to their pets.
Advice is offered for selecting , ordering and raising your own supply of live
invertebrate foods. More than a dozen species of live foods are discussed. The
book includes instructions on keeping cultures of insects, and recipes &
diets for insects. |
