Chinese water dragons thrive well in enclosures that are warm and humid. They need lots of water in their captive environment to stay comfortable. The cage material you use to house your water dragon should be one that helps retain humidity. Housing Chinese water dragons becomes easier if you provide the ideal conditions required by your pet.
Although Chinese water dragons do not absorb water, they prefer to remain moist. These exotic lizards are mainly found in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. You should maintain the humidity levels around 80% for your pet to stay healthy. Using a measurement tool such as digital hygrometer will help you achieve the required levels of humidity quite successfully.
You need to maintain ideal humidity requirements in the dragon’s enclosure as it helps proper shedding. Less humidity in the enclosure can result in poor shedding of the skin. Water dragons need high humidity to shed their coat and look wonderful. Your pet may not look pleasing if there are any problems with natural shedding of the skin. The excessive skin may get stuck to the toes or tail end of your dragon which can lead to infections.
Humidity requirements can be maintained easily if you place a large water bowl in the enclosure. This also pleases your pet as it can enjoy soaking and even swimming. You can place the water tray or bowl preferably in the warm area of the enclosure to raise the humidity levels. High humidity levels can also be maintained if you mist the enclosure a couple of times everyday. This can be done easily using a spray bottle or you can even buy a mister that is available commercially.
Remember harsh dry conditions can be extremely harmful for your pet. If you are having a problem in maintaining the required humidity level, you can place live plants in your pet’s enclosure. Ideal levels of humidity can also be maintained if you house your dragon in an enclosure that is made of wood or glass.
It is also important that you do not allow humidity in the enclosure to exceed 80%. Excessive humidity can also be dangerous for your pet. It is seen that high humidity can result in excessive growth of microorganisms. This also leads to higher incidences of infections particularly those involving the respiratory tract. If you use a large water tray to maintain humidity, it is important that you keep it clean. This will prevent your pet from getting sick.
