Alternative Name
Water Dragon, Green Water Dragon
Scientific Name: Physignathus cocincinus
Basic Info
Chinese Water Dragons are lovely green lizards that appear to be mostly tail: the striped brown and green tail makes up about three-quarters of its full length. Males grow to be about three feet and females about two feet long, though some females can grow as larger, or larger than males. They are green with vertical stripes of a contrasting green color. Green Water Dragons have colorful throats, ranging from pink or peach to brighter shades of orange. They have triangular heads and a small shiny spot between the eyes, which Water Dragons use to thermo-regulate and sense light. The hind legs are more muscular than the slim front legs, and like us, Water Dragons have five toes. They have sharp claws and the middle toe is the longest toe. It is difficult to visually distinguish between the sexes and nearly impossible until the Water Dragon is sexually mature, though generally males are larger and have more pronounced heads and jowls.
Health
Should you care to have more than one, a male and female or several females will get along nicely. Please be sure not to put two male Water Dragons in an enclosure, as they will fight.
Water Dragons should be misted every day because they need the humidity to be above 80% all the time. Chinese Water Dragons need a large enclosure, four feet by two feet by two feet should provide the proper space needed to house one adult, though the larger the enclosure the better. Multiple dragons will require more space. Provide them with a water bath for drinking and bathing and a basking spot of about 85 to 90 degrees. Water should be cleaned daily, as they tend to deficate in their water. The rest of the enclosure should remain about 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. At night the temperature should be in the lower seventies. Provide full-spectrum UV light for 12 to 14 hours a day. They also seem to like a good misting every few days. Chinese Water Dragons also need plants and branches to climb on, and females need a box about eight inches deep filled with moist soil in which to lay their eggs. Female Water Dragons may lay eggs even if they have not been bred and could become egg-bound if they can not find a suitable nesting spot, so this is very important. Water Dragons can jump, so it is important to make sure their enclosure is covered with a ventilated screen to prevent escapes.
Be sure to handle your Water Dragon for only a few minutes each day until it has become used to you, and beware of its tail! If nervous, the Water Dragon will whip its tail at you, which can be very painful, and if terrified, it may bite.
Breeding
Chinese Water Dragons are easy to breed and this should be attempted only when the throats have reached their final bright color, indicating sexual maturity. Be sure the female is given a place to hide from the male, as he may become aggressive during the mating season. Generally, eggs require two months to hatch and before laying the Water Dragon may lose her appetite. Hatchlings are generally five to six inches long, with four to five inches of this comprised of their tails alone. They are a dull brown-green color with lighter vertical stripes and a lighter, whitish underside.
Habitat
Live in the tropical, wet forests of Thailand, Southern China, Cambodia, and Vietnam, loving especially areas near a water source
Behavior
The Chinese Water Dragons, or Green Water Dragons, are well known and appreciated for their appealing personalities.
Native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, Chinese Water Dragons are arboreal lizards that are active during the day. They swim on occasion and can even run standing only on their hind legs! Some may also occasionally eat pinkies. Water Dragons have calm, amiable personalities with handling and will grow to be very rewarding pets with proper treatment. With patience and kind and gentle treatment the Chinese Water Dragon will usually become very easy to handle. They average Chinese Water Dragon lives for fifteen years.
Origin
Asia
History
In the wild, Chinese Water Dragons live in the tropical, wet forests of Thailand, Southern China, Cambodia, and Vietnam, loving especially areas near a water source. Unfortunately, because they are so valued as pets, they are stolen from the wild. To prevent their extinction, keep only captive bred animals as pets. Captive-bred Water Dragons generally have more calm and docile personalities than wild-caught animals.
Common Foods
Chinese Water Dragons are omnivorous and eat lots of insects and small amounts of fruit. In captivity, crickets, mealworms, earthworms and fruit such as bananas, with a calcium supplement (that is phosphorous and D3 free) should be dusted on the food.
Latest news about Water Dragon Chinese
Beijing Welcomed You … so did you remember its song?
The Olympics are over (except for the Paralympics, that is) and people have trickled out of Beijing, but still in their heads and mine is probably this catchy (some say annoying) song that was sung by an ensemble of veritable who’s-who in today’s Chinese popular music world. Chinese people seem to really like this kind of qunxing (群星) or star-ensemble singing, where phrases are sung by their favorite stars. Chinese popular music has changed drastically over the decades. Since the dark days Continue reading
BOOM Festival- The Best European Psytrance Party - Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal
Jump to the full entry & travel map Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal I had heard of the BOOM festival in Portugal quite some time ago and had always wanted to go. BOOM has been described as the Burning Man of Europe and we think it´s good sense to go to the best party straight up in order to get the feel of the whole European psytrance scene. Here is a bit about the trance scene in Portugal taken from The Trancers Guide To The Universe: Portugal has been a key figure in the trance sce Continue reading
PHUKET
General Information Located approximately 862 kilometers south of Bangkok is Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, which is often dubbed as “the pearl of the Andaman, or the pearl of the south”. Its natural resources- rocky peninsular, limestone cliffs, white powdery beaches, tranquil broad bays and tropical in-land forests contribute to making it the South’s wealthiest, busiest, most visited and most popular island and province.Nestled in the tropical zone off the west coast of the southern par Continue reading
Houston Memories
Houston Memories Houston Memories During my childhood, my family moved quite often due to my father s mining career. This nomad life led to many unique experiences and fond memories. In the late summer of 1970, we moved to Houston ” a small town in northern British Columbia. Here is where I find a treasure chest of childhood memories. I was a belligerent child and it often got me into trouble. While living in a subdivision, I was playing in the schoolyard with a few neighborhood kids. I said s Continue reading
Extraordinary Real Life Dragons
Sea Dragon Photo credit: Digidiver.net Weedy and Leafy Sea Dragons are fish and, in true dragon style, they eat meat. The Weedy variety grows up to 46 centimetres long and the leafy one reaches 35 centimetres. These creatures are exquisitely designed to blend in with their environment. Their flowing, lightly flowing appendages are all over their bodies. It is almost impossible to pick them out from the seaweed which provides their home. These creatures are mostly found around the seas of Sou Continue reading
Olympic Commercials
I didn't like them. Well, I liked the one in sepia where the runner from Athens couldn't finish and his dad helped him to the finish line. That almost makes my shriveled and dead little soul spring to life. Still no tears, but close. But by and large, I hated them. Is this seriously as far as culture has progressed? How many Chinese stereotypes could be crammed in to one commercial break? The energy commercial where the Chinese peasants take food for the dragon to heat their water? The McDonal Continue reading
Beijing Olympics, Afterthoughts
When it only comes one every four years, seventeen days can pass awfully fast for someone like me. But the Beijing Olympics have come and gone, and while most of the feared events never occurred, we did learn quite a bit during this couple of weeks. To me, the Olympics are about the athletes, and it has to be said that China provided first class facilities for the various competitions. I don’t recall a single athlete complaining about sub-standard conditions, and most said the opposite: that t Continue reading
TIME OFF
TIME OFFThink tea is too bland? Try these five exotic varieties. INSIDE THE WORLD OF...Why a London cabbie's brain is bigger than yours. technologyby Christopher Null September 2008 When you get in the car, put down your cell phone and plug in these smart headsets. This past summer, California became the most recent state to mandate that drivers get off their cell phones while driving, or face fines if caught ($20 for the first offense, then $50 for each additional infraction)—but Continue reading
AN EXPAT'S LIFE IN LONDON
AN EXPAT'S LIFE IN LONDONA former New Yorker talks about life in Europe's financial capital. SIDE TRIPS: SIXTY MINUTES FROM LONDONTry these excursions for fun when your business is over. COLUMNS FROM THE FLIGHT DECKA pilot explains the complex web of safeguards in aircraft maintenance. EXECUTIVE COACHClear, consistent communications with employees will help achievethe biggest tasks. WINNING STRATEGIESDoing business in Britain? Follow these tips for dealing diplomatically with your counterpa Continue reading
Unfinished City: A Beijing Tour
In the lead-up to the Summer Games in Athens, a major concern was whether all of the sports venues would be completed in time for the Games. That wasn’t much of a worry for Beijing. Major infrastructure — included the stadiums and playing fields, new subway lines, train stations and the world’s largest airport terminal — were all completed in seemingly record speed in the quest to transform the once-stodgy Chinese capital into a modern Asian metropolis on par with Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Continue reading
Beidaihe: Adventurre at the Beach - Beidaihe, Hebei, China
Jump to the full entry & travel map Beidaihe, Hebei, China I had gotten to know Qinhuangdao pretty well and had gone North to Shanhaiguan hiking in the spring. It was now August and hot. Good time to go South to the beach at Baidaihe. The skies were normally gray around here, but this Saturday the sky was a very beautiful blue color. Today was the day to go to the beach. I hopped the # 34 bus which winds it's way through QHD. The cost was 2 RMB. The conductor collects your money Continue reading
Google Special - Day 9 - 16 Of Olympics
August 24, 2008 Since I was gone, Google has been changing their logo daily as usual. And these are the logos that have been appearing from August 17 - August 23: Google Special: Beijing Olympics Day 9 August 17 2008: Rat vs Dog in kayaking Google Special: Beijing Olympics Day 10 August 18 2008: Dragon playing table-tennis (ping-pong), probably suggesting China dominating the table-tennis events Google Special: Beijing Olympics Day 11 August 19 2008: Mr Snake swimming in the water cube Google Continue reading
Shanghai - Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Jump to the full entry & travel map Shanghai, Shanghai, China Thursday 31st July Alison: We touched down safely in China and once again found our way through the beautifully designed new Shanghai airport, happily getting through immigration with our Chinese visas now and the kids pressing the biggest smiley face on the row of buttons asking us how much we approved of the officer's work! You really couldn't get a stronger contrast between Russia! Anyway, eventually we got our luggage and Continue reading
Saber-rattling in Seoul
Posted by ampontan on Sunday, August 24, 2008 “Of course you realize, this means war!” - Groucho Marx as Rufus T. Firefly in Duck Soup SOUTH KOREA LIVES in a rough neighborhood, surrounded by the Chinese dragon, the Russian bear, and its evil twin in Pyeongyang. North Korea invaded the South in 1950 to ignite a bloody war, and their military provocations have continued over the ensuing half century. They tried to assassinate then-President Chun Doo-hwan in Burma in 1983. The plot failed to elim Continue reading
Contest Round-Up - 8/23/08
Don’t forget to check out my Contests page during the week for even more great giveaways! Here is this week’s Contest Round-Up: Here at Just a mom’s take on things…, I am giving away a copy of the Under Construction DVD (enter by August 27th at 11:59 pm EST), and a copy of the new Laurie Berkner Band CD “Rocketship Run” (enter by August 29th at 11:59 pm EST). SITES HOSTING MULTIPLE GIVEAWAYS: Over at Bloggy Giveaways you could win one of two Country Living – “Two Warm Pies Picnic Gi Continue reading
SIDE TRIPS: SIXTY MINUTES FROM LONDON
SIDE TRIPS: SIXTY MINUTES FROM LONDONTry these excursions for fun when your business is over. COLUMNS FROM THE FLIGHT DECKA pilot explains the complex web of safeguards in aircraft maintenance. EXECUTIVE COACHClear, consistent communications with employees will help achievethe biggest tasks. WINNING STRATEGIESDoing business in Britain? Follow these tips for dealing diplomatically with your counterparts. DEPARTMENTS TIME OFFThink tea is too bland? Try these five exotic varieties. INSIDE THE Continue reading
Recombinant Urbanism of Chou Wen-Chung
O ne must search beyond the procedures of a musical practice, discern its original aesthetic commitments, and trace how its tradition has evolved. If one is blessed with a cross-cultural heritage, one must then regard it as a privilege and obligation to commit oneself to the search in both practices.” Chou Wen-chung.The Olympics-related immersion in all things Chinese has been welcome. While commuting to and from work this week I have continued to listen and re-listen to the pieces on the Continue reading
Ice Sculptures: Who Needs Stone When You Have the Cold Stuff?
Some of the most beautiful and impressive ice sculptures you have ever seen are included here, as well as some interesting and unexpected facts about the cold stuff. So, we may ask after seeing this dazzling objects, who need stone when you have The Cold Stuff? Not-So-Forbidden City Image Source Harbin in China, above, hosts a spectacular ice festival each year. As we saw at the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony, when the Chinese choose to do something big, they go for it. There are no less tha Continue reading
Olympic Randomness
Olympic Randomness 21 08 2008 As I divulged in my post yesterday about the Las Vegas announcement, I’ve been a bit obsessed with the 2008 Beijing Olympics lately. I’m not sure what it is about them? I remember being into the Olympics as a six-year-old back in 1984 when Mary Lou Retton was winning her glory in gymnastics. Ever since then though, my interest in the Olympics has largely waned. For some reason though, this year all that changed. I have a theory about this. Like m Continue reading
Singapore Food & Hawker Food Picks
Singapore has an extraordinary blend of local delicacies to sample, from Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak, Laksa, Rojak, Beef Kway Teow, Fish Head Curry… to Peranakan, Indian, and Malay cuisine. Singapore food - truly a yummy delight The trick with Singapore’s hawker centres (stalls where local food is served up - think “mega-food court”) is to go with friends so you can sample more dishes. Start by finding a local hawker centre, then follow the line of people to the most popular st Continue reading
