Great video Clint! As someone who breeds the very (and I do mean very!) difficult Chinese water dragon. You nailed their care and the facts towards their cost and issues regarding them being wild caught. I 100% agree that people are generally unable to provide the proper care for water dragons. So I’m glad to see you made a video showing people that a “cute” $20 lizard. Will cost you thousands! Great video again, and keep up the GREAT content!
Where are you based out of? I’m very interested in getting an AWD, but I want to do my homework and make sure I’m set up correctly before I do so, so any advice you have is greatly appreciated.
Clint's Reptiles so true, and unfortunately the cheaper a species get the worse it becomes All my water dragons are surrendered pets and today eastern water dragons have been introduced to several cities outside their natural range!
Australian water dragons are my dream reptile sucks that their so under appreciated in Australia because it's impossible for me to find any here in Canada.
Could we get videos on different types of monitor lizards? And maybe one discussing different boas? Your video on the common boa made me really want one!
Definitely do one on monitors, I’m sure you already know this because you’ve responded before but your ackie monitor video made me get one myself a while back.
We have an ozzy water dragon called Steve. He has a 6 foot tall vivarium, with a pool inside and a bunch of substrate to dig in. Basking slate up top, branches, shelves, UV basking areas etc. He is The Coolest pet. Hes just awesome. Seeing him do a 3ft dive into his pool from the top shelf is AWESOME.
Man, I had never heard of, or even seen an Australian Water Dragon before, but after all these videos of yours I can't wait to get one. Gonna be a good while though, but I think eventually its gonna be time to go big or go home with a huge and impressive tropical enclosure.
I was just trying to decide between the two yesterday! So glad for the video, wish I could find reliable care videos for the Australian water dragon. You should start doing videos on cage setups and care requirements!
Great video! All of your videos are awesome. I've had my Chinese Water Dragon for a year now. I'm glad you're informing people on what comes with owning and caring for these amazing reptiles.
this is awesome to see as I requested this when you released your Australian water dragon video. thanks for making this video and keep up the good work.
I always look forward to Clint schooling me. I have always kept reptiles, amphibians, and small mammas (ferrets, rabbits etc....) And with 25 years experience I feel like i learn something new every video. Awesome.
@@ClintsReptiles I got a captive bred/born one! Actually, a friend of mine hatched him, so it's going to be a lot easier to keep and stuff like that, he ate for me for the first time yesterday! A good silkworm small one) and a dozen crickets, I'm happy!
Years ago I heard about the Chinese water dragon, and was doing research on them when I discovered the Australian water dragon and really quickly became obsessed, so I was extremely excited about this video
Just that people tend to underestimate just how big the enclosure really needs to be, for both species. I kept reading how they need these big spaces and then people keep them in a 3’x3’ or something (which admittedly isn’t little) or that people put them in very vertical enclosures, and they really do need iguana or bigger sized enclosures. Maybe I’m planning on going overboard 🤷🏼♀️ but when I get my own place I’ve already got plans for a 9’x 3’x6’ for a single dragon
Thank you Clint! Best textile channel! I'm going to start building custom reptile enclosures centered on Water Dragons and Caiman Lizards. I'm really looking forward to it.
Beautiful animals. The Australian Water Dragon (especially the female) looked a lot like what I have always imagined a velociraptor may have looked. When you showed the sexual dimorphism was when I really saw it. They truly are AWESOME! Great video.
We have an adult CWD that we have had since she was a hatchling. CWD have specific needs but I wouldn't call them difficult. Keep humidity up, room to climb, place to soak, place to bask and multiple food choices. They have a great personality, very handlable not too big, not too small. Probably our favorite reptile.
Awesome video once again. As a kid I made the mistake of getting a Chinese Water Dragon without knowing the absolute care needed. That said, I had it for about 8 years before it really went down hill, paid tons of money on vets (specialists are necessary, as there were no reptile vets near me) and it was just really sad to see my pet die so quickly in a weeks time. As a kid, 6-14, I think I did a fairly good job... though this video would have been really useful. All your videos are what I wish I had back in the 90s, and what I hope young people today can use to educate themselves before getting that $20 lizard. These prices reflect the ease of getting them (from droves of imports or farmed individuals) and not their care complexity, which I think is a shame for the animal and the young people who have enough to get a difficult pet on an allowance. As a more conscious adult I find that making enclosures from scratch is real fun, but expensive... but it all is worth while if your reptile can carry out the 15+ years it should live. Thanks Clint!
I had a Chinese water dragon. Best lizard I ever had! He was in a 7foot tall enclosure that I made from an old tall dresser. The bottom shelf I cut a hole to fit a 20 gal. Aquarium with live feeder fish just in case he was ever hungry in between meals. I loved just watching him climb and swim. However I was the only one able to truly handle him. Everyone else he would just puff up to or tail whip. And as you said he didnt do well to travel. I had to move out of state for medical/family troubles so I had to rehome which broke my heart. But i knew he wouldnt make the 14hr drive. But he really was amazing watching him eat his mice (frozen thawed) once he got older and filling up the bath tub to help with stuck shed and just to really swim. Nothing can can even compare. Last update I got was his 10th birthday. It makes me happy.
I have to say, I grew up a huge fan of reptiles and considered myself an amateur herpetologist and particularly love lizards. I've also been watching many of your videos over the past few months since discovering your channel. Very, very few of the animals you've showcased have made me really want to take on the responsibility and financial implications of adopting them. The green tree skinks, and the Aki monitors were about it. But the Australian water dragons are spoil close to pushing me to pulling the trigger! Such a fantastic looking lizard!
I acquired a pair of Chinese water dragons about 10 years ago. As I was introducing them to their new enclosure I had set up for them, one of them went into a proper skittish mode and managed skirm out my hands and try making an escape. In the process it dropped its tail!! I was gutted to say least as they were exceptionaly beautiful and couldn't believe it as never heard of them being able to do so before. But I can assure any readers to this it was the case in mid air not been caught in anything so can be ruled out.
Hey Clint - love your content since the very beginning! Just a quick fact: Over here in Europe, for whatever reason, chinese water dragons were available for 20€ - all captive bred & in every petstore! They really were the "green iguana" during the 2010's over here. Really cheap, lovely tempered & beautiful lizards that sadly mostly would not get the needed care.
Never heard of the Australian til recently , I was curious to see the comparison I always heard the Chinese were a lil difficult to take care of. The question I had you answered almost immediately which is how related are they?
We had 2 Chinese water dragons (amongs a LOT of other reptiles). They were such great little characters and I miss them so much, both died of old age. We gave them our entire (heavily adapted) living room to roam, with one entire corner converted to an open herbarium where they could do their thing (eat, poop, bask etc). One day I hope to do something like that again once I actually got the funds again (it was VERY expensive lol), as it allowed them lots of freedom and interaction when they felt like it
Hi Clint my Chinese water Dragon Godzilla passed away last week at age 8 she was absolutely the best reptile pet I have ever owned she was my girl I miss her very much I absolutely love your channel very informative and very fun to watch thanks Clint abundant love and blessings from Canada sincerely your friend Richard ❤
I have a Chinese water dragon named rain i got him on saturday 2020 the 25th on january he is awsome my parents also love to watch these awsome videos you just gained a new subscriber
chameleons dying in every way possible: 1. breathing 2. seeing 3. tasting 4. touching 5. hearing water dragons dying in every way possible: 1. dehydration 2. over eating 3. drowning 4. parasites 5. being wild caught/ farm bred
Here in Sydney, I've got awesome wild water dragons that live around my pool. I often see them swimming early in the morning and find them sleeping in the inlet basket overnight. They are so cool and pretty chilled too. I've also noticed, water dragons seem more street smart than wild blue tongue lizards who sunbake on roads (and get run over) and less likely to be killed by domestic cats and dogs.
I have a CWD and he is the best. Having had different lizards for about 20 years of my life, the CWD is by far the most passive and docile. Most lizards if you try to pick them up and they don’t want to, they may tail whip you unintentionally. My CWD has never done that and has never ever acted aggressively. I have him living in a walk in shower that I don’t use. They need plenty of space. I have a tank I use to keep his insects in so they don’t escape. I have branches leading out of the tank and there is a fake tree in the shower that he really enjoys climbing and lounging on. He was not happy when I first got him and he was contained within a tank. He did rub his nose on the glass like many people have stated. If anyone has any questions, I’m happy to answer them.
Really enjoyed this video. I didnt know a lot about either but they're very interesting lizards. I'd like to see your take on short tail pythons in the future.
I used to have a pet Chinese water dragon named hadrosaurus (Or Hady for short) cricket stealer. I got him when I was 6 and he lived up to 7. It’s ashamed he passed away but he was really cool lizard. He ate many types of bugs when he was younger but when he turned 5 or 6 we feed him frozen mice (I would like to note he was huge) and sometimes live mice.
I absolutely adore my Chinese Water Dragon. He has such a great personality and loves coming out of his enclosure to play or even just hang out on my shoulder with me. He's very attentive and curious about everything. He's taken really well to wearing a harness and leash. The only issue I've run into is that his claws tend to be extremely sharp, much like a cat's front claws, so I have to wear a long sleeve shirt when handling him. Not really a big deal, it's pretty much the only handling issue I've had with him. My experience has been that setting up water filtration with a large aquatic area in his enclosure is the only way to really go. He loves swimming and his shedding goes a lot easier for him when he can soak his entire body for extended periods of time. It also helps out a lot with keeping the humidity in his enclosure high enough. Plus he just generally seems happier when he has a large water area to hang out in or above. I also highly recommend that anyone keeping a water dragon (Chinese or Australian) plan to set up breeding colonies of at least some of the insects they're going to eat. Feeding these guys can get really expensive, really fast if you're not growing your own bugs. Meal worm colonies are extremely simple to set up and grow quickly once you have them established. I'm also in the process of establishing a dubia roach colony and a super worm colony.
My Chinese Water Dragon I got from a local pet store. Don't know where the owner got it from but I didn't seem to have parasite issues. I did get a large aquarium and had read how they had issues with glass so I lizard proofed my entire room and let him roam and climb. He loved to get in amongst my close hangers. I'd only put him in the aquarium when he'd had a full day. When he started do she'd I'd allow him warm baths/swims in out bathtub to aid that process and made sure as. He grew his water dish grew with him. I got him as a babe and got him to young adult stage before strangely enough my health took a turn for the worse and I couldn't take care of him like I use too. Found him a new home however. Did all this living in Maine a strange state to find oneself living in and fascinated with reptiles. .
They're a lot of work. A someone who breeds them, I'll tell you(Just as Clint said!) that despite being a $20 Wild-caught lizard. Be prepared to spend a lot of money. They're expensive to keep and glass tanks & screen enclosures are a big NO when it comes to hosing them. Custom built or bought is the only way to go for them to truly be healthy.
I've have a Chinese Water Dragon for 2.5yrs,,, and 2cats, they get along wonderfully,, I converted a exlg China cabinet for him,, he is not any more expensive than 2cats, or 2gold fish, he is hand fed, used as a companion animal for my 9yr old grandson who is autistic.. still learning about him, "Toothless".. he is captive bred,,
I like to imagine you enthusiastically cussing in the unfortunate event of when one of your pets bite you. Love your videos, never owned a reptile before, but gonna get a Pall Bython or a Sorn Cnake pretty soon because of you.
Love your videos Clint may never get one of these awesome reptiles but I like learning about animals because I'll never learn about these things at school 😂😆
My first reptile was a green water dragon. They're great reptiles, but not for beginners. She's healthy and happy now, but she ended up costing me 400 in vet bills in the first year. She's was an extremely picky eater as a juvie and I underestimated the amount of space they require. There is no pre-built terrarium big enough to house these creatures, Even in the largest Exo-terra avaliable she was glass surfing. I ended up having to build her a custom 9'x5'x3' enclosure to get her to stop. Please do your research. the $30 price tag on these guys is tempting, but know that their enclosure is going to be extremely expensive.
I’ve got a female Chinese water dragon for 8 years now and she’s still going strong. Had a few issues but all in all she’s in good health and super tame. Spoiled by being hand fed and a picky eater sometimes though which can get annoying
Please make a vid about Abronia Arboreal Lizard .They are so rad and they to look, if not more in my honest opinion to dragons. keep on making great videos there so educational.
I had one as a teenager about 34 years ago and did nothing healthy for it. Reptiles back then sold and the pet store told you nothing that you needed. I didn't have UVB lighting, no swimming water and likely let my room get 74 degrees around the clock but I did have a big hot-rock which now too is not recommended. The poor thing just got lettuce and maybe some other mixed greens, but I can't recall. Nothing to hide under and the substrate was the green outdoor carpet. I got bored of this lizard after a few years or a year and traded it for a Savana monitor. That poor creature didn't get the proper care either and most of the time ate dog food. Bothers me now that I didn't take better care of my pets but I didn't know any better and the pet stores gave no proper advice or sold helpful products.
I had the chinese one about 30 years ago, he lived on a shelf in my study, no cage, would run to the other end when I brought him bugs. he loved those big pinching bugs kept him for years..
@@ClintsReptiles that is the plan and why I lean towards the AWD more. I am hatching Panther Chameleons to help the community get more CBB. Big fan by the way. My daughter and I watch all your videos. You also turned me on to snake discovery and I don't own or plan to own snakes haha.
@@ClintsReptiles can you also do a vs video with veiled, panther, and Jackson's? I have 2 of the 3 but I know it's hard to find videos that would guide people in the right direction if they want a chameleon.
My Neighbors had a Chinese’s water dragon and they had like a heat rock with a tub of water and he lived for about 14 years,well he wasn’t my neighbor,they were my grandmas neighbors,in like the 1990s
I’ve been waiting for this video. Rango my captive breed Chinese water dragon is impressed with you video. He is the king and all of his subjects in my room have submitted to his rule but he has now been introduced to a new challenger that wants his crown.
His subjects include two hermit crabs, a thai bamboo rat snake, three goldfish, two female bettas, danios, neon tetras, Cory catfish, a pleco and a pupper
I am adopting a 7month old chinese water dragon who has been at the store for at least 5 months and has already been to the vet 10 times (parasites, amputating toes, etc). Is there at least a small chance that I can revitalize him? From what I hear he has been doing well for the past month.
Reminds me about beta, plecos, and goldfish. Always assumed to be easy to keep but actually the hosing costs are much higher than expected because the fish require bigger tanks to thrive. I quite miss my fish. I had a quite nice planted ecosystem thriving before I had to take it down.
Honestly once you get the area set up and the humidity right and some real plants it starts to take care of itself. They really aren't to different to Care for. Hardest part is getting it all going. After that its pretty much just feeding.