Tank or Cage

The first step to building a water dragon terrarium is finding the right size tank or cage for your lizard. Water dragons love to climb; because of this their cages should be tall enough to allow them some climbing room. This is opposite to bearded dragon cages because they aren’t big on climbing. Homemade wire cages are okay, and they give more climbing area. Plenty of sticks and structures should be able to fit inside their terrarium. A single dragon should be in a terrarium about 3 to 6 feet high and about 3 feet wide. This will give them enough room and allow for a single house mate.

Structures

A water dragon terrarium needs to contain plenty of structure for both hiding and climbing. Since water dragons enjoy hiding there needs to be plant like material for them to hide within on the taller structures. They need to also have areas within them where your lizard can climb in and hangout. This tendency for climbing is a major difference that should be considered when debating water dragon vs. bearded dragon. Depending on the placement of heat lamps, rocks should be close enough to obtain heat and allow for basking without becoming too hot. Heat rocks aren’t necessary and can be dangerous if they don’t include some form of adjustment. This is a common misconception of water dragon care.

Water

It is important to remember that water dragons are named so for a reason. They love water. A water dragon terrarium should have small water bowls for drinking and larger water bowls that can allow them to take a dip and even swim a bit. Water bowl levels need to be replenished often, not only is water important for swimming and drinking; it is also needed to maintain humidity levels.

Lighting and Temp Control

A temperature around 80 to 90 degrees should be maintained at all times. The best way to do this is with heat lamps. The number of lamps needed will depend on the water dragon terrarium location, size of the terrarium, and terrarium construction material. They should be placed so that your lizards can easily bask without overheating. The temperature and humidity must be monitored closely; a dual gauge can be found at most pet stores and is a necessity for lizard comfort and survival.