Housing a Chinese water dragon: 150 × 80 × 150 cm, 32-35°C basking
Chinese water dragon : An enclosure of roughly 150 x 80 x 150 cm minimum for an adult, a 32-35 °C basking spot, UVB, 70 to 80% humidity and a water basin covering a good share of the floor. Visible walls benefit from planted cover.
An accessory from our shop for this use: Stump-effect resin islet and hide for young aquatic turtles (€21.90) · the whole shop
Outside our shipping area? The downloadable practical guide: Your First Terrarium: Leopard Gecko, Bearded Dragon, Corn Snake, Ball Python (€15)
In short: 80 to 100 cm including tail for an adult male, 10 to 15 years of lifespan, intermediate level. A bright green arboreal lizard, lively and endearing but nervous, it dives into water from its branches whenever it feels threatened. Being nervous, it easily injures its snout on glass when cramped: planted walls, a large volume and a real swimming basin prevent these rostral lesions.
150 × 80 × 150 cm and a strict thermal gradient
For an adult Chinese water dragon: 150 × 80 × 150 cm minimum, with a basking spot at 32-35°C and a cool zone at 24-26°C. That gradient is not comfort: it is how a reptile regulates temperature, by moving. No cool zone means overheating; no hot spot means no digestion.
Heating, UVB, humidity: the technical trio
Heating ALWAYS runs through a thermostat — the least negotiable equipment in herpetoculture — with thermometers at both ends. On light: a UVB tube (10-12 rating for desert setups, 5-7 for tropical) spanning a third of the enclosure, replaced every 6 to 12 months even if it still lights up. Humidity held at 70 to 80% via misting (manual or automated) and the right substrate, checked with a hygrometer, not by feel.
Substrate and layout
A moisture-holding substrate (coco fibre, soil-sphagnum), two hides minimum — one warm, one cool — and a structured background for security. Place the enclosure out of direct sun, which would turn the volume into an oven despite the thermostat.
Frequently asked questions
What enclosure size for a Chinese water dragon?
150 × 80 × 150 cm minimum for an adult — sized for the adult from day one; a juvenile does fine in it with extra hides.
What temperatures for a Chinese water dragon?
Basking spot at 32-35°C, cool zone at 24-26°C, all on a thermostat with a natural night-time drop. Humidity sits at 70 to 80%.
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