New parent of a female Water Dragon.

Question
QUESTION: I just got a female water dragon for Christmas. Her name is Drazilla. Tonight is the second night of having her and we had a power outage that lasted a very long time. We have a kerosene heater but of course we ran out of kerosene. What are some signs that she may be too cold? We live in Kentucky and the weather is rather cold here right now. Also what are some signs that she may be too hot just in case? She is about 12 inches, not sure of her age, and is in a 20 gallon tank while we are working on fixing her a bigger enclouser to run around in. She also has been sleeping a lot and didn't eat too much today but yesterday she ate like it had been days since she last ate. I figure she's just full and may eat more tomorrow. The only source of heat right now is a heating pad on the bottom of the tank and she has a 5.0 UVB light that we keep on for about 10-12 hours a day. any information you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Hello,

A 20 gallon is too small for even a baby that size, so work on getting the big enclosure as soon as possible. Minimum of 4ft tall 4ft wide and 2ft deep.

There are no "signs" to tell whether she is too hot or too cold. You must use a thermometer to make sure the temperatures are accurate.

Heating pads are kind of useless when it comes to water dragons as they spend most of their time up high and off the ground. A Heat lamp is the best but if you can't get one right yet then a regular house light bulb will suffice (along with the UVB) to add some heat.

This site should help with the majority of your questions:

www.triciaswaterdragon.com

Good luck


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: yesterday and today she has been breathing with her mouth open and very
deeply. We are starting to notice that she does it when our dog is in the same
room as her. Could this be a threaten reaction?


Answer
Hello Liz,

The gaping can be a reaction to the dog, and most likely she is feeling threatened. Can you move her to a room where the dog is not allowed? I know it might seem cruel but the dog seems to be stressing her quite a bit.

Breathing like that can also be from a Respiratory Infection. Watch for wheezy breathing, deep breathin without the dog around, coughing, bubbles from the nose or mouth, and excessive basking. If these signs appear you need to take her to the vet.

Good luck
Heather