First time keeper

Question
Hi im new to keeping reptiles, and i bought my first 2 water dragons about a week ago. Im worried about a couple of things and wanted to ask a few quetions. They are both three months old and came from the same group, but i have noticed there skin has gone from bright green to dark green/brown and they seem to be trying to escape by digging through the bark i have layered on the bottom. Also how long do i have to keep the UV lights on in the day and what temperature should the vivarium be.

Thanks very much
Elliott

Answer
Hello Elliott,

Congrats on being a new reptile owner to 2 water dragons.  
Do you know the sex of them?  
What type of setup do you have for them, is it a tall enclosure?  
Based on what you are describing by them going dark, & trying to escape is that they are not warm enough.  The color changes are probably due to stress, as well.  
What are you using for a basking light?  Is it a bright white light or a colored light?  
What type of UVB are you using, is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?
How are you measuring the temps, with a stick on type of thermometer or a digital probe or a temp gun?  
The optimal temps for them is around 85-90.  That is the basking area temps, but you will need to keep the cooler area around 80 or so.  The nighttime temps can drop to 70-75 with no problem.  
However, remember they need humidity of at least 75-80% otherwise they will become dehydrated & not do well.  So you will need to get a hygrometer to measure the humidity, too.
The UVB lights & the basking lights need to be on a 12 hour on cycle & a 12 hour off cycle, daily.
Let me know how they are doing.

Tracie