Compatability of Lizards

Question
I have a leopard gecko that is about 9 inches long right now, and I'm interested in purchasing a Chinese water dragon.  As far as comparability goes, for now-would they be okay together until i can purchase another, larger tank?  Also-what kind of substrate would you recommend?


Answer
Hello Andrew, I am really glad you ask this because mixing reptiles is never never a good idea. Especially two like these. The Chinese Water Dragon comes from the tropics. As the Leopard Gecko comes from the desert. The Dragon would not be happy in those conditions and can get really sick. If you raise the humidity and lower the heat for the CWD then you Leo will be suffering.

Don't get the Water Dragon until you are all setup and ready for him. Get the bigger enclosure or build one. Then Setup all the plants and decorations and lights. Then get the dragon. This way ends up easier on the wallet in a long run. I have 2 CWD and I built their setup and bought piece by piece every payday until it was done and I was ready for my little ones. This way every payday you lose out maybe $50 instead of an all at once $400. Also its best to buy the largest enclosure (or build) that you can rather then having to buy another tank every month as they grow an inch every month for two years about.

Substrate I recommend for a water dragon? I would say to use Eco-Earth. Its a compressed block of coconut fiber. I use it and never had a problem. Its natural it looks nice. It holds in moisture for the humidity. And Ilike I said never had a problem. If you are talking for you gecko then I would say kitchen floor tile or vinyl flooring. Something with a natural look like slate. Non adhesive is best. Its easy to clean doesn't warm up to the point where it will burn his belly. And looks nice.

Anything else just ask and here is a link with great CWD information. Its a forum so become a member and talk to the other people there. I am a member and visit there everyday. You can ask questions. Answer other peoples questions. Once you get a dragon you can participate in the photo contest. See  other people's pictures. So just check it out.
http://www.repticzone.com/forums/WaterDragons/index.html (copy and paste the URL into your address bar)

And the same site also has a Leopard gecko forum
http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Geckos-Leopard/index.html