Water Dragon

REH · 11-15-04, 02:05 PM

Just thought I would post a picture of our Water Dragon Atari. We have had him sence April. I built him a 4x4x2 melamine cage with glass front and back so It can sit in the living room if we want. It only cost about $40 as I got the glass from a salvage company.

Just one question is he a he or a her. Size is about 9 inches body and 24 with tail.

Thanks
Richard

geckoguy157 · 11-15-04, 02:23 PM

nice water dragon

Linds · 11-15-04, 03:03 PM

It's so nice to a see such a healthy looking Dragon like that!

Tigergenesis · 11-15-04, 03:18 PM

He looks great! Thanks for sharing.

Invictus · 11-15-04, 03:29 PM

Beautiful dragon! Certainly a he, the males are the ones that grow those spines on the back. I agree with Linds, it is SO nice to see a healthy one! These things are pillaged from the wild by the thousands, and only a few even survive, but this one's a killer beauty.

ectotherm · 11-15-04, 06:32 PM

As the others pointed out, regardless of sex, you're doing a great job with your dragon.

I'm going to make things all the more confusing for you and say that Atari is a 'her'.

It's possible that you have a male, but if so, many of the distinct male morphological traits seem to be lacking. The color is right, but I would expect a larger nuchal crest, and some more distinct coloration and thicker jaw-line in a yearling male.

My avatar is a picture of a 3 year old male.

Again, the important thing is that you have a great looking he/she -water dragon.

REH · 11-15-04, 07:19 PM

Well Thanks for the nice comments Atari is great eats like a pig but just meal worm and crickets. We hope he well do as well as our 11 year old Leopard Gecko.

ectotherm do you have a large picture you could email of your dragon? I could send my email address.

Richard

Manitoban Herps · 11-15-04, 07:39 PM

I have a CWD as well, and yours is a female

For her size she would already have large spikes if she was a male

Very beautiful!

ectotherm · 11-16-04, 12:45 PM

Hi Richard,

Unfortunately, I no longer have any digital images of my CWD. He passed two years ago, and was 6 years old at the time. The issue was kidney failure, which basically translates into my fault.
Your dragon has the potential to live longer than most dogs. My advice, make sure you maintain UVB lighting and provide a healthy array of food items. I recommend buying your feeders in bulk, and in turn, feeding the food. All of the following are great items for a CWD: crix, superworms, nightcrawlers, lobster roaches, and an occasional pinky. I now give all of my feeder insects chicken mash and the leftover fresh greens that are fed to my iguana adoptions. I highly recommend the use of Sticky Tongues Farm Minerall 1 for a vitamin/mineral supplement. I no longer have water dragons, but here is a picture of the enclosure where 'Roger' lived for just about a year before he passed away: (it now houses a breeding group of Mountain Horned Dragons)

As I said above, and to second Manitoban Herps - I'd bet the farm that Atari is female. The other benchmark you can use is the animal's femoral pores that lie on the underside, spreading from either side of the vent, across the back legs. Those of a female are generally much smaller than a male.

As a visual aid, here is a pic of a 9 month old male from another dragon site. Overall, males have a much larger head, heavy jawline and prominent crest than the females.

V.hb · 11-16-04, 01:03 PM

I gotta agree, thats most likely a female..

timminsreptiles · 11-16-04, 01:47 PM

yep that is a female!