Hearing of an Eastern Water Dragon Reptiles do not have ear 'flaps' like mammals, but lizards have an external ear structure and therefore have adequate hearing.
Chinese Water Dragon Behavior
Chinese water dragons are among one of the friendliest lizards out there—friendlier even than iguanas. They enjoy being handled and actually require regular handling to prevent them from becoming aggressive.
Water Dragons communicate through a variety of dominant and submissive signals including head-bobbing, saluting and substrate licking. The actual meaning of some of these displays is not yet fully understood.
Wild water dragons are generally thought to be very hard to observe as they splash into the creek well before you manage to see them. They will appear if you sit quietly and wait. I find that they quickly are attracted to insects and they have very good eyesight.
This species is quite intelligent and can be a very rewarding pet for the right owner, and with all of the Chinese water dragons we have for sale being captive bred in the UK, you can rest assured that they came from a reliable source.
Water Dragons can sleep in the water, with just their nostrils protruding. In cold weather before they go into their winter dormancy (hibernation), sleeping in the water overnight, is actually warmer than sleeping in the open. Water Dragons can eat underwater.
Eastern Water Dragons love:
A safe place to hide – usually in gaps between rocks or bricks, a wood pile, or in a clay pipe. Food – especially insects, frogs, yabbies and water insects. Overhanging plants – which provide safe haven around a pool, pond or creek and protection from predators.
Instead, they have visible ear openings to catch sound, and their eardrums are just below the surface of their skin. Even so, lizards can't hear as well as we do, but their hearing is better than that of snakes.
Australian water dragons are omnivorous meaning that they can eat a varied diet of vegetation, insects and meat. Though they can eat vegetation we only provide a small dish of leafy greens as this species is normally far more focussed on insects and meat.
Water dragons are diurnal lizards, meaning they are active during the day and sleep at night. The lights, therefore, need to go off at night. For this reason, a lightless heat source, such as a ceramic heat emitter for day and night heating might also prove beneficial.
Males and females sometimes express aggressive behavior toward each other in the form of arm waving, puffing up of the throat, head bobbing and chasing.
Australian water dragons have relatively long lifespans. It's unclear how long they usually live in the wild, but some research indicates they may live at least 16 years. They can live much longer in captivity, with a maximum age of 28 years, although there are claims that one lived for 40 years.
Water dragons eat both plants and animals, especially fruits, flowers, insects, frogs, yabbies and other aquatic organisms. If you see a water dragon, please respect their space and habitat and never try to touch or feed them.
Typically, they do enjoy being handled. Regular handling is essential to prevent them from becoming too aggressive. If the Chinese water dragon is scared or feels threatened, it may bite or whip its tail. They are pretty active in their environment and like to climb on rocks, up trees, on branches, or in plants.
Water dragons should be regularly fed large insects such as woodies, crickets and mealworms. A lean, salt and fat reduced (less than 1.5%) dog food (not fish) can also be mixed in with vegetables, calcium supplements and vitamin supplements to form a staple part of their diet.
Australian water dragons are perfectly friendly to humans if you're gentle. However, that docile behavior isn't extended towards other water dragons. These creatures are known to be a bit territorial (this is especially true with males).
They generally feed on insects, frogs, yabbies, aquatic organisms, fruits, berries, and flowers. They can even eat underwater. Water dragons can be preyed upon by various animals including snakes, birds, and feral animals such as cats and dogs.
The female Water Dragons lack the bright colourations on the chest and throat, and have narrower, more delicate heads. The male Water Dragon's head is much larger and angular. In the Botanic Gardens we have Gippsland Water Dragons, lacking the dark stripe from ear to eye. This is a male.
Feeding frequency is daily for juveniles and every 2-3 days for adults. Remember — if the enclosure temperature is not right your dragon may refuse to eat, or not be able to digest its food properly. All dragons are insect-eaters and should be offered a selection of live crickets, silkworms and mealworms.
A more controversial emotion in reptiles is the concept of pleasure, or even love. Many feel that they have not developed this emotion, as it does not naturally benefit them. However, most reptiles do seem to recognize people who frequently handle and feed them.
In most cases, loud noises won't do much damage to a reptile. But in some cases, loud noises could impact the reptile's hearing or cause stress. With that in mind, reptiles can be very sensitive to changes in their environment – especially when it comes to sudden noise fluctuations.
We recorded studies that explored sentience in reptiles and those that recognised reptile sentience in their experiments. We found that reptiles were assumed to be capable of the following emotions and states; anxiety, distress, excitement, fear, frustration, pain, stress, and suffering, in 37 articles.
Things that will bring Dragons luck:
Lucky colors: gold, silver, grayish white.
Predatory birds such as Kookaburras, Butcherbirds and Currawongs are likely to prey on the young hatchlings and small juvenile Water Dragons. Adult Water Dragons have also been known to prey on young hatchlings.
Chinese water dragons love the warmth coming from their basking lamp but they also appreciate secondary surface heat which will radiate from warm objects.