On the main requirements for Chinese water dragons are high humidity levels. However, owners tend to struggle keeping humidity levels optimal for their Chinese water dragons. In this post, you will learn about ideal Chinese water dragon humidity levels, humidity problems, and 5 tips on keeping ideal humidity levels in the tank.
What is the ideal humidity for Chinese water dragons?
Ideal Chinese water dragon humidity levels range from 65-75%, with peaks to 80-95% when misting, and only temporarily drops to 50-55%. Keeping levels above 80% at all times is however bad for your Chinese water dragon, as it can cause various infections.
How to reach and keep ideal humidity levels for Chinese water dragons?
There are different ways to reach ideal Chinese water dragon humidity levels. Make sure to check the humidity levels with a digital hygrometer like this, preferably put on few sides of the tank.
Tip 1: Have a soaking/swimming area for your water dragon
First of all, not only they need high humidity levels, but they also love soaking and swimming. So, you must have a pond or a tub that is large enough for your Chinese water dragon to soak and even swim in it.
To create that, you can choose to add a large plastic/bus tub that you will fill the water. You can also create a separated pond or paludarium (more advanced). To do this, you might need to separate an area with plexiglass or similar, and install double to triple filtration.
However, most owners decide to use a large tub with water that they both filtrate and refresh. Some of the best items to create a soaking area are:
- Cement mixing tubs
- Restaurant use bus
- Plastic bins
- Rubber trough
- Don’t use small a aquarium – Chinese water dragons will scratch the sides which can cause leakage
The water in the swimming area needs to be filtrated, so you don’t need to change water manually daily, but once in 2-4 days. To filtrate the water, you can have a simple filter or a waterfall feature with a filter like this.
Chinese water dragons produce a lot of waste – they will poop in water. So, installing 1 or even 2 filters will help keep the water cleaner for at least 2-3 days. If you don’t use a filter, you must change the water every day.
Also, make sure the water is moving (insert an air stone bubble diffuser like this or a waterfall feature). The water on the bottom of the cage will help your Chinese water dragon stay moisturized when it chooses to swim during the day. Green water dragons are attracted to moving water.
If the water in the swimming area is not warm enough, you should heat it with a submersible water heater like this. Heating the water for soaking is crucial, because in cold water, your Chinese water dragon will experience muscle weakening. This can lead to drowning.
Optimal water temperature for Chinese water dragons is between 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit (26-29 Celsius).
Add accessories and branches to helping with getting out. You can also add some gravel on the bottom of the tub to help with gripping.
Tip 2: Have an ultrasonic misting system or a humidifier/fogger
Because the humidity needs to be high, it won’t be achieved just by having a water dish on the bottom of the tank.
To make your life easier, you can get an ultrasonic misting system like this, for example. With a misting system, you can create a program and set times to mist the tank automatically. The system will then spray the tank with a fine mist, which is very convenient.
Instead of a misting system, you can also use a fogger like this. This fogger will also create a cool fog in your Chinese water dragon’s tank, immediately raising humidity levels. You can then connect this fogger to a timer, so it can turn on and off at specific times.
Don’t leave the fogger or a misting system on all the time, as it won’t let the moisture escape. This will create conditions that are too moist. Unfortunately, it can lead to fungal growth, tail rot, respiratory infection and more. Let the tank dry out a little between mistings.
Use the misting system/fogger in the morning/afternoon, while the tank has lots of time to stay warm. In the wild, relative humidity is also higher in the morning. Make sure to have a small bowl near the humidifier, as it can leak water that you need to collect.
With very large tanks, especially ones with metal screen tops, moisture will escape very quickly. In cases like this, you will need to leave the fogger/mister on for longer. Some owners even decide to use a combination of two devices. Covering one side of the tank might help trap the moisture in for longer too.
Tip 3: Mist your Chinese water dragon and the tank
If you don’t have a fogger or mister in your Chinese water dragon’s tank, you can manually spray your dragon and its tank 1-3 times a day. How many times you need to spray will depend on the time of the year and the cage.
Don’t pour a lot of water on your dragon or the substrate, make sure to use a mister. Use warm water. The key here is to never create soggy conditions, and to always provide proper ventilation. Make sure your Chinese water dragon is slightly moist, as well as its habitat.
Mist your Chinese water dragon in the morning and then in late afternoon if needed. That will ensure that the moisture can evaporate while lights are on, to prevent soggy conditions.
Please don’t mist your Chinese water dragon too much, as they naturally bask a lot and dry out, which helps prevent any skin infections!
Tip 4: Use moisture retaining substrate and live plants
Having a humidity retaining substrate/bedding on the bottom of the tank will help retain moisture and keep the tank humid. The best options for bedding in a Chinese water dragon’s habitat are large orchid chips, sterilized topsoil or coconut coir that is topped with some bark. Cypress mulch topped with large orchid bark is also a good option.
Bark will help to retain moisture, but will not become too wet and clumpy, sticking to your dragon and other accessories in the tank.
Another tip to increase humidity in Chinese water dragon’s cage is to place live plants in the tank. Make sure the plants are non-toxic and strong enough to withstand your dragon.
Tip 5: Partially cover the sides or top screen
If your Chinese water dragon’s cage is partially or fully made of metal screen, moisture will evaporate very quickly. With cages like this, you will need to use a humidifier for your Chinese water dragon. But even with a humidifier, it might be hard to keep humidity levels stable.
That’s especially true if you live in a very dry area. In cases like this, cage made of metal screen only partially will make it more manageable to control humidity.
To help with this, you can cover 1-2 sides of a mesh/metal screen cage sides with a towel. Don’t cover all sides, as ventilation is very important. If your cage only has a metal screen lid, you can partially cover it with a towel. Never block all the sides though!
Thank you for reading this post on Chinese water dragon humidity issues and tips! To read all about heating and lighting, see this post. You can also find a library of posts about Chinese water dragons here.