How to Care for an Australian Dragon

Note that most Australian dragons usually live alone. Large ones can attack smaller ones, and males are usually territorial by nature. This is made even more complicated as it is quite difficult to sex Australian dragons when they are young, so at first you may not know if your dragon is male or female. ^[5]

Buy eco boxes instead of glass boxes or aquariums. Unlike glass boxes or aquariums with four glass sides, eco boxes have solid walls and a glass front. The glass case will have a hard time keeping the environment warm enough, so either your dragon will get cold, or the electricity bill in the house will skyrocket. Remember that the eco box needs to be at least 90 cm x 30 cm x 45 cm.

• If you can’t buy an eco box, choose an aquarium with a mesh on the top.
• If you want to build your own coop, you need to remember that the coop should be well ventilated, easy to disinfect and be able to retain heat well (see below).
• Cages with wooden sides need to be sealed with ppyurethane or another impermeable substance, and seams should be sealed for easy cleaning and disinfection. Wait several days for the ppyurethane to dry completely and let the air out before releasing the Aussie to avoid poisoning. ^[6]

Make sure the Australian dragon’s accommodation is large enough. Australian dragons can grow up to 60 cm, move quickly and love to climb, so they need a lot of living space. ^[7] With young Australian dragons, a 40 liter aquarium is enough, but it will only last a few months, because your dragon will grow up quickly. Adult dragons need more space: the aquarium should have a minimum capacity of 210 – 230 liters, ^[8] but it is better to use an aquarium with a capacity of 280 – 450 liters.

• If you’re building your own cage, make sure it’s at least 120cm long, 60cm wide, and 50cm tall.
• To save money, you can buy an adult dragon cage. Consider using adjustable partitions to expand the living space as your dragon grows. ^[9]

Use a mesh cover to cover the cage. Do not use glass, plexiglass or wood to cover the cage. These materials prevent air from circulating and cause moisture to build up in the barn. The mesh cover will allow good air circulation, allow light and heat sources to function properly, and help moisture escape.

• Make sure the lid is tightly closed.

Floor lining. The bottom of the cage should be lined with a safe and easy-to-clean substrate. It is very important to choose materials that do not pose a danger to the dragon. Australian dragons often eat the substrate with small particles leading to gastrointestinal obstruction and death. You can use newspaper, paper towels, wrapping paper, or rugs made specifically for reptiles. ^[10] These materials are cheap, easy to clean, and harmless to pets.

• Make sure the bottom bottom of the eco-box is carpeted with no heat source. Thus, if the dragon wants to dig under the upper liner, its most vulnerable area (the abdomen) will not come into contact with the bottom of the cold tank.

Added “furniture” to the dragon’s house. Create a favorable environment for your dragon to climb, hide and warm – behaviors required to maintain a healthy Australian dragon.

• Never put into the cage anything you find outside. Logs and objects in the wild can carry parasites, no matter how much you wash them. Instead, use disinfected logs and twigs available at the store. Wash with warm water and dry before putting in the cage.
• Put some more branches for the dragon to climb and warm up. Be sure to place firmly under the secondary heat source (see section 3). Make sure the branches are as wide as the dragon. Oak or carpeted planks are good choices. Avoid logs with sap or tar.
• Provide smooth stones for the dragon to lie on for warmth and hoof grinding.
• Create a hiding place for the dragon. You can put an empty cardboard box, cardboard tube, or flower pot in the barn. The hiding place needs to be snug and high up in the cage. If your dragon doesn’t use hiding, try moving to another location or using another object.
• Add some greenery to create shade, moisture and a sense of security for the dragon. Be sure to choose plants that are not toxic to Australian dragons (such as hibiscus, Ficus benjamina , and hibiscus). Make sure plants and soil are not treated with pesticides, fertilizers or wetting agents. Before placing in the coop, you need to wash the plant with a water sprayer and water the soil until water comes out from the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot: this will help remove any harmful chemicals. You may also need to quarantine newly acquired plants in a separate part of your home for a while before placing them in the barn. ^[11]

Provides the main source of heat. You need a heat source that maintains the temperature in the cage at a level suitable for Australian dragons. Australian dragons prefer temperatures between 25-31 degrees Celsius during the day, and 21-26 degrees Celsius at night.

• Use an array of incandescent lights above the roof of the barn. Remember to turn off the lights at night, and then you need to use a different heat source, depending on the temperature in the room.
• Try using a heating pad on the bottom of the cage or an infrared ceramic heater as a nighttime heat source.
• There is a special type of incandescent light bulb for reptiles, capable of emitting heat but with little light; However, this lamp is quite expensive.
• For large cages, you need to regulate the temperature in the room with a thermostat or heater.
• Always install fire alarms in rooms where lights or heat sources are active. ^[12]

Use an additional heat source. Australian dragons like to have a temperature difference in their cage so they can move from a warmer to a cooler area. The extra heat source will give them a place to warm up. This area should occupy 25 -30% of the cage area, with a temperature of about 35-38 degrees Celsius. You can use special heaters, or choose a simple incandescent light bulb with a capacity of 30-75 W. with ceramic base. This heat source needs to be securely mounted where the animal cannot reach it.

• Never use hot stones as a heat source!
• Remember to use a smaller wattage light bulb to heat a young Australian dragon living in a small cage; otherwise, the barn will become too hot. ^[13]
• The temperature should not rise above 43 degrees Celsius, but the heating temperature in this range is acceptable.
• You should place one thermometer in the “hot zone” and one in the “cool zone” to ensure the right temperature is maintained.

Provides a lamp that emits UVB light. The Australian dragon needs ultraviolet light to synthesize vitamin D, which supports calcium absorption; Calcium deficiency can lead to metabolic bone disease. You can use fluorescent or mercury vapor bulbs; Fluorescent lights need to be replaced every 6 months, because the UVB rays emitted will weaken over time. Australian dragons need to be exposed to this light 12-14 hours a day.

• Make sure fluorescent bulbs emit light with at least 5% UVB (check packaging for specifications).
• Find a long light bulb that covers the entire length of the barn.
• Consider using an ultraviolet lamp with a wavelength between 290-320 nm. (Note that this is not the same as grow lights or bar lights.) You can choose bulbs that emit both white light and UVB rays, or lamps that emit only UVB rays.
• It is best to place the UVB light source 25-30 cm away from where the dragon usually lies (such as a heating area) to ensure that the dragon is exposed to enough light. The lamp should not be farther than 45 cm away.
• Remember that UVB rays do not penetrate glass. The UVB source should be mounted above the cage net, and the net should not be too tight.
• The sun is the best source of UVB. On sunny days, when the temperature is in the right range (see section 3, step 1 above), you should put the dragon in a sturdy mesh cage and bring it outside to warm up in the sun. You should also provide shade and hiding places for the dragon. ^[14]

Feed your dragon the right sized food. One of the key factors you need to keep in mind when feeding an Australian dragon is that any food given to your dragon should not be larger than the distance between its eyes. If the food is larger than this, the dragon can choke, obstruct the digestive tract and paralyze the hind legs.

Feed your Australian dragon a diet consisting mainly of small insects. Australian dragons are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. However, newly hatched and young Australian dragons have special dietary needs. You should feed the Australian dragon with small insects in enough quantity to eat in about 5-10 minutes. Stop feeding when the dragon stops eating. Young Australian dragons can eat about 20-60 baby crickets the size of a pinhead every day.

• Feed the newly hatched dragon a diet that includes small insects. If you have a very young Australian dragon, you need to feed it with very small prey such as pinhead-sized crickets or tiny newly hatched worms. You can gradually train your Australian dragon to eat day-old stomach mice when they are ready.
• Feed baby dragons (two to four months old) on a diet of 80% insects and 20% greens (see suggestions below).
• Young Australian dragons need to be fed two to three times a day.

Feed an adult Australian dragon a lot of vegetables. The adult dragon’s diet consists of about 60-65% plants and 30-45% animals. Calcium-rich leafy greens and other root vegetables should make up a large portion of the adult Australian dragon’s diet.

• Feed a “mixture” of collard greens, dandelion leaves and flowers, chamomile, chicory, grape leaves, collard greens, turnip leaves and/or watercress.
• You can add the following vegetables to balance the nutrition of your Australian dragon: winter squash, green and red bell peppers, zucchini, green beans, lentils, pumpkins and other squashes, peas , sweet potato and radish. Cook the squash until soft before feeding it to the dragon.
• Give your dragon the following vegetables as a reward from time to time: cabbage, collard greens and kale (these vegetables are high in calcium oxalate, which disrupts bone metabolism); carrots (contains a lot of vitamin A, can cause poisoning if at high levels); spinach, broccoli and parsley (high in goitrogens, which reduce thyroid function); and corn, cucumber, radish, Brussels sprouts and zucchini (low nutritional value).
• Spray the vegetables with water to keep them fresh for a long time and provide more water for the dragon.
• Chop vegetables and mix them up into a salad to encourage your dragon to eat a variety of foods instead of just choosing favorites. ^[15]

Occasionally feed the Australian dragon fruit and some plants as a reward. You can also feed them the following foods: apples, apricots, bananas, berries, cantaloupe, figs, grapes, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, tomatoes, ficus benjamina , geraniums , hibiscus flowers and leaves, pansy, petunia, vine, rose petals and leaves, snail vine (a creeper of the legume family), and vipet.

Feed young and adult Australian dragons live bait once a day along with greens. You can try feeding them crickets, rice worms, wax worms, milk worms, stomach rats, and Madagascar cockroaches.

• “Fat” their prey by feeding them nutritious food a day or two before feeding them to the Australian dragon. For example, you can feed them ground beans, cornmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, collard greens, broccoli, broccoli, spinach, apples, oranges, whole grains, and rolled oats. ^[16]
• The prey that the dragon does not eat all needs to be removed from the cage.
• You should buy bait to feed your dragon, as wild-caught prey (such as insects you catch in your garden) can be exposed to toxic chemicals or carry parasites that are passed on to your dragon.
• Fireflies are poisonous to Australian dragons.
• Silkworms are staple food only when the Australian dragon is sick or pregnant.

Sprinkle phosphate-free powdered calcium supplements over vegetables and insects. Purchase a powdered (phosphate-free) calcium supplement to sprinkle on salads and prey just before feeding your dragon. Do it once a day for immature dragons (under 2 years old) and once or twice per week for adult dragons.

• You may also need to take a vitamin D3 supplement.
• See product and/or veterinarian instructions on the dosage of supplements to feed your dragon, as overdose can lead to poisoning.

Don’t panic if your dragon stops eating. When it’s time to molt, the Australian dragon may not eat. However, if the Australian dragon has not eaten for more than three days and shows no signs of shedding, it is probably sick. In this case, you must call your veterinarian to make an appointment to bring your dragon in.

Provide clean water every day. Hold water in a shallow bowl for the dragon to drink. You can dip your finger in the bowl of water to get its attention. The Australian dragon loves moving things, so the rippling water will pique its curiosity. However, many Australian dragons don’t drink from the bowl, so you may have to use a dropper to slowly drip water onto the dragon’s snout.

• Australian dragons usually excrete waste into the bowl of drinking water, so you need to change the water once a day (or as soon as you see its droppings in the water bowl). For the same reason, you also need to disinfect the bowl once a week with a 1:10 solution of bleach and water to prevent bacteria from building up. ^[17]
• If your dragon doesn’t like to drink water, spray it lightly with water: it will lick the water droplets on its skin. ^[18]

Bathing the Australian dragon. Bathe your dragon once a week to help moisturize and support the dragon during its molting period.

• Bath water for dragons needs to be warm and not hot when tested on the wrist, like baby bath water.
• Hold water in a tub that’s just as deep as your dragon’s chest or front half of a leg. Turn on the water until the water level reaches the second knuckle of your index finger if you’re bathing an adult dragon, and reaches the first knuckle if you’re bathing a young dragon.
• Never leave an Aussie dragon unattended in the bath – accidents can happen in an instant.
• You should disinfect the bathtub after bathing your dragon, as it often excretes waste into the water. Use a solution of bleach mixed with water in a ratio of 1:10. ^[19]

Keep the Australian dragon’s habitat clean. You need to clean the cage as well as the food and water bowls once a week.

• Mix bleach with water in a ratio of 1:10 and pour it into a spray bottle.
• Get the dragon out of the cage. Have a dragon keeper or secure a cage.
• Use hot water and a clean rag to remove dirt and dragon waste.
• Next, spray the bleach solution over the entire surface you’re cleaning until it’s wet and wait 15 minutes, then wipe with a rag or paper towel, making sure to remove any old food and dragon droppings.
• Rinse all surfaces several times with water until the bleach smell is gone. If you still smell bleach, you need to rinse the water again.

Keep yourself clean. Hand washing is a very important step when raising reptiles. Washing your hands before and after touching your dragon will help keep you and your new pet healthy. If you wash your hands before touching the dragon, you will help reduce the risk of transmitting pathogens to the dragon. If you wash your hands after touching the dragon, you will reduce the risk of Salmonella infection. This risk is very low, but washing your hands will reduce the risk even further. Your chance of getting Salmonella from your food is higher than your chances of getting it from an Australian dragon.

• Australian dragons can carry Salmonella , so use separate sponges to wash their food and water dishes, watch over children when playing with dragons, and don’t let them crawl around in the kitchen. In addition, you should also avoid kissing Australian dragons, no matter how cute they are. ^[20]

Hold the Australian dragon in your hand at least once a day. Australian dragons are usually curious, cheerful creatures and seem to enjoy the company of humans. By regularly holding and petting your Australian dragon, you will help them get used to people and reduce stress while cleaning the cage or visiting the doctor.

• Pick up the Australian dragon by placing one hand under its belly and gently lifting it. Place the dragon on the palm of your hand and gently wrap your fingers around its belly. ^[21]

Consider wearing gloves and long sleeves. Australian dragon skin is very rough, so you should protect yourself from scratches.

Trim your dragon’s nails every few weeks. Dragon’s toenails will grow very sharp, so you need to take care of them.

• Wrap the Australian dragon in a towel, leaving one of its legs outside.
• Ask the helper to hold the dragon.
• Use a human nail clipper to press the tip of the dragon’s toenail. Just press a little, because lizards have blood vessels in their toes, called the nail marrow.
• If you accidentally cut the root of the dragon’s claw, you can stop the bleeding by using a cotton ball to dab corn starch on the dragon’s claw.
• You can also file your dragon’s nails, or have your veterinarian trim their nails for a small fee.

Learn to read the body language of the Australian dragon. You will understand your dragon better by recognizing some of its gestures.

• Swollen gills: When lizards want to show dominance, or when startled or threatened – this behavior is especially common during breeding season – they puff up their throats.
• Open mouth: like puffy gills, this gesture is meant to pose a threat as a way to show superiority or to scare the opponent away.
• Nod head: Males show their strength with this gesture.
• Waving: The Australian dragon can sometimes raise one of its front paws and wave it slowly; It is a sign of submission.
• Tail wagging: This gesture is often seen during the breeding season. It can be a sign of alertness and activity. Immature dragons often wag their tails when hunting. ^[22]