Chinese Water Dragon Reproduction
If you have kept Chinese water dragons of opposite sexes together
then they are bound to lay eggs. But if you keep them inside a cage they
will not lay eggs instantly. They will reproduce only at the right age
and under the right environmental conditions. The male Chinese water
dragons take four to five years to reach maturity stage. They increase
in size measuring up to 210 mm. The weight of the body also increases to
around 400 grams. The males have attractive brightly colored stripes on
their throat at maturity stage.
The nests are made by the female Chinese water dragons. You will find
shallow nests filled with eggs during the breeding season. The breeding
season is from October to December. But you will find them mating in
winter and in early spring when kept in cages. A typical antic of the
males to lure the females is by head bobbing.
The role of the female Chinese water dragon:
Now coming back to the nest, it is generally around fifteen centimeters
deep. It also has a chamber at the end. The female Chinese water dragon
lies in the burrow and lays the eggs inside the chamber. If an egg
suddenly drops out, the female reptile is sharp not to miss it. It will
carry it in its mouth and put it back in the nest. After the female
Chinese water dragon finishes up the laying process it packs up the
mouth with the sandy soil. The back legs of the reptile assist it in
doing so. It covers it with fallen leaves and other trash. The female
Chinese water dragon doesn’t leave the nest just after the day it
finishes laying. It guards it for some days and then leaves the eggs on
its own.
Researchers have found that the Chinese water dragons dig a deeper nest
in Australia. But the nest temperatures do not vary much. The
temperatures vary from 22 to 32 degree centigrade. Reptiles have a
typical characteristic. Females are born at hot and cold temperatures
and males are born at intermediate temperatures. If eggs are kept at
temperatures at and above 28 degree centigrade, they will be definitely
be born as females. Below 26 degree centigrade again the females
dominate.
The male Chinese water dragons also show chivalry. They try to protect
the female group with their head bobbing and swishing tails. They even
tend to bite and fight with other males.
What about the pet Chinese water dragons?
If you have a male and a female Chinese water dragon you separate the
female dragon from the male dragon for a week. This will increase the
chances of mating when they again meet. Male Chinese water dragons
sometimes injure their partners. If you are the owner you can remove the
female reptile from the cage and give her some time to heal. The eggs
take approximately 65 days to hatch. If the eggs are in your house make
sure they are kept at the right incubation temperature. If you want the
young hatchlings to be safe put a bark of a tree in the water tub so
that they can climb back even if they drop accidentally in the water
tub.
Your own incubation box:
Make your own incubation box by adding water in a 20 gallon tank. Fix a
submerged heater. Keep a plastic container on a brick in the tank. Place
layers of vermiculite water inside the storage container. Pit a
thermometer inside the box to adjust the temperature of the box. The
eggs should be maintained at a temperature of 84- 85 F. The box is
ready!
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