[BiWiccanAndProud]

I bought a tree recently for my water dragon to play on when he is out of his cage but he doesn't seem to like it all that much. What is a kind of tree that Water Dragons like to play on that I could get to put in my living room as an out of cage play toy?

[Lucky098]

Perhaps you should do more research on Water Dragons. They do not climb trees, in fact, the'd rather live in the swamps of China ( I believe that is where the originate from) rather than climb on a tree branch.

Chinese Water Dragons do not climb.. they swim. They're very good swimmers and get very large. I hope you will be able to provide everything you need for this reptile once it reaches its adult size, which is nearly 8 ft long from head to tip of tail.

Enclosures for Chinese water dragons (Green, Asian, cage, vivarium, terrarium, lighting, heating, temp, humidity, water, lizard) -- Everything you need to know about caring for this reptile.

[Wondergirl]

From the same site --

Live Plants in the enclosure

There are many benefits when live plants are included in an enclosure. The enclosure is pleasant to look at, the water dragons will have more hiding places, and humidity will be easier to maintain when live plants are included as they will need to be watered and misted. The only true downside to having soil and live plants in the enclosure is that crickets that are not eaten quickly tend to lay eggs in the soil. :)

Plants should be repotted in a safe soil mix that does not contain any fertilizers before being used in the dragons vivarium. It would also be a good idea to rinse the plant a few times in the shower to rinse off any powdered pesticides that could have been sprayed on the plants leaves to kill pests. Pesticides are toxic to reptiles. :( I generally keep new plants out of the dragons enclosure for a week or two after purchase and clean and shower the plant a few times before adding it into the dragons cage. Better to be safe than sorry!

I am currently using Pothos, and Dracenae plants in the enclosure, and Hibiscus and ficus trees in the living room for the dragons to climb in. These plants, as well as Philodendrons, Spider plants, and Epiphytes such as Staghorn ferns, and certain bromolaids are known to be safe for use with water dragons. Unfortunately not all plants are safe for use with reptiles.

[em_40]

*** you going on about, 8 foot long and not like climbing trees?! I think YOU need to do some research!

I second the post by wondergirl. Although I think that if it is an 'out of enclosure plant' then pretty much anything would be OK as long as it wasn't deadly poisonous. Most will cause an upset tummy if ingested but I'm guessing that you will be watching your dragon while he is out of his enclosure and so you will be able to stop him from eating the plant. Although the plants listed are lovely plants and the ones that are more tree-like with sturdy branches would be more suitable for climbing.

However that said, and I do disagree with lucky098 whole-heartedly but I still would not be surprised if he didn't use the plant, mine loves running around exploring the sofa, telly, bookshelf and watching the world go by from the windows, he's never been that bothered by plants when he is allowed out of the viv. But he does like climbing when he is in the viv. Maybe you could get some plants inside his home if he doesn't already have any real ones?

For the record the live BY water not IN water, they're not aquatic. They bathe and CAN swim, they swim to escape predators, some might swim to catch fish, they don't often do it purely out of pleasure. They like to climb, they use trees to bathe in the heat of the sun, they use greenery to feel safe and secure, knowing they are well camouflaged, even use them so that they are off the ground safe from roaming predators and they use trees that over hang water because they know that should anything come along they can dive really well!