Water dragon help?

I've had my water dragon for 2 months now but it won't shed skin, and it hasn't grown any bigger that the first day I bought it. it's been about 10 inches long ( including the tail ) since the first day I bought it. any ideas?

Water dragon help?
I assume you are talking about a Chinese water dragon I can help with that but not with Australian so much. mine did not really start shedding till they were 2-3 months old their skin seems to stretch first then as they really pick up in the growth area they then shed. following the info above is a must. my dragons have access to a pool of water with a small waterfall. about 4 inches deep they will actually sleep under water this took some getting used to on my part seeing them motionless at the bottom of the pool. I actually would touch them sometimes and they would pop right up. they will also tend to shed small areas at a time not like a snake all at once. if he is eating healthy and you have the right environment don't sweat it he will be fine. one thing that does concern me is you saying it hasn't grown any. my 2 month is about 4 1/2 inches long but it has steadily been growing. my 6 month old is 10 1/2 inches.is it possible it has grown but at a rate you do not notice? has he bulked up any? here is a website that deals with shedding in water dragons.
Reply:try soaking him in a dish of water. sometimes it is because their environment isnt wet enough or possible he is done growing but that is very unlikely





if you do soak him in some water, make sure it is shallow and not oo deep. You probably already knew that
Reply:a reptiles will shed it skin than it get to big for it old skin
Reply:not shedding frequently is a good sign.
Reply:It is hard to say what is going on with your guy. To really help, I would need some specifics on your set up and up keep. So I will offer some advice, so bear with me if you know it. Hope I can help.





One of the most common mistakes I see too many people make is they do not get all the correct lighting. You need a basking light for the day time AND a UVB bulb....I hear all the time "I have one that does both it says full spectrum".....My reply is how much did you pay for it. A $10.00 bulb does NOT do UVB. There are a few that do both heat and UVB, but are priced around $40.00. Reptiles depend on UVB to get vitamin D3 from, without D3 they cannot utilize any calcium suplements. Without UVB, your reptile will develop metabollic bone disease. Thus he will not grow, and will die a very slow and painful death if no steps are taken to correct this. You need at least a 7% UVB out put for a water dragon. You may or may not need a night time heat bulb depending on the room temp, just make sure you have a good thermomter to determine the correct wattages etc.





Next make sure you have a hygrometer to measure the humidity in the enclosure, do not guess at this. It is an inexpensive piece of equipment. Then make approiate adjustments to acheive the proper humidity. Waterfalls are great for water dragons, because they generally do not like to drink from still water.





Finally make sure you are using good quality vitamin supplements on your crickets and that you are feeding enough. I get lots of people who feed 2 crickets everyday, don't do that. Now don't go and do the opposite either, don't dump a bunch in and let them live in the enclosure either. Put a few in if he gobbles them up right away put a few more in. After awhile you will have a general idea of how many he will eat a time. For the supplements, I strongly recommend Rep-Cal's Calcium and their Herptivite. You should use both of these together, You can find cheaper vitamins out there, but they won't be as complete. The reason their calcium is separate from their multivitamin is because their multi contains beta carotein that if stored together with calcium, binds to it and makes it to where your lizard cannot absorb it. The cheaper kinds are not as complete, but some vitamins are better than no vitamins too, if budget is a concern!





Sorry if some of this you knew, but I hope this helps. Good luck!