Find an Overview of the Entire Process Right Here
If your pet water dragons are mature and in good health, you can breed them easily. Water dragons can be put in hibernation at the end of autumn. The idea is to provide the water dragons with reduced light and temperature throughout the period as a “cooling” mechanism.
Chinese water dragons should be kept at temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during hibernation. They need to be exposed to ten hours of light everyday. Instead of a regular feeding schedule, you should feed your hibernating dragons only once every week.
The Mating Period
Your pet dragons should be put back in their normal environment after two months of hibernation. This will encourage the male and female dragon to copulate. Male dragons show mating behavior by grasping the females from the head. You can cover the female crest using adhesive tape to prevent it from getting injured seriously.
Late winter or early spring is the most preferred mating season. Male dragons love to chase the female dragons and attempt to copulate. To get a successful copulation, you can separate the female dragon after one session and try to reintroduce it in the enclosure after a week. In case of a successful copulation, the female dragon should be able to lay the eggs in about two months’ time.
Monitoring the Egg Laying Process
As a good owner, you need to provide a gravid female dragon with calcium supplements on daily basis. When the female dragons get plump and look for an egg laying site, you should place a lay box in the enclosure. The female dragon digs a deep hole in the lay box to bury her eggs. You can place a large container with moist soil or peat moss. The container or lay box should be large enough to hold 10 to 15 eggs.
You should carefully lift the eggs and then transfer them to an incubator. The eggs should be placed in vermiculite at a distance. You can cover 2/3rd portion of the eggs and leave the rest. The incubator needs to be maintained at 84 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. You should mist the eggs every two days to maintain humidity.
Taking Care of Hatchlings
If your dragon has laid fertile eggs, you should be ready for tiny hatchlings after 60 to 65 days of successful incubation. You should move the hatchlings to a new enclosure and feed them insects.
