Anyone looking into bringing home a new pet needs to do their research beforehand. This is especially true of people looking to purchase exotic pets. An exotic pet, such as a Chinese Water Dragon, can end up being a hassle to take care of- especially for those who did not understand what they were getting themselves into.
The Chinese Water Dragon, also known as Physignathus cocincinus, is a beautiful, green, mid-sized (about three feet) lizard originating from the continent of Asia. Their emerald skin is sometimes accented with light green or turquoise stripes and their throats contain a splash of yellow, orange, or peach. Their attractive physique makes them a popular pet for anyone wanting something unique, just ask Charlie Sheen.
However, there are too many people who purchase these reptiles simply to be different or have something interesting to brag about. This lack of interest in the pet leads to neglect and often pet death. In fact, Sheen’s pet Chinese Water Dragons died due to the actor’s neglect. However, even a well meaning person can have trouble taking care these dragons. Exotic pets such as these are harder to take care of for many reasons.
One of the most common reasons is availability of information. Even in this day and age with a world of information available to us through the internet, finding care information for exotic pets is a little harder to do than finding care information for a dog. Thus, many owners are likely to make a possibly fatal mistake because they just didn’t know what they were doing. Another issue is vet care. Chinese Water Dragons can get sick and will need to go to the vet. However, reptiles will need to be taken to a special exotic pet veterinarian which are harder to find and are more costly than dog and cat vets. This makes keeping these pets healthy, more difficult. Chinese Water Dragon food and shelter are also more difficult to manage than they are for the average pet. They need a terrarium that should grow in size as the lizard grows. The terrarium also needs to be kept humid and filled with branches. This will closely emulate their natural environment, keeping them healthy and not stressed. They need to be fed vegetable matter and protein, usually in the form of insects. All of these requirements are very particular and can become somewhat costly, making Chinese Water Dragons a slightly harder pet to care for.
Anyone looking to bring home these beautiful pets shouldn’t get discouraged by all of this information. All that is needed is a little bit of effort and research and almost anyone can successfully care for these lovely pets.
For Atlanta residents with exotic pets or who are looking to bring home an exotic pet, like the Chinese Water Dragon, the following are some exotic pet resources:
1) For Pet’s Sake -Atlanta Area Exotic Veterinarian
2) Atlanta PetSmart –sells Chinese Water Dragons and supplies
3) Atlanta Exotic Pets –pet store specializing in only exotic pets and supplies
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