Chinese Water Dragon
Needs tall planted humid enclosure + water
Overview
The Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) is a reptile reaching about 2–3 ft and living 10–15 yrs. It is an omnivore, kept in a arboreal / semi-aquatic set-up. It is tolerant of occasional, gentle handling. With a typical lifespan of around 13 years, it's a medium-length commitment.
Is the Chinese Water Dragon right for you?
A good match if — you can build and maintain the right climate and enclosure.
Think twice if — this is your first reptile — the husbandry here is demanding; space is tight — this species gets large and needs a big enclosure.
What a Chinese Water Dragon needs from you
The real work is the enclosure: correct heat, lighting/UVB and humidity, plus a lot of space — for this species, a tall, planted enclosure with climbing height. Feeding means the correct species diet. Get the habitat right and most reptiles are calm, low-drama animals.
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Physignathus cocincinus
- Adult size
- 2–3 ft
- Life span
- 10–15 yrs
- Diet
- omnivore
- Habitat
- arboreal / semi-aquatic
- Care level
- intermediate-advanced
- Handling
- some
- Notes
- Needs tall planted humid enclosure + water
What it needs from you (at a glance)
| Space needed | |
| Experience needed | |
| Maintenance | |
| Time per day | |
| Need for company | |
| Handling / closeness | |
| Cost level |
What it costs
Scaled to this breed’s roughly 4 kg and a ~13-year life, keeping a Chinese Water Dragon works out at about:
Rough cross-breed averages in USD — a planning guide, not a quote. Break it down by life phase in the Cost Calculator →
Temperament (at a glance)
| Affection | no data yet |
| Energy | no data yet |
| Vocalness | |
| Trainability | no data yet |
| Tolerates alone | no data yet |