04.08.04: Shockingly, Maya died last night. I woke up and found him drowned in his water tub. The only explanation I can think of is that he somehow knocked himself unconscious during the night and landed in the water. There were no signs of sickness: he was very active, had a large appetite and looked very healthy. It's truly shocking and upsetting. Loosing a pet is very difficult. :( This page was written before he died, but honestly, I don't have the heart to go through and make it all past tense.

~.~

Please note:
This is not an official care sheet for sailfin dragons. I've just written about the experience I've had with my lizard, and some of the ways I go about caring for him, his behaviors, how I interact with him, etc. If you find this helpful with regard to your own lizard, I'm very happy! :) However, please keep in mind that I am by no means at all a reptile expert! Maya is the only lizard I've had the privilege to keep, so my experience is very narrow and limited.

~.~

I bought Maya in June of 2002 from a local Pet Supplies Plus. They told me he was female, hence the name "Maya." The good people at the sailfin mailing list informed me in January of 2003 that "she" is in fact, a he! He is a giant sailfin dragon, hydrosaurus amboinensis. When I bought him he was about 22 inches from snout to tail tip. Now (as of March, 2004) he's about 32 inches long and quite brawny. His sail and especially the ridge of spikes along his back have developed a lot in the time I've had him.

I decided to take the leap and purchase Maya simply because I was so fascinated by him. Really, to be completely cheesy, it was love at first sight! I saw him in his cage at the pet shop and became completely enamored of his look quiet self-contained presence. I went home and for the next few weeks read as much about sailfin dragons as I could find. I first saw him during college finals. After learning as much as I could find about sailfins and coming to the decision that I would really like to buy Maya, I told myself that if he was still there by the time finals were over (about three weeks away) then I would go ahead and buy him as a graduation present to myself! :P College wrapped up and I went back to the shop and he was still there, so I figured it was meant to be and the rest is history!

Looks

Hydrosaurus amboinensis, while the largest, are also the least colorful of the sailfin dragon species. (I believe the three main species of sailfin dragon are H. amboinensis, H. weberi and H. pustulatus, although it seems to be somewhat debatable?) However, I think they are quite beautiful in their own right! Maya's base color is a dark greyish brown. He has deep brown puppy dog eyes, which I still find rather startling on a lizard! His belly is cream-white, while the sides of his belly have a pale greenish blush. His back and thighs are dotted with bumpy white and golden-yellow scales. His lower eyelids are white- sometimes they seem very very faintly bluish. When he has freshly shed, the spines along his back show a deep green iridescence! The iridescence fades as the skin re-ages.

Caging

Maya lives in a slightly modified Midwest ferret cage. This is a large wire cage with a heavy-duty plastic tray on the bottom. Handily, the cage also has wheels. The cage measures: 23inches deep, 34inches wide and 46inches tall. The plastic tray on the bottom is about 3inches tall, and is ideal for catching water splashed out of the soaking tub. I covered the outside of the cage, except the top, with sheets of plastic that I secured to the cage with zip ties. This keeps water from splashing out and keeps the humidity in a bit more. Also, the plastic is thin and flexible enough that he can't damage his nose on it (I gather that nose rub is a common problem for sailfin dragons). I can't recommend this kind of cage enough. It has worked very well so far. It's very convenient because it's collapsable and mobile. However, Maya is getting large and I'll probably have to get him a new cage soon, or just expand the one I have.

For heat and light I use a 150watt ceramic heat emitter, a 150watt sun bulb, and I've recently (as of December 2003) set a fluorescent bulb on top of the cage (however, I need to get this fixture closer to Maya's basking spot).

The cage furniture includes: a 16x10inch plastic Sterilite shoe box set on the bottom for drinking water and soaking, two sturdy plastic shelves, one up high near the heat emitter, and one down low near the water tub, a piece of sand stone set under the heat emitter on the higher shelf, a sanded and cleaned tree branch with high and low branches, and a sanded and cleaned bit of tree stump on the lower shelf.

The furniture provides a multitude of basking and sitting areas, from shady cool spots on the bottom to bright warm basking spots near the top.

Temperature and Humidity

Under the basking spot, the temperature is usually in the mid to upper 90's. The ambient temperature in the rest of the cage ranges from 75-80F. At night, the ambient temp can vary from 70-80F, depending on the weather.

The humidity is always at least 40%. The ambient humidity rarely goes below that. I usually spray at least once a day, and Maya's splashing around in his water tub adds more humidity. Inside the cage, the humidity ranges from 40%-70% or so, depending on weather. Maya has never had any problems with shedding.

Food

Food-wise, sailfin dragons are omnivores. I feed Maya a wide variety of foods, the selection varying depending on what time of year it is and what produce is in season.
Animal foods include: Frozen/thawed pinky and fuzzy mice and freeze-dried and canned crickets are the staple animal foods. For random treats when I have them available, I've also fed him shrimp with the shells still on, bits of fish fillets, small whole fish (i.e., smelt), snails, tiny bits of hamburger, and some of those prefab "predator bites."
Plant foods include: Red grapes, collards, dandelion greens, romaine, oranges, strawberries and various other berries, bok choy, kale, turnip greens, Chinese broccoli, broccoli florets, sprouts, banana, squishy old pears and apples (he actually seems to enjoy them when they're half rotten), mango, melons, etc. What kind of produce he gets really depends on what's in my fridge! He particularly goes for red grapes, collards, and mango!
Supplements: I use phos-free calcium powder and Fluker's all-reptile Liquid Vitamin Electrolyte Spray.

Behavior

I have read repeatedly that sailfin dragons are very skittish animals, particularly because the majority of them are wild caught. I have also read that they mellow with age. I got Maya when he was fairly large, so no doubt he was wild caught. In general he's pretty mellow. He just sits around on his sand stone or tree branch and basks the day away. However, once and a while he'll decide it's time to try and get out of the cage and he'll climb frantically about his cage for a while. Sometimes he'll do it on and off for a few days, sometimes he won't do it at all for weeks. I'm honestly not sure what triggers it but it seems to be a very common behavior for sailfins. Due to this behavior, I hooked a curtain on his cage and when he starts freaking out I'll close the curtain around his cage. This seems to calm him down quite a bit as he can't see outside the cage anymore.

Maya is not a cuddly lizard. He does not like the process of being picked up. I have a pair of sturdy leather gloves I use when I handle him as his claws are substantial. When he sees me putting the gloves on he actually cringes. I've discovered the best and for him, the least scary way for me to pick him up is for me to reach for him from the side or lower. I scoop him up in front of his chest and he generally just hops onto my hand. With my other hand I secure the base of his tail in case he starts thrashing about (his tail can bang into the cage and he could hurt himself). Once he's in my hands he's actually fine and very mellow. I can usually trim his nails and inspect him with no problems. Sometimes I'll let him chill out on my bed or sit on my shoulder while I'm working on the computer. In general, it seems as long as he's either high up, or in a very low activity place, he'll just sit around peacefully.

Some behaviors I've noticed (and these seem to be common lizard things): When he feels threatened, usually by me looming over him or reaching inside his cage, he'll puff his throat out and at times lift his body up in a "look how big I am" stance. He also does arm-waving when he's scared or nervous. Amusingly, when he waves his arm, he often closes his eyes! Closing his eyes and turning his head is common when he's nervous. I also put a small compact mirror in his cage near his basking spot, and sometimes he bobs his head in front of it.

My interaction with him usually simply involves me sitting on the floor and watching him and hand feeding him. I like to roll grapes on top his basking platform and watch him snap them up... it's really cute! I pick him up every few days.

Wrap up!

To be blunt, I think if you keep a species of sailfin dragon you're incredibly lucky. They're gorgeous and amazing creatures! They aren't for an impatient keeper or someone who is looking for a friendly or "social" lizard, as in general they can be fairly skittish, but if you have the energy and time to care for them, it's very rewarding! I love my sailfin. Keeping him fit and healthy really is such a joy! I hope that in the near future sailfin dragons will be more commonly bred in captivity, and that more serious and studious reptile fans can come to enjoy them without having to import them from their natural habitat to do so.

If you're a sailfin dragon fan or owner and want to chat about them, or have any questions or even concerns about Maya, please feel free to contact me at mdongvil at umich.edu... I would love to hear from you! :)