In this video I step a little outside my usual hatching/incubation content to talk about something that’s been bothering me as we head into the new year: the direction I’m seeing Chinese water dragons go in online. We’re now coming up on the second year of Chinese water dragons being listed under CITES Appendix II, and I think that context matters a lot when we talk about what responsible breeding and keeping should look like. I’ve been seeing a “new breeding” trend pop up across social media posts and forums, and I wanted to put my thoughts out there before it becomes the default mindset. My goal here isn’t to gatekeep the species—I keep and breed water dragons because they’re an incredible lizard, and I want more people to succeed with them. But I do think we need to be honest about why we work with them, what we’re producing, and how public trends can impact the animals and the hobby when regulations and scrutiny are already increasing. I also invite you to comment why you work with water dragons and add your own perspective, because this is one of those topics where a real discussion is more valuable than a hot take.