Frilled Dragons Help

[sweetmisery]

Im planning to buy 2 frilled dragons soon(2 weeks from now). Its very rare here, so I asked a herp breeder to reserve 2 for me. I trust her cuz I got 2 very healthy bearded dragons from her.

Im planning to get 2 BTW but both unsexed(I better get them now else might not have a chance again anytime soon, if at all), and if both turns out to be males, Ill just put them in seperate places.


Anyway, Im doing a lot of research already, but it wont hurt gathering more info from people who have them. So what else can you advise? And I got some few questions too.

1. Are they as lethargic/jumpy as green iguanas at first? Will they ever be docile and calm like Beardies?
2. Based on experience, how many times do you feed them? Cuz different sites gives different advices. I feed my Bearded Dragons like 3 times a day - 20-40 crickets each.
3. Do they grow fast?
4. Will they bite when frightened(frilled up)?

THANKS!

 

[ZooRex]

If you can find a back issue, Reptiles magazine had a really nice article about frillies in April of 2003. It is by far the most infromation I've ever found in my search. ~ Rex

 

[sweetmisery]

Well I hope I can find that here. lol

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I feed my Bearded Dragons like 3 times a day - 20-40 crickets each.

Aren't beardies supposed to be on an increasingly heavy veggie diet as they grow older?

 

[BishopiMaster]

take those frillys outside to a fenced yard on a sunny day by a tree they are quite good climbers, ive seen one climb a tree that was straight up.
what size tank are they staying in? frillys get 2 feet i think, thats like a 250 gallon

 

[sweetmisery]

Aren't beardies supposed to be on an increasingly heavy veggie diet as they grow older?

Well I sure feed them greens, but they are still young for now. And Im merely asking the insect part of the diet cuz vegetables are easier to come by here.

 

[sweetmisery]

take those frillys outside to a fenced yard on a sunny day by a tree they are quite good climbers, ive seen one climb a tree that was straight up.
what size tank are they staying in? frillys get 2 feet i think, thats like a 250 gallon

I have a 40 gallon ready for them. I read they are pretty good runners too, so I wont dare put them outside. lol. They can run with only its hindlegs and like the Flash.

 

[Jmugleston]

To the OP:
They are jumpy as hatchlings but calm down quickly. Mine would frill up the first few weeks, but after that they stopped. Now only rarely will they frill and that is only when I surprise them or if I am carrying another animal (snake or lizard) near their cage. I have only been bit once but that was when I was hand feeding them and one grabbed the roach and my finger. It didn't even leave a mark though a large male could break the skin if it bit you. Mine calmed down to the point where I can place them on my shirt and they will hang there as I go about my animal room. So mine have calmed down quite a bit.

I do feed them once a day sometimes twice. They are voracious eaters. They will eat anything that moves it seems. Eating this much they grow fast. My hatchlings I received in March/April are now over 5 in SVL. My male is growing faster than the three girls, but not by much.

As for aggression, mine haven't shown any. My male will freak out if I walk by a reflective surface, but he has never shown any aggression toward me. They can bite and I heard they will if they are cornered and frightened but mine just try to run if they get spooked. Each one is going to be different, so hopefully yours are as good natured as mine.

As for advice, they are simple to care for. Just have a vertically oriented cage since they climb a lot. Keep them at similar temps to your beardies but the frillies need more humidity. Mist them at least 1X daily and they will drink the water drops that form on their snout. And last but not least.....Feed them all they will eat. They eat a ton. Of all my lizards they are some of my favorites. Good luck.

 

[Jmugleston]

Oh I forgot.

Their adult size: They can get upwards of three feet TL, but most are smaller. Those I have seen average between 22-28 inches TL with females smaller than males.

 

[sweetmisery]

MANY MANY THANKS!

I hope they are as hardy when hatchlings as Bearded...

 

[Jmugleston]

They can be as hardy

If they are CB, they can be very hardy, just be sure to mist them. Mine did not drink from a water dish at first, but eventually did. From what I've read this is common with them.
If they are wild caught or farm hatched, you may want to watch for parasites. (rapid weight loss, runny stools, loss of appetite, loss of energy, etc.) I cannot remember if you said yours were going to be CB or not so just thought I'd mention this.
-Joey

 

[sweetmisery]

I got mine from a very popular reptile breeder. She got LOTS of herps, though she did mention its in a farm. Captive bred but raised in a farm...

Hope I can count on you when I got some questions.

 

[Jmugleston]

Not a problem. If you have any questions, I'll try to help. Just PM me if you need to.
-Joey

 

[Kharnifex]

Hey do you mean these guys from Oz?

http://www.herpshop.com.au/CareSheets/Frillies.html

also if we are talking australian frilled necks, it saddens me to think there is wild caughts available due to poaching, don't support that one bit.

 

[PhilK]

Very bitey, very flighty, very scratchy in my experience!
The wild ones are very very angry little lizards! And their little fangs are razor sharp!

Kharnifex: he said he got them from a breeder? So they are captive bred not wild caught..

 

[Jmugleston]

The WC are not from OZ

The wild caught are from new guinea typically. Not Australia. At least that is how it is here.
If purchased as young lizards they acclimate well to captivity and are not bitey/flighty/etc. A large lizards plucked from the wild will behave much differently. Also the new guinea frillies have a different coloration to them so they are easy to recognize by color/pattern alone.
Joey

 

[sweetmisery]

Whats the main color difference between NG and Australian?

 

[Jmugleston]

Austrailians have a deeper reddish brown coloration. This is based off of pics I've seen and reports of those down there. The NG have more of a gray color to them. I'll post some pics of my NG frillies tonight. One of you from Oz could possibly verify if this is true. (i.e. if some with colors similar to mine can be found in Australia).
Also the price differs greatly. NG go for about $85-125.00 USD. The Austrailian are typically at least $500.00.

 

[sweetmisery]

How about the frill color. Does the NG got reddish color too?

And are FL always slimmer than iguanas/bearded?

 

[Jmugleston]

Frill Color

The NG frills have reds, yellows, and oranges on the lower portions of their frills, but it is not as intense as the Austalian Frillies that I have seen. They are much more slender than both beardies and green iguanas.
Here are a couple of pics I took of mine today. They are dirty from the substrate in their cage but you can see their overall pattern and get a sense for their color.
Joey