frilled dragons

[axolotlsx5]

does anybody have experience with a frilled dragon? would like to buy 1 but get told yes and no that they are only for experienced people

 

[freves]

I have no personal experience with frilled lizards in particular however I used to keep lots of various other lizards. The one piece of advice that I can give you is to make sure that you can provide adequate room. Most lizards, even the smaller species, tend to be very active and this needs to be accounted for in captivity. For example none but perhaps the largest sized commercially available aquariums would be suitable for a frilled lizard, in which case it would be much cheaper to custom build an enclosure.
Chip

 

[axolotlsx5]

already have a 16" wide by 27 " high by 48" long screened cage already. also have a diamond bacl terrpin for 3 years 5 axolotls for 5 years and a veiled clameleon for 1 year with no problems with any

 

[freves]

already have a 16" wide by 27 " high by 48" long screened cage already. also have a diamond bacl terrpin for 3 years 5 axolotls for 5 years and a veiled clameleon for 1 year with no problems with any

So you are talking about putting a 36" lizard in a 48" enclosure. It may live and appear to have "no problems" but you really have to ask yourself how humane this is. I am not trying to come down hard on you but perhaps that enclosure would be best suited for a pair of lizards that max out around 8 or 10 ". That way they could be given much more running room. Various species of smaller anoles, curlytails, skinks as well as many others come to mind right off hand.
Chip

 

[John]

Get some Scleroporus - some of those are very brightly coloured and climb.

 

[axolotlsx5]

from what breders have told me frilled dragons do well in a cage 4 feet high by 3 feet long and 2 feet wide

 

[JPDeed]

From my experience, Frill-Neck lizards (presuming you mean the frill-necks from Australia) need a considerable amount of space, for a few reasons:

• Juveniles can grow quickly if kept heated and well fed - to a potential adult size of 45cm in body length alone (not including the tail, which is usually at least the same length as the body)
• Their tails are long, and relatively inflexible, so can get damaged if confied within small areas.
• They are prone to bursts of speed when startled, in which they can actually rear up on their hind legs - leading to a smack-bang collision into glass walls. So while they can appear relatively inactive while basking, sudden bursts of speed can potentially cause harm to the dragon
• The actively seek thermoregulation, and need an assymmetrical heating pattern in the enclosure (one end hotter than the other to represent shade from the sun etc) to attain this

A quote from a respected reptile keeping site:

"Dragons love to climb and are highly active lizards. They appear to feel more secure when given an arboreal arranged aquarium or custom made wire cage. A 6 feet heigh [180 cm], 3 feet wide [90 cm], and 4 [120 cm] feet long cage is ideal for a single dragon."

Saying all this, I don't want to completely dissuade or overwhelm you with the risks of keeping frillies. Frill(ed)-neck lizards are great when juveniles, but can quite quickly outgrow anything but the largest of indoor enclosures. I would take what the says with a grain of salt, and I am guessing if you are not in Australia, this lizard is probably quite pricey (actually, even in AUstralia they are pricey too)! So i would definitely check your options before committing.

Perhaps, if you have a chance, have a look at "pygmy bearded dragons" (Pogona henrylawsoni) - also an australian lizard of similar form, with a far smaller maximum size and better temperament - your cage size would house 2 of them comfortably.