How to Look After a Chlamydosaurus Kingii

The Chlamydosaurus kingii, commonly known as the frilled dragon, is a stunning frilled-neck lizard native to Australia and New Guinea. The lizard can live for up to 20 years in captivity and can grow to the length of 2.5 to 3 feet. The lizard requires daily misting of a large, heated enclosure. The dragons are popular as pets, due to their amiable and calm natures, as well as being easy to train. The lizards require a large, high cage, as they run on their hind legs.

Things You'll Need

  • Tank measuring at least 4 x 3 feet
  • Substrate
  • Branches and vines
  • Insects
  • Fresh vegetables
  • Calcium and multivitamin supplement
  • Water bowl
  • Water
  • Broad-spectrum heat bulb
  • Thermometers
  • Humidity gauge
  • Spray bottle
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Instructions

  1. Enclosure

    • 1

      Provide dragons with a cage at least 4 x 3 feet. Younger dragons require at least a 30- to 55-gallon enclosure, but will need to move to a larger tank as they grow bigger.

    • 2

      Line the cage with newspaper, paper towel or reptile carpet while the lizards are young. You can choose to provide adult dragons with a fully digestible substrate instead. Lizards should not use sand for lining, as this can cause impaction if eaten.

    • 3

      Place branches and vines high up in the cage for the dragons to climb and bask on. Ensure the cage remains easy to clean and doesn't harness hiding places for crickets. Frilled dragons also enjoy having enclosures with meshed walls.

    Feeding

    • 4

      Feed your adult frilled dragon daily, and juveniles and hatchlings twice daily, with a balance of meat and vegetables. They enjoy spiders, ants, termites, smaller lizards, crickets, superworms, hornworms, roaches, butterworms, silkworms and goldfish for their meat intake, and a salad of greens, sweet potatoes, carrots, split peas and green peas. Allow dragons to eat waxworms, mealworms, pinky mice and fruit on occasion.

    • 5

      Sprinkle food with a calcium and multivitamin supplement daily for young dragons and every other day for adults. Gut load the insects by feeding them nutritional foods before you give them to the lizard.

    • 6

      Keep a large water bowl in the enclosure. Change the water daily, as these lizards like to defecate in their bowls.

    Housing Conditions

    • 7

      Heat the cage using a broad-spectrum heat bulb, such as a fluorescent or other UVB bulb. Ensure the bulb is protected from the reach of the lizard.

    • 8

      Position two thermometers at either end of the tank to gauge temperature. Heat the enclosure to around 75 degrees Fahrenheit at night, 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and provide a basking spot of 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

    • 9

      Keep the humidity in the enclosure to between 55 and 65 percent. Do not allow it to exceed 75 percent, as high humidity can result in respiratory problems. Use a spray bottle and spray the lizard's habitat with water to increase humidity levels if necessary.