Hello:

Flying Dragons (genus Draco) are very interesting animals indeed. I have kept and bred them though they are not without their own unique set of challenges. The main problem is that many of them are in a rundown condition when they arrive from overseas. The main thing that affects them is dehydration. These animals drink more water than lizards 2-3 times their size. I have placed them in holding cages and literally sprayed them for up to half an hour and have them drinking water the whole time. I have had to do this up to several times a day. They usually are okay after about a week. Being small lizards (for the most part) they don't hold a lot of water within their bodies so making sure these lizards, which are found in very high humidity regions of the world have plenty to drink.

On the subject of food there is much controversy as to how to feed them. I have found that they will eat many types of insects and in the case of Flying Dragons; size does matter. The thing about eating ants is that many species of ants are very small which is the size of food they prefer to eat. I have had them gorge themselves on week old crickets by the hundreds. They snap them up and chew them vigorously in their small mouths. Unlike lots of other animals, they usually will not try to eat something too big for them. This is why I think many of them starve to death in captivity. Small food is a must. In my group I was lucky enough to get a colony of Pharoh ants that lived and thrived in a hollow log in the terrarium so I fed the ants, they bred, and the lizards benefitted fom it. the fact is though that they will eat many types of small insects reaadily. One of the things they go nuts over are the little green Leafhoppers that can be found by sweeping tall, grassy fields with an insect net. They also like both wingless and flying fruit flies. I have actually witnessed the "Dragons" catching flying Fruit Flies out of the air.

When it comes to breeding thetre is nothing cooler to watch than the courtship rituyals of Flying Dragons. The males have a dewlap which looks like a thin twig hanging beneath the chin. When courting a female he will dance around her displaying both his dewlap and his wings. He will unfold the wings in front of her and perform pushups to show her the brighter colors on the wings which are hidden when the wings are folded. He will also wave his dewlap towards her and actually bend it to touch the female with.

Though they can be frustrating to work with Flying Dragons are well worth the effort.

I hope this info helps. Have a Great Day!!!

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