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Thinking about a Dragon...

jlynnstites Sep 24, 2007 11:27 AM

Hello,

I'm 24 years old and an old hand with reptiles. I was raised around snakes and bearded dragons as a child. I owned and cared for a few myself, plus my siblings when they wouldn't. My father bread and hatched a few cluthces of bearded dragons. He did the work, but I kept an eye on them and learned alot about the things needed to hatch dragon eggs.

I have a 4 year old who wants a pet. Our dragons were great. I heard frilled dragons made great pets to and had the same temperment. I was just wondering if this is so. Would it be a good first time pet?

Of coarse mom would be doing the work. But the idea behind it would be to introduce my child to caring for something and responcibility. I know my spelling sucks. Sorry lol.

If this would be a good first pet; what do I need to know about them? What kind of set up do I need? I know what to look for in reptiles/animals, but is there anything specific I should be looking for or be cautious of in frilled dragons? Does anyone know of any reputable breeders in the So. California area? About how old should a hatchling be? How suseptable are hatchlings to dying early. The first time we got dragons 3 out of 4 died. And my own draon died about 2 weeks after I had it. I have heard alot of that from others is why I ask. However the 4 cluthces we had 100% survived.

Thanks for everyones help.

Jessy :D

Replies (2)

Breaker Sep 26, 2007 07:10 PM

I have a frilled dragon and it is a bit more complicated to take care of, but its ok if an adult is doing the work. They are a very tame dragon especially if held a lot. WHen i first got mine, she would frill and hiss at me, but never bit me, and i would pick her up while she was hissing at me. frilled dragons a bit more complicated to take care than a bearded dragon, but i think it makes up for it in thier active behavior and great personality. First ill give you a few heads up and then go into the care guide. Ok, the tank that you will need when it is an adult will need to be fairly big/expensive, bearded dragons do not need a lot of hieght or need to more around, but frilleds do or they will become unhappy and die. If your ready to buy or construct a 2.5x2.5x4 cage as a minimum to a 4x4x5 cage as a "spacey" habitat, then you can buy a frilled dragon. Males get a little bit bigger, but also seem to be the friendlier sex (to humans, not to other lizards).

Other Specifications

Need UVB light and heat lamp, basking spot needs to be about 90-95 degrees (F). Let it get to be about mid 70s at night (For me i just turn off the lights and it gets to mid 70s)

Feed gut loaded crickets everyday (for babies-juveniles), every other day for adults. YOu can feed a frilled other things than crickets but if you wanna kno specifically then just ask. And remember to dust them with Calcium with vitamin D4 and herpative. I do the calcium 3 times a week, and the herpative 1 or 2 times. BUT always gutloaded.

Humidity is very important for frilleds. If theres too much it causes ling problems, not enough, then there is a problem with shedding. I find the only safe area is about 55-70. I have run into shedding problems and such, so I know fairly well.

As a baby and juvenile, I would use repti-carpet(If your ready to mist every hour or so), but i think the best substrate is Fest bed expandable substrate, cheap, easy to clean, digestible, and makes the cage look nice.

You need to have plenty of things for the frilled to climb on. I would use a few pieces of wood and some fake plants. I use real plants to secure humidity, although... she seems to like the fake ones better... but its good to have a combination of both. And the real plants will grow into the substrate i listed (forest bed).

When they are babies(0-5 months) a small tank of 30 gallons is fine. (5months-10months) a 40-50 gallon is fine. When it gets close to being its first birthday, its time to consider the bigger tank. The only reason why i say that 2.5x2.5x4 is the minmum is because its the only affordable thing that people are willing to buy. http://www.reptarium.com/
Although i would go with the 2.5x2.5x6 if your gunna be cheap about it.

THey need a good water bowl that they can sit in without thier head going under, that needs to be changes every other day if they are "going" in it, and maybe 2 times a week if they are not.

Offer 12 hours of lights a day, 13-14 in the summer months... lets think what am i missing, i know........
DO not use heatpads or heat rocks for the love of god....

well thats pretty much it, if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

I hope to breed them next year because IMO they are the best reptile pet to have. Just my opinon...

mizzy Oct 03, 2007 11:34 PM

There is a care sheet on my site; check it out. But it should answer most of your questions. Make sure you get it vet checked before you get to attached to it.
Best of luck...
Miz

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Mizzy: frilldragon.com

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