Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I'm about to purchase my first frilly and wanted to get prepared for it. From the research I've done, I should not put it into a larger enclosure until it grows, so i'm thinking of putting it in a 20 gallon tall enclosure.
My confusion is with lighting heating....I've looked at care sheets and then looked at the products out there and it gets confusing. According to exo-terra, I should use their Sin Glo Tight beam basking light...But from looking at care sheets, aren't I supposed to use a UVB bulb like the Solar glo? And also, is there a recommended wattage I should go with in my initial setup?
Any lighting/heating info would be greatly appreciated!!

well you have come to the right place. I grew my frillie from a baby so I have some good experience. Honestly, I would not go with a 20 Tall, unless the frillie is very very young. mine was 3 months when I first bought her and she worked well in a 40 for a long time. What is going to end up happening is that your frillie is gunna out grow the 20 immediatly and then ur gunna have to purchase a larger tank before buying the big one anyways.

Lighting:
Do not buy those special lamps, they are expensive and not as effective... I tried out the 50 dollar murcury vapor, and I could tell things werent going well. She loved just a normal heap lamp, and a normal fluorescent bulb. You want the basking spot to be about 90-100, so if your house is colder, go with the 150 watt, if its about 73ish or higher in your house, go with 100 watt. You will also need the fluorescent bulb to be uva abd uvb, if it isnt uvb, you will run into problems. The 5.0 uva/uvb will be ok for a baby/adolescent. Later it may require more power such as a 10.

Another thing you will want to pay special attention to is the humidity. Too low- shedding problems, too high- lung problems, so you might want a guage for that and learn more about how to keep it at the right conditions.

If you need any more info Ill be happy to answer your questions.

Great info Breaker! Ok, I will prepare my setup based on your info. Now there is still the issue of finding a reputable breeder of a nice-youngin'. Sailfin doesn't have any and don't want to do a grand for our first frilled. Dare I be forced to go with an import!!!!!

Well I actually got mine from one of the breeders here on kingsnake. I never go with pet shops they are not reliable, and the classifieds here are numerous, you could find frilleds at all ages and compare prices. If you are going to do that I would do it soon because the cold weather is approaching, and it wont be too safe to send them by mail. Click on the classified tab and go to lizards, they have all types. She came in good condition without any problems.

Great Info! I guess my last question is about those Apogee Reptariums...Do you think the 65 gallon(28" x 16.5" x 30" ) would be sufficient until it turns a year old? I see them out there for like $32.oo....

My guess is that by a year old the frilled will be 18-24 inches in length, so actually I dont think that would be a good idea, the frilled will be cramped at all angles, I recommend the 29x29x48 or th 29x29x72 when they are adults and once they hit a year old they have already done most of thier growing, maybe just a bit more to the length in the second year. U definitly donot want to have something the isnt going to be wide enough for the full length and that one u showed me was 16.5, itll definitly be longer by a year.