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Frilled dragons (Chlamydosaurus kingii) are native to extreme southern New Guinea and north coastal Australia. It is the second largest lizard in the family Agamidae, second only to the sailfin dragon.

Frilled lizards are considered as a single genus. But, the color of the frill varies among those in different habitats.

Also known as “frillies”

The iconic frilled lizard’s intimidating “frill” is a large, colorful, circular membrane of skin. It projects upward and outward. Everyone recognizes it as a warning show employed when this lizard feels threatened.

It serves to make a frilled lizard much larger and scarier. This effect is achieved while it clutches a tree trunk in a vertical fashion and tries to blend in.

The expanse of the skin flap around its neck can reach dinner-plate proportions. When the lizard is threatened, vibrant colors explode within the frill. This phenomenon is what the reptile world refers to as fire-up.

It’s a sharp contrast to the overall earthy brown and gray tones the lizard generally possesses when it’s calm.

A large, bright-white to yellow, open mouth with fanglike teeth measuring one-eighth inch is part of this defensive exhibition. It deters potential predators by making the lizard look too big and scary to swallow.

Males reach a length of around 36 inches, and females have a length of around 25 inches. Even the frill color of the males is much brighter than the females.

These animals are fascinating with their amazing features and are also popular as pets. Housing a frillie properly is key to its long-term health.

Most of the reptile lovers get frilled dragons as pets for their amazing frilled necks.

But this show can become a rare treat once these reptiles get tamed. This happens because there is no more a threat to their life. So, they do not have to reveal their frill to discourage the predators.

Frillies are peaceful lizards once established. They love to assume a tree-hugging position. If they’re nervous, they’ll scurry around the backside of the trunk to avoid being seen.

Frilled dragons hibernate during the winter months. They sleep for very long intervals and eat smaller amounts of food before they start hibernating.

They guarantee that their stomach is empty before hibernation. If the stomach retains food, it will rot, as digestion will not take place during this time. Contact a vet to make sure that the lizard is hibernating and is not having a health problem.

This reptile readily takes food from its keepers. The main diet for a pet frilled lizard should consist of insects. Examples include crickets, roaches, hornworms, silkworms, soldier fly larvae, super worms, and grasshoppers.

 All insects fed to Frilled Dragons should be dusted with a quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplement.

While juveniles have to be fed two times a day, adults are often provided with food every other day.

In the case of babies, calcium supplement powder is added to the food almost six days a week. For adults, the supplement is reduced to two to three times a week.

Both adults, as well as young ones, are given a dose of multivitamin powder once a week.

Make sure to provide the frilled dragon with a dish full of fresh water. Change the water every day. These reptiles love to feed on insects. The ideal ones are crickets, cockroaches, super worms, hornworms, silkworms, and butter worms.

You also include fruits, vegetables, and greens in frilled dragon diet.

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