Filled+Lizard

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//Chlamydosaurus kingii//

Order: Squamata Suborder: Iguania Family: Agamidae

=**__Husbandry Information__**=

Housing Requirements

 * Notes: Avoid perpetually damp conditions.
 * Substrate- combo of coco fiber, play sand, organic potting soil to 2” depth. Or cypress mulch or commercial forest bedding.
 * **Lighting**: use a simple timer for all of the lights in the cage, and set them to be on for approximately 12 hours per day. Diurnal lizards, like frilled dragons, require full-spectrum lighting, including the UVB portion of the spectrum, to metabolize their calcium properly. Additionally, exposure to UVA will encourage natural behaviors and help to prevent depression and anorexia. A variety of full-spectrum bulbs exist in the marketplace; look for models with 5 percent UVB levels.
 * **Enclosure setup:** Frilled dragons spend much of their time in the wild alternately clinging to vertical tree trunks and chasing insects on the ground. Strive to re-create this habitat by incorporating large, flat, wooden surfaces for the frilled dragons to cling to. Place several climbing structures under the heat lamp, creating several basking spots of slightly different temperatures, and place a few at the cool end of the enclosure. Corkbark, natural tree bark or branches can provide these perches.
 * Adult enclosures can range from 4 to 6 feet tall, at least 2½ feet deep, and 5 feet long, especially if you’re raising a breeding pair or trio of frilled lizards. Dimensions can be somewhat smaller for a single adult, but remember, height is very important. The height at which a frilled lizard can bask equates to additional feelings of security.

Diet Requirements

 * Diet consists of: insects: crickets, roaches, hornworms, silkworms, soldier fly larvae, superworms, canned grasshoppers.
 * All insects should be dusted with a quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplement.
 * An occasional pinky or fuzzy mouse, depending on the size of the lizard, can also be offered.
 * Juvenile frilled lizards should be fed appropriately sized insects, no larger than two-thirds of their head width (no larger than the space between the lizard's eyes; you'll prevent impaction and other health problems), up to three times a day. They should also be misted with fresh water at each feeding.
 * Frilled lizards drink water droplets. A shallow pan placed in the bottom of the enclosure may or may not receive much attention (though placing a heat source under it will help raise humidity levels). Usually, after a few minutes of misting/rain, a thirsty lizard will drink.
 * Frilled lizards drink water droplets. A shallow pan placed in the bottom of the enclosure may or may not receive much attention (though placing a heat source under it will help raise humidity levels). Usually, after a few minutes of misting/rain, a thirsty lizard will drink.

Notes on Enrichment & Training

 * This species is highly food motivated and can be trained for presenting in hand or on a table. We use a whistle as a bridge and feed crickets off a pair of tongs. Be careful in early training- they are very enthusiastic and will jump/leap off hand onto you, the table, the wall, the floor, etc! Work in an enclosed space!
 * Work with this species from a young age on desensitizing to handling and new experiences.

=__Programmatic Information__=

Tips on Handling

 * This species is highly food motivated and easily trained for hand presentation.

Potential Messaging


__ **Acquisition Information** __ Acquiring juveniles will allow for ample time to train and desensitize to handling.

=__Comments from the Rating System__=

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
Warm temperate forests and savanna woodlands of Northern Australia

Physical Description

 * Size: Male frilled lizards can attain lengths between 2 and 3 feet, while females attain two-thirds of that size.
 * Weight: 1.1 lbs

Life Cycle

 * Longevity**
 * **Wild**: Unknown
 * **Managed Care**: 10 – 20 years
 * Females lay 8 to 23 tiny eggs in an underground nest.
 * Hatchlings emerge fully independent and capable of hunting and utilizing their frill.

Behavior

 * When feeling threatened, it will rise on its hind legs, opens its mouth, unfurl its hood and hiss. If an attacker is unintimidated, the lizard simply turns tail, mouth and frill open, and bolts. It will continue to run until it reaches the safety of a tree.
 * They may use their collar as a way to thermoregulate.

Threats and Conservation Status
=__Did you know…__= =__Photographs__=
 * The generic name (Chlamydosaurus) is derived from the Ancient Greek Chlamydo (χλαμύς) meaning "cloaked" or "mantled" and saurus (sauros) meaning "lizard". Its specific name is a Latinized form of Phillip Parker King's last name. It is the only member of this genus.
 * **Other names:** Frilled-necked Lizard, Frilled Lizard, Frilled Agama, Frill-necks
 * **Other relatives:** This species is the only member of the genus //Chlamydosaurus//

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * Brandywine Zoo