Before Buying:

•    Do a lot of research.  There are multiple excellent care guides and it is beneficial to get information from a variety of sources.  Google "frilled dragon care sheets" and read up!  There are links to many good places from this website on the various pages.  Also skim through forums to get a good idea of what you're getting into.

•    Have your enclosure ready.  Set it up at least a week in advance so temps and humidity are already fined-tuned and ready to go.  Don't leave experiments for when you already have an occupant.  If you choose to house a new young frilly in a small cage, have the adult enclosure ready, or have solid plans in place.  They grow fast!

•    Pay for all supplies and food beforehand.  Make sure you're capable of financing the supplies, and keep in mind feeders are an additional and significant cost.

•    Food prep.  If you choose to raise your own food, it is best to start a colony well in advance so it has time to get going.  Quick tip - It's very difficult raise these guys on store-bought feeders - see the Food & Nutrition section for details.

•    Know what you're buying.  Always buy captive-bred animals.  They are much healthier and do much better in captivity.  "Wild-caught" & "farm-bred" animals often have health problems such as parasites, worms, mites, dehydration and frequently arrive dehydrated and malnourished.  Farm-bred animals are often marketed as captive-born, but they have been imported from farms in Indonesia and usually held at a wholesaler's facility where they could be exposed to any number of illnesses.  These animals often die even after seeking vet care.  Don't hesitate to ask the origins of any reptile, the seller should always be able to give a definite answer.  There are more and more captive bred ones appearing on the market these days.  It's worth the effort to ask around and wait if you have to.


Where to Buy:
    
    Ask around on forums such as TheFrilledDragon and RepticZone to see if any breeders have available babies.  Classifieds such as KingSnake  and FaunaClassifieds frequently list available frilled dragons.  Again, you should only consider buying a healthy captive bred animal even if they are priced higher.  You and your animal will both be better off in the long run.


Alternatives:

    Frilled dragons are difficult to take care and are not the perfect animal for everyone.  If you are eager to get a reptile but not sure if this species is the right one for you, there are definitely other alternatives to explore.  Here are some other reptiles with certain care advantages:

    •   Bearded Dragons:  Hardier & easy to handle, can be housed in standard aquariums, various morphs available.
    •   Water Dragons:  Generally less nervous than frillies.  More care information available.
    •   Basilisks:  Don't require enclosures as large, lower cost, beautiful display animals.
    •   Uromastyx:  Vegetarians, can be housed in standard aquariums.
    •   Crested Geckos:  Generally docile, no expensive lighting required, very simple diet, morphs available.
    •   Blue-Tongue Skink: Med/large omnivores, very docile, standard aquarium size appropriate.
    •   Leopard Geckos & Crocodile Skinks:  Simple housing & food requirements, no expensive lighting, easy to handle.
    •   Tokay/Leaf-Tailed/Day Gecko: Easier to house & feed, also very good display animals.
    •   Iguanas:  Vegetarian, large - require extra large enclosures.
    •   Chameleons:  Require inexpensive and easy-to-find screen enclosures.  However, they are delicate and require expert care.
    •   Anoles:  Smaller caging requirements, very active, good display animals, can be housed in groups.
    •   Mountain Dragons:  Don't require enclosures as large.