Frilled Lizard Diet: What Frilled Lizards Eat

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Calcium powder goes on insects three to four times a week, and a multivitamin once a week. Frilled lizards are insectivores first.

In the wild, Chlamydosaurus kingii hunts spiders, ants, termites, and beetles. It hunts both up in trees and down on the ground. It will occasionally take a small lizard or a scrap of meat when the chance comes along.

That wild pattern is the template for a healthy frilled lizard diet in captivity. Feed mostly insects, offer food often, and dust every meal with calcium. Keep the menu varied so no single nutrient gap builds up over months.

Getting the schedule and supplements right matters more for this species than almost any other husbandry decision. Frilled lizards grow fast as juveniles, and they are prone to metabolic bone disease if calcium intake falls short.

This guide covers wild and captive diet, feeding schedules by age, supplements, and foods to avoid.

What frilled lizards eat in the wild

Wild frilled lizards are arboreal for roughly 90 percent of their time. They come down mainly to feed, move between trees, or lay eggs. Northern Territory Government wildlife notes describe them hunting spiders and insects while in the canopy.

On the ground they take ants, termites, more spiders and insects, and occasionally other small lizards. Animal Diversity Web lists the species as primarily insectivorous on small invertebrates. It also documents small mammals and carrion being eaten.

Field studies put numbers on that menu. A radio tracking study in Kakadu National Park found the lizards hunting as sit and wait predators that drop from trees to take caterpillars, winged termites and ants, and other insects. Vertebrate prey is rarely taken.

A second study found harvester termites (Drepanotermes) formed a major part of the diet in both seasons. That reliance on termites is unusual for a sit and wait forager. Diet stays varied year round, but the volume changes.

Dry season food intake drops to about half the wet season volume. Growth happens almost entirely in the wet season, and feeding slows but never fully stops.

One serious wild hazard is the cane toad. Its toxins can poison a frilled lizard that tries to eat one. Keepers should never offer toads or wild caught amphibians as food.

What to feed a pet frilled lizard

A captive frilled lizard diet should mirror the insect heavy wild menu, not a plant heavy one. Most keepers rotate through several feeder insect species. That rotation gives the lizard a broader nutrient profile than any single insect provides on its own.

Insect size follows a simple rule. No feeder should be longer than the space between the lizard’s eyes. Anything larger raises the risk of regurgitation or impaction.

Live feeder insects, such as a mixed pack of live crickets and roaches, should go in a few at a time. Dumping a whole tub into the enclosure at once is not a good idea. Uneaten insects can nip at a resting lizard overnight.

For a rundown of feeder types beyond this list, see our feeder insects guide.

Frilled lizard feeding schedule by age

How often a frilled lizard eats changes a lot from hatchling to adult. Merck Veterinary Manual’s general guidance for insectivorous lizards sets the baseline. Juveniles and small species need daily feeding, and most adults do well fed at least every other day.

Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital, a reptile veterinary practice, publishes a species specific schedule. Hatchlings up to 2 months old eat two or three times a day. Adults get insects every 2 to 3 days, with a small salad offered daily.

Watch body condition rather than the calendar alone. For the full weight and length range at each life stage, see our frilled lizard size guide.

A frilled lizard with a visible ribcage or a thin tail base needs more food. One with fat pads bulging at the tail base or armpits needs less. Soft tipped feeding tongs let a keeper hand feed and count exactly how much gets eaten.

Calcium, vitamins, and gut loading

Feeder insects are naturally poor sources of calcium relative to phosphorus. Per Merck Veterinary Manual, most commercially raised insects run about 0.03 to 0.3 percent calcium against 0.8 to 0.9 percent phosphorus. That is close to the reverse of what a growing lizard needs.

Supplementation exists to fix that imbalance. Left uncorrected, the gap contributes to metabolic bone disease. That condition weakens bones and can cause a soft jaw, bowed limbs, or fractures.

Two steps close that gap. Gut loading means feeding the insects a high calcium diet for roughly three days before they are offered to the lizard. That step raises the calcium locked inside each insect’s body before it ever reaches the lizard.

Dusting means coating insects in a calcium powder right before feeding, such as a plain calcium powder with added vitamin D3. The lizard then eats the powder along with the insect. See our gut loading guide for a full breakdown of gut load diets and timing.

Strong UVB lighting lets a frilled lizard make some of its own vitamin D3. That lowers the need for D3 supplementation somewhat. It does not remove the need for calcium powder, since UVB has no effect on the calcium content of the food itself.

A general purpose reptile multivitamin, such as a reptile specific multivitamin and mineral supplement, fills in vitamin A and other micronutrients that dusting alone does not cover. Merck documents vitamin A deficiency as a real risk in insectivorous lizards. Skipping the multivitamin entirely is not a safe shortcut.

An escape resistant feeder dish and a stocked colony with its own food make gut loading easier. Grabbing whatever insect is closest at feeding time defeats the point. The veterinary schedule above assumes insects gut loaded on calcium rich greens.

Water and hydration

Frilled lizards drink readily from water droplets on leaves and enclosure surfaces, and many also use a bowl. Bowling Green State University’s herpetarium keeps a standing water bowl available at all times and mists adults daily. A light daily misting, alongside a shallow water dish changed daily, covers both drinking styles.

Fresh insects, offered rather than left to dry out overnight, also add moisture to the diet. See our frilled lizard enclosure guide for how misting and humidity fit into overall setup.

Foods to avoid

Several foods and feeding habits cause real harm. Avoid them outright.

• Wild caught insects, which can carry pesticides or parasites picked up outdoors.
• Fireflies, which are toxic to many lizard species.
• Toads of any kind. Cane toads are a known poisoning risk for wild frilled lizards, and other toad species carry similar toxins.
• Insects caught near roadsides or sprayed lawns, for the same pesticide risk as other wild caught insects.
• Waxworms or superworms fed as a daily staple, since their fat content contributes to obesity over time.
• Feeder insects longer than the space between the lizard’s eyes, which raise the risk of regurgitation or gut impaction.

Frilled lizards are not built to process much plant matter, and wild diet studies found a diverse range of invertebrates with no meaningful plant intake. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital does list a daily salad for adults alongside insects, so greens are a harmless option. They should never replace insect protein as the core of the menu.

For a broader look at how other species eat, see our guide to what lizards eat.

Frilled lizards belong to the wider dragon lizard family covered in our guide to dragon lizards. The full care picture starts with our frilled lizard care overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do frilled lizards eat in the wild?

Wild frilled lizards eat mostly insects: harvester termites, winged ants and termites, caterpillars, spiders, and beetles. They hunt from trees and on the ground. Vertebrates are rare, though small lizards, small mammals, and carrion are recorded.

How often should I feed my frilled lizard?

Hatchlings up to 2 months eat two or three times a day and juveniles eat daily. Adults get insects every 2 to 3 days per veterinary guidance. Body condition, not just age, should guide any adjustment to that schedule.

What is the best feeder insect for a frilled lizard?

Crickets and dubia roaches make the best staple feeders. They gut load easily, come in every size, and bite less than some alternatives. Mealworms, superworms, and silkworms work well as rotation items rather than the sole staple.

Do frilled lizards need calcium powder on every feeding?

Veterinary guidance calls for phosphorus free calcium on insects 3 to 4 times a week at every age, plus a weekly multivitamin. For a daily fed juvenile that means most meals. Feeder insects run naturally low in calcium relative to phosphorus, so skipping the powder invites metabolic bone disease.

Can frilled lizards eat vegetables or fruit?

Wild frilled lizards eat almost no plant matter, so vegetables and fruit are optional rather than necessary. One reptile veterinary clinic offers adults a small daily salad alongside insects. Insects should remain the core of every feeding.

Why is gut loading feeder insects important?

Gut loading raises the calcium content inside the insect’s own body before it reaches the lizard. That improves the calcium to phosphorus ratio of the meal. Without it, feeder insects alone can leave a frilled lizard short on calcium even with regular dusting.