# Flying Dragons (Draco volan)



## Carlie (Sep 27, 2006)

I saw a load of these in a pet shop today. I've never seen them in the pet trade before, though looking through the forum threads, I see they've been here for a little while. 

I'm a big fan of Arboreal lizards and was thinking of looking in to them for a future purchase. 

Does anybody know much about them? Is there anything in particular I should know. I'll do proper research, but at a guess I'd say they may need a similar set up to the Frillies, with similar environment and humidity. Would that be right?


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

I think higher humidity, but not too much more.
dont think they need quote a shigh temps for basking etc but basically liek frillys.
not kept them, was due to have some this month but was cancelled in august i believe.

Would SNAP THEM UP IN ASECOND if i saw them already in a pet shop/rep show though i tell you that.

if you dont mind me asking what sort of price were they offered at?

also, might be best to remember that they [unless stated otherwise] would almost certainely/certain certainty be wild caught so the usual things should be asked and expected as a result.


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## Carlie (Sep 27, 2006)

Hi Dean, thanks for your reply.

The Flying Dragons were, I think, £40 each or £65 for a pair. There were both juvenile and adult dragons, some of which were supposed to be gravid.

They were wild caught, but look easy to breed so hopefully it wont be long before we see captive bred examples offered for sale here in the UK.

They were absolutely fascinating! The males displayed at the females by opening their wings and displaying their bright yellow dewlaps.  And they glide really well on their 'wings' even over relatively short distances.

The pet shop was in Cardiff, but if you like, I can give you details and maybe you could get them couriered over?


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## LeeH (Jan 26, 2005)

they look awesome
sorry to sound a div but do they need a cage big enough to let them do this flying ability or they quite normally kept as any other lizard..
would make a good intresting video i reckon....of it gliding/flying
if you do get them all the best..they seem very intresting critters


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

I had planned to keep a trio in a 4x6x3
I believe they have been bred in captivity but theres not much about it, i saw one site that documented incubationg etc for example
draco volans laid 5 eggs. incubated at 80.6 f. 2 eggs hatched.
but litle more info.
I believe The cardiff aread currently have no TNT coverage due to the regional manager throwing a hissy 
ill look into it later: victory:


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

these are awesome little things and something im looking onto keeping once i get enought room to give them a nice size viv. As personally i wold like to see them in somthing big enought where they can glide easly, as they can do so over some epic distances. 

there also isnt loads of information on them.

Jay


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## Carlie (Sep 27, 2006)

If I had room, I'd be going home with a few, but I just can't give them the space they need at the moment.

I need a lottery win. :-|


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

well i still have the viv i had almost fully asembled ready for them lol, infact i have 2 lol..
ill make a positive effort to try and get hold of soem within the next 3 months or so, maybe in the new year, got our hands full right now anyway.
let me kknow if you decide to get some, would be very interested in hearing all about them...and seein pics of course.


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## DragonKeeper (Jun 30, 2007)

wow they look awesome!


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## Nova (Sep 23, 2007)

I live in Toronto/Canada. Does anyone know where I could get my hands on a couple of these guys?


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## This is my Clone (Jul 8, 2007)

They are lovely. I don't think I could keep them though, as they would need a Zoo sized enclosure IMO.


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

I think its worth mentioning.. just because soemthing has evolved to be able to glide from tree to tree..doesnt really have any baring on how much space they need in captivity.
I doubt theres a lizard in captivity that, in the wild doesnt span a similar distance to that of a draco.


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## Leonjeffries (Feb 5, 2015)

*Flying dragons*

Hiya I have been looking for some for a long time can somone please help with a name of shop or sell that I can get them from in the uk 
Thanks leon


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## scottishbluebird (Jun 1, 2012)

wow never seen those before:flrt::flrt:


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## Creed (Apr 2, 2014)

I'd be very careful when purchasing one of these animals. These are not suitable for most keepers. It isn't so much the large space that is necessary, but there wild diet is hard to replicate. In the wild they sit and wait until prey (ants) walk by. 

I've heard that they aren't strictly ant eaters and that they do adapt to other prey items, but it isn't all that simply. There have been successful breeders in Germany and some useful articles have been posted, but I'm not sure where to find them.

I've spoken to a (dutch) keeper who kept a pair, but he dropped off the face of the earth a while back.

Good luck


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## Carlie (Sep 27, 2006)

Good advice. Awesome little lizards, so their lack of availability would suggest something other than demand issues.

I saw these guys in a notoriously bad reptile shop in Cardiff. I certainly wouldn't recommend them.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Wow, a thread from 2007. These haven't really been imported into the UK for years now - which in my opinion is great, since back when a large batch were imported into the UK.. strangely.. none now seem to exist, and no one seems to have successfully got the CB population going here. So I can only fear the worst and assume the vast majority, if not all of those WC imports died


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## Viqer Fell (Jan 12, 2015)

If in a five year period the wc population imported into the UK hasn't survived very well in captivity then it does suggest that maybe it's not something for the hobbyist to own and more for the specialists.

People should temper the desire to own something just because it looks great or has a novelty factor with the admittance that their ability to successfully give the animal as natural and as happy a life as possible may not be as good as they perceive.

I've spent the last month or so reading up and researching leopard geckos, one of the easier reptiles to keep so I dread to think that people could just pop into a pet shop and buy animals with significantly more complex requirements with little chance of them surviving long


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## Tongue Flicker (Oct 26, 2014)

I've kept a trio of female Draco rizali for about 4 years til they succumbed to abscess growth and eventually died. They were wild-caught so that's to be expected. Based on personal experience, they require equal enclosure length and height. Arboreal as they maybe but they jump far off as well too. Different species of Dracos have evolved to specialize with different kinds of prey items. My girls seem to love feeding on those leaf-cutter ants as well as live crickets and flying roaches. Thanks goodness for my neighbour's ant infested mango tree.


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## bloominators (Mar 21, 2014)

what shop were they in? I live in Cardiff, would love to go and see them!


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