The short answer for a frilled dragon
A frilled dragon eats mainly insects, backed by daily greens. This Australian lizard hunts moving prey from tree trunks and the ground, so crickets, roaches, locusts, black soldier fly larvae, and silkworms form the core of a frilled dragon's captive diet. Alongside the insects, offer chopped leafy greens and vegetables every day, even if a young dragon mostly ignores them at first. A frilled dragon that grows up seeing greens in the enclosure makes the adult shift toward plants far more easily than one offered leaves for the first time at full size.
Why insects must be fed before they are eaten
A frilled dragon gets much of its nutrition from whatever is inside its prey, which makes gut-loading part of the diet itself. Feed the crickets and roaches on leafy greens, squash, and carrot for a day before they go into the enclosure, and dust them lightly with calcium powder at most feedings. A frilled dragon eating empty, pet-shop-starved crickets is eating mostly shell. Rotate at least three insect types across the week for this frilled dragon, because each prey carries a different fat and mineral profile, and a dragon locked onto one feeder often refuses others later. Silkworms and hornworms add moisture that a frilled dragon, a notably thirsty lizard, benefits from.
How a frilled dragon's menu changes with age
A juvenile frilled dragon is an insect specialist in practice, eating small insects daily and sometimes twice daily during fast growth. Keep prey no wider than the space between the dragon's eyes, and let the youngster eat its fill in a ten-to-fifteen-minute session before removing loose crickets that could nibble a sleeping lizard. An adult frilled dragon still needs insects several times a week, but the daily bowl becomes the greens: collards, dandelion leaves, endive, and squash, with berries or mango as an occasional topping rather than a base. A frilled dragon offered fatty waxworms or a rodent pup too often will happily overeat, so keep those rare or skip them entirely. Scatter some greens around the enclosure floor for an adult frilled dragon, which naturally picks food up while patrolling on the ground. Offer the insect course in a smooth-sided dish or by tongs when this frilled dragon is a clumsy juvenile, since repeated missed strikes at fast crickets on loose substrate can end with mouthfuls of bedding instead of prey, and a discouraged youngster may stop chasing altogether for that session.
Watch-outs specific to this lizard
A frilled dragon that stops hunting usually has an environment problem before it has a food problem. Check that this frilled dragon can reach a genuinely hot basking spot and cool retreat, because a chilled dragon will not chase crickets no matter how lively they are. Watch for trembling limbs, a soft jaw, or reluctance to climb, which can accompany mineral shortfalls in a growing frilled dragon and warrant a prompt reptile-vet visit. Loose insects left overnight, especially crickets, should be removed rather than left to wander. If a frilled dragon refuses all insects for several days while also hiding and flattening its frill at nothing, seek veterinary advice instead of cycling through ever-fattier treats. In KinsLe, Care Teams can split this frilled dragon's gut-loading, dusting, and greens duties between household members, each marked complete with a timestamp.