Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a mountain horned dragon about couple weks ago. i bought it as a "catoles" (that what they said it was) looked online n found out it was a MHD. i feel that itsnt not acting right. it has only eating once. doesnt look skiny tho. only drank once when i put its head near water. it seems lazy but when i touch it itll move n when i hold it itll like move and seem normal. in tank it doesnt move. crickets will walk on it and all. it will opens its mouth and like swallow.(does it alot.)
it has all the proper care. - crickets. water/misting. heating pad. proper light for heating. branches. rock. log. fake plants.

what could be wrong? could it be sick? is it normal? not use to new home? need a freind? (had one when i bought it). all help would be good..thanks. i also dont know if its a male or female.

thanks - matt.
pics below.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v253/blaahhh22/106_0493.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v253/blaahhh22/106_0492.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v253/blaahhh22/106_0490.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v253/blaahhh22/106_0498.jpg

You have got a relatively old male Calotes, most likely Calotes versicolor.
I once kept and bred them and all I can say is that imports normally do not do well and that they need a relatively giant enclosure. With many aspects they do more behave like birds than like reptiles.
Once acclimatized they are extremely agile and voracious feeders which can manage lizards of more than 2/3 of their own size.
I had my breeding pair in a tank of 67" x 35" x 55" and sometimes this seemed to be on the small side.
Imports are typically full of parasites. Mostly Coccidia and Oxyura and sometimes also Hexamita and strongyloids.
So thorough fecal checks and a good therapy are a must.
The behaviour of your animal indicates that it may be loaded with such critters and urges you to hurry!

Good luck

Ingo

Nevermind..hes now dead. i did nothing wrong. this is bull[bleep].

Sorry for that.
But yes, you did sth wrong: You aquired a wc lizard of a species which notoriously does not tolerate the stress of being imported well and hence should stay in the wild or be kept by expert breeders which may still be able to start a captive bred colony.
If you would have done a little bit of research before buying the animal, you should have known these things about Calotes species.
And in any case you should have known, that one should never buy an aninmal without knowing at least the essentials about its requirements
Since you bought this moribund animal, the pet shop has made money with it and has a reason to replace it by another wc specimen.
If it would have died at the petshop, these guys would have lost money and would think twice before replacing it.

One should always keep such things in mind..
Sorry to blame you for that, but its an important point!

Ci@o

Ingo

yes this is very true!
an other thing you should consider, these animals do not take well to handling, its stresses them alot. some lizards are best kept as display. sorry for you lost but dont blem anyone but yourself. take this as experience! we have all lost reptiles.

i never blamed anyone but myself. thats why i got agnry and fustrated. i did do reasrch and i new what i had to do. i new all caresheet info. i new what to feed. humity. water needs. feedin needs. i asked for extra help..thats all. no need to blame me for this or blame me for them being imported and what not. i understand as a animal lover that importing wild animals is wrong. but being fasinated with this animal and thats why i bought one. but i understand what yous are saying.

- matt

So much research?
But you did not even know, which species you aquired nor did you know the basics about its needs.

Just conemplating

Ingo

uhhhh i was asking if it was a catoles liike they said or could it be a MHD... i was making shure. i knew its basic needs.