Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I'm posting this message for a friend who is looking into getting a Mountain Horned Dragon at some point this fall. He has spent a good amount of time doing the research already, but asked me if I could post on the forums and get some first hand tips from people who own these little guys. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

1. don't buy one from a pet store unless you have made arrangements to have it seen by a vet as soon as you get it. I suggest you make the appointment so that you can go from the pet store to the vet. Pet store animals are wild caught and are usually stressed and ill.

2. Read my caresheet. If you don't care to read the full detailed one there is a brief one that is well worth the read and won't take much time. You can read the full caresheet at http://www.froggieb.com/MHDCaresheet.html or the short one at http://www.froggieb.com/MHDshortcare.html.

3. Read through some of the old posts here and you will gather a lot of good information and supporting info on the "Don't by a sick Wild Caught MHD" statement.

If you get a MHD give it time to acclimate before you start handling it. Make sure you have the proper set-up, humidity, temps, light, etc., before you get it home.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

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Signature file edited. [phw 9/13/04]

I'm going to reinforce the "don't buy a sick MHD" thing. Even if you think it's a simple parasite thing, once that's better, you may find all sorts of other problems. I've found that mine like caging with screen on the sides because they like to hang on it. And pedialyte or a similar product in the water seems to reduce stress when moving.
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April
1.0 Mali Uromastyx- Embrodak,
0.1 Saharan Uromastyx- Scheherazade
2.1 Mountain Horned Dragon- Beren, Luthien and Tinuviel
3.0.5 Hermit Crabs- Violet, Polly, Jennifer, Trogdor, Hedwig, Penelope and Sinistra
1.1 Five lined Skink- Leela and Fry
1.0 Bettas-Nuala

I agree with the screens
mine that I have in a reptarium are all over the screens that are exposed, and some (one actualy) pokes holes in the plastic and climbs the inner plasic lining (used to increase humidity)
I am planning to take all 6 out this weekend and re-do the whole araingment, with plastic on the outside of the screening
and these guys are happiest when they get spritzed at least 2-3 times a day

My current setup is with a filter system in a paint tray of water, a pan of Coir for the 2 that are Fat and looking Gravid, and a half dead Magnolia tree that I am nursing back to life (when I bought it they said to be sure to water it * every 2 weeks or so, I know know that the "every 2 weeks" should have had a 4x inserted where I put the star)
Spritzing through the screen causes a lot of runoff, down the screens, and one of my newer dragons will only drink that water, not the pan of water I have.
I have a food dish perpetually full of Canadian Nightcrawlers, and I drop in a couple dozen crix every week (when we feed the snake)
Some days they eat all the worms, sometimes it takes 3-4 days for them to finish them
We have to pay close attention to them
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Elizabeth (ecb)

Make this world a better and more beautiful place that You have been in it
*Edward W Bok*