Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone! I am happy to report that my girlfriend and I are the proud new owners of two Capra Mountain horned dragons. They were purchased yesterday at the ERAS Reptile show. I am relatively new in the MHD scene so a little help would be appreciated! Ok out of the two that I have the male is the only one with a horn, just one I am assuming that the other broke off. The female has no horns to be seen. Is this normal? will they grow back? is this a sign of some sort of illness? Also he was staying towards the bottom of there tank with his mouth open. I know it is not to hot in there. The temp is 72F. So any advice would be greatly appreciated. Oh and if you could take a look at the pics I took of them and just let me know what you think of them overall that would be a great help!

First let them have access to a basking spot, a regular 25w bulb is the best, no need for anything higher, 25w in a reflector will allow temps of 130f at 4-5in distance, more then enough for any dragon.

When I get new imports, I check there mouth for any sins of infection or cheesy pus.

Then I use a sprayer bottle to make them drink, this is easy as they open there mouth I simply put the nozzle in and gently spray 2-3 times, this I do once a day.

Then I feed them with tweezers 2-3 super worms per feeding, I do this the same way I water, one minerals powdered worm at a time, this once a day.

The second week I start doing this routine every second day.

Third week I do this twice a week, by then they should be feeding and drinking on there own.

This procedure is called assist feeding, its not as stressful as force feeding.
Assist feeding of new imports is very important in establishing them, it allows them to stay hydrated and also keeps there digestive system running, this in turn will entice the lizards to seek temps that allows normal functions.

Don’t worry if your lizards defecate a few worms the first week, this is normal as its regulation his internal flora.

Don’t worry if your lizards regurgitate the first week, this is because it was severely dehydrated, keep doing your routine but feed only one worm or preferably 2 smaller mealworms the first week, then start as for the first week, your lizards will digest properly by then.

If every keeper would start this way, no lizards would ever be treated for parasites.
rgds

Forgot to say, don’t force anything, these dragons will swallow only the water they need, the rest will overflow out the corners of the mouth, this also applies to food, they eat what they need the rest will be spit out, I like super worms because dragons cut them clean when angry, this make it easy for them to signal the keeper they have enough, stop feeding me!

Thank you very much for your advise. It is nice to know that the people in the mountain/tree dragons forum are just as nice as the people in the Bearded dragons forum. I am going to attempt this method of feeding, it seems to make lots of sense. As for the hydration the dragons seem be be drinking lots and lots of water from their waterfall. But I will not forget that method incase I ever need to use it for perhaps another imported buddy. Thanks again

Rustybeard