By Brian Adamchuk
Introduction
The Horned Mountain Dragon makes an excellent starter lizard. They stay small, are very docile, have minimal care requirements, and are very hardy. The HMD is an arboreal lizard that can be seen hanging out for most of the day sleeping on it's climbing brances. Dont be suprised if at times you have to reach in and "poke" an HMD just to see if it is still alive! An HMD will rarely leave it's favorite perch except to get a drink, defacate, or eat. They are very docile and tolerate handling very well, once removed from the cage and placed on a shoulder an HMD will more than likely not move from that spot.
Caging Requirements
A minimum cage size for a single adult is 48" High X 36" Wide x 18" Deep. A larger cage is required for two adults. HMD's are arboreal and love dense greenery and lots of places to hide so a forest type setup is best. Provide several branches for climbing and lots of artificial greenery so that the HMD has places to hide and feel safe.
One of the most important features of an HMD setup is moving water. An HMD will not pay attention to nor drink from water unless it is moving. This can be accomplished with either a water bowl with an aquarium type "bubbler" stone or a waterfall type waterbowl. The water bowl should be large enough for the HMD to get in and bathe. The water bowl should be cleaned and disinfected daily.
Substrate
A coconut fiber type substrate or cypress mulch will hold humidity the best and gives the setup a nice natural look. Paper towels or newspaper should be used for newly acquired animals so that they can be watched for parasites.
Temperature, Lighting, and Humidity
The humidity levels need to be kept high, in the 70-75% range. This can be accomplished by keeping most of the aquarium top covered with plexiglass or a damp towel. Misting the cage should be done at least once or twice daily and if more humidity is needed a misting system or a fogger can be installed in the aquarium. Live tropical type plants such as Pothos can be used to decorate and improve humidty in the cage but HMDs will climb anything that they can so they may destroy the plants.
Daytime temps should be in the upper 70's to low 80's. Night time temperatures should be allowed to drop anywhere from 5 to 8 degress cooler.
Lighting: A daytime spot light for a simulated basking area should be used. Make sure that the light is outside the cage and far enough above the basking area so that the HMD will not get burned nor have access to the lamp. In the wild as an arboreal lizard living in the canopy of a tropical rainforest an HMD will only get filtered sunlight, so we have always kept the cage where it has access to filtered sunlight (not direct) and they seem to do very well and remain healthy. Other HMD keepers have reported that without UVB lighting on the cage there is a chance that an HMD may develop a curvature of the spine. In most cases it is best to play it safe and install a UVB type light fixture on the cage.
Feeding
HMDs are insectivorious. They will eat most feeder insects such as meal worms, silk worms, or crickets that are available at most pet stores. Their favorite by far is earth worms though. Our HMDs are offered two to three "red wigglers" every other day and 10-15 medium crickets are put in the cage once a week. HMD's can take some time to get adjusted to new surroundings and will sometimes not eat for two to three days if a cage has been recently moved or re-arranged.
Acquiring a HMD
Only buy an HMD, as with any other animal, from a reputable dealer or breeder. Most of the HMDs that are currently in the pet trade are wild caught and may be overly stressed, loaded with parasites, and possibly even egg bound. To insure that your new HMD is healty a vet visit should be made shortly after acquiring your new HMD and it should be quarnantined from other reptiles in your home for at an absolute minimum 30 days. New animals tend to acclimate slowly and will spend most of their time in hiding deep in the greenery in the cage and will not eat for typically the first two to three days. Be patient and keep handling to a minimum during this period. With the proper care and attention an HMD will make a great pet!
The above information should be able to provide the basic requirements for an HMD setup.
More information can be obtained from the following links:
http://www.froggieb.com/MHDCaresheet.html
http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=56
Picture from http://mediasoldier.net
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