NEW LIZARD MOM...HOW AM I DOING SO FAR? HELP PLEASE?

Howdy!
I am glad to have found this site! I am the new 'mom' of a mountain horned dragon named 'Ziggy'. I have had him for about a month now and am just looking for other owners to connect with/get opinions from on how to best care for him. Although there is a lot of info out there on the web, some if it is kinda conflicting to me. Anyways, I am having a blast with him so far, but am concerned as he isn't very active. Hasn't eaten a lot (some days are better than others) I keep him between 70 and 82 or so, and try to keep the humidity in his home arond 70-80 as much as possible. He has eaten mealworms, superworms and waxworms but has shown ZERO interest in several different sizes of crickets or earthworms. (Which I read they are sposta LOVE) Anyways, here are a few photos of him and his enclosure, I am VERY open to suggestion/criticism/comments of any kind. I just want to be doing the right things. Thanks guys!

Just a few more pics of him and what I've done for him so far. We keep it humid with a homemade fogger. We got a humidifier from Walgreens and some tubing from Home Depot and it seems to work really well. Next up is to get a timer for it and the lighting...Still have to install an under tank heater with rheostat too....So, just looking for your thoughts on how he looks health-wise and/or any feedback on his enclosure. I know it's not the coolest or maybe as high as it should be, but we are trying our best! If you have any questions to ask me as to what we have done/are doing, please feel free! I need all of your expertise! THANKS!

Wow, to me he looks great ! Healthy and alert, and really cute ! What a nice set up for him, too. I am not a M.H. D. owner, but I can tell a healthy looking lizard in general, and I DO know that they require high humidity and relatively cool temps., so you got that right. If you search some of the past threads, someone had some questions answered on here a little while ago....if you search for it, you might find something helpful...which I;m sorry to say , I am not myself. But I just wanted to say how beautiful the tank is and that your little guy is looking great.

Thanks Angie....that is what I am looking for, somebody with experience to tell me if he looks to be in good health. It seems I am online or reading a lizard book almost every day since I got him. I had no idea how interesting and beautiful reptiles really are, as this is first.

I know absolutely NOTHNG about them, but you have a real cutie there!!

I hope he works out well for you!!

Thanks Donna! Never knew I could enjoy a reptile so much...He's ny first and I have found myself sorta captivated by him...If I can do right by him, I am thinking about some Water Dragons maybe in the future!

bump?

I am not versed in MHD care but I can tell from what little experience I have with them that they basically ignore water dishes and need a drop/misting system. If the drops fall into a "pool" that will work well but they do not really recognize standing water on their own.

Most MHD's you find are wild caught and in very bad shape - yours does look in good condition. However, captive life is stressful and this stress can lead to a weakened immune system to where parasite loads can take over internally.

I would suggest having a reptile vet do a fecal exam on it to check for parasites.
This is likely the person with the most experience with the genus and a great place to start learning

http://www.froggieb.com/MHDCaresheet.html

Thanks Ameivaboy!

I tried a dripper system that suctioned to the side of the tank, showed no interest in that (that I could see) so we do have a large water bowl with a bubbling stone in it so that the water is moving/bubbling. He does seem to like to sit in it on occasion, but I usually have to put him there every so often..

Froggie's info is fantastic, that's the first info that I found when trying to learn more about this little critter...Yes, I need to find a herp vet I think somewhere in my area and do that also, just in case. Not sure if he was wild caught or...but thinking more than likely he was....

Tell ya what, the folks at the pet store realllly didn't seem to have good or accurate info. I found so much contradicting info after I brought him home...makes me angry.

Again though, thanks for you input, I appreciate you responding and helping!

I had a pair for a while, but my imports didn't last

I noticed that they loved the waterfall I made for them. Zoo-med makes a 'kit' for their tanks that I fit into a piece of cork and they would just hang in the water flow and drink from there.

They will also need UVB light. I like the Exo-Terra compact flourescent lights, but any UVB will work (depending on your setup). They also make bulbs that are dual UVB and heat.