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Mountain Horned Dragon Breeding

22 13:57:27

Question
Hello :) I have recently bought a beautiful MHD last month. At the beginning he began not eating so I took him to the vet right away for a check up and parasite medication, and he just finished his last does today and is 500% better than when I first bought him :) I love this lizard so much that I am very much considering purchasing another one later on down the road, and possibly breeding them. After many hours of research online, I have noticed that it seems there are hardly any MHD breeders, so I might have to purchase another parasite-infested one. Is there a reason why there seem to be no MHD breeders? And if I do decide to breed my MHDs in the future, what are some precautions I should take or some tips I should know? I am not planning to breed them to come into money, because I know these guys are fairly cheap, but I really would love to gain a couple more and not have to worry about them being infested with parasites, and know exactly what kind of environment they were raised in. Thanks!

Answer
 Part of the problem is that most Mountain Horned Dragons are wild caught from Southeast Asia.  The most common species sold in the US ia A. Capra, the hardiest of them.  Since they are an agamid, they would probably breed well in captivity, but it's more expensive to captive breed then to import them from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.  That's why breeders would be hard to find.  You may need to pck up a breeding age female from a large reptile show, along with a separate set-up, and have her seen by a vet on purchase, then again two weeks after to make sure her parasite load is not too high from relocation stress.
  Environmentally, give them a tall home, like an iguana, as they are arboreal, with lots of greenery to allow them a natural looking habitat.  An automatic mister or fogger will help keep the environment humid.