I recently purchased a Mountain Horned Lizard Dragon from a pet store, and I’ve read that they often come with parasites and infections when bought from a pet store. The tank I have for him isn’t all that big because I didn’t have the money to get a larger one. It’s big enough for him to move around and whatnot. He has an "Iguana Tree", where he usually sleeps. He started out with a dozen crickets in his tank, there’s about six left. He also has a water bowl with an air pump in it, because I know they don’t like stagnant water. For the bottom of the tank, I have black sand, but I read that if they eat it, it could possibly injure or kill him. So, after reading this, I put down some mulch. A friend of mine suggested alfalfa pellets because it’d be okay if he ate them. However, Mountain Horned Lizards are carnivores. Is this still an option?

I’ve googled just about everything, and have learned a little bit about them. I don’t have much for him to climb on, but when I take him out, my shoulder serves this purpose quite well. I take him out every few hours and spray/mist him with a water bottle, and he seems to enjoy that. I have a regular white lamp over his water bowl so he doesn’t get too cold when he’s soaking, and a red hear lamp over the rest of the cage. I know they don’t know when they get too cold or too hot, so when I go to bed, I move him closer to the heat lamp, as the white one goes off.

So, now I just need to know if there’s anything else I can do to help make him happy. I’d greatly appreciate it!
Oh, and also, do they shed like a snake or any other reptile? He’s missing the larger horns and the other ones are kind of coming off. So I was just wondering if they’re broken, or if they’ll grow back.

Thanks!

They arwe pretty strict carnivores and aren’t likely to eat alfalfa. their tanks should never be below 80 degrees f, and there should be a light that supplies 2.0 UV B, which is necessary for their D3 calcium growth.

they shed like most lizards, in pieces rather than all at once. most of them have broken tails by the time they grow up, and they can loose pieces of horn which don’t usually grow back.

The major concern with them is intestinal parasites, and most from pet duppliers and in the wild have a high parasite load or flukes, roundowrms, and a few other types of worms. Have a vet or university lab inspect the stool to see what parasite might be present so they know what dewormer to use. Once diagnosed, they will usually dispense the medication in a bottle with a dropper cap so you can gently pull on the dewlap to open its mouth for treatment. You may get lucky and have a specimen with a low parasite load, but evenetually it should be checked by a professional. Fenbendazole or Praziquantel may work, but I wouldn’t prescribe myself as the test really needs to be done to determine the strength and type of de-wormer. Good Luck!