Mu Shu Palace

I have always been a fan of reptiles.  I always wanted a snake (Boa) but the wife will not have anything to do with that.  I have been looking at and researching lizards for some time now.  I had finally decided on a Water Dragon however I ran across a Mountain Horned Dragon in my travels and fell in love with them.  I dropped down the coin needed to bring one home.

I toyed with different names and was leaning towards Draco but as he was hanging out on my shoulder this scene from Disney's Mulan popped into my head.  "I'm travel size for your connivance.  If I was my real size your cow here would die of fright."  Thus Mu Shu received his name.

Upon arriving home the then nameless Mu Shu found his temporary home in a a 20 gallon long terrarium that use to be home to a couple of green anoles.  I knew that this enclosure was not tall enough for a MHD but I also new these guys were very hard to find and I did not want to take the chance that he would be sold before I got an enclosure that was suitable built.  Plus the 20L was huge compared to what they had him in at the store. 

The day after Mu Shu came home construction started on Mu Shu's Palace.  My past research showed that these guys like to climb and an enclosure that is tall rather then long was needed.  Living in Colorado also makes it hard to keep the humidity up in a glass tank.  MHDs are tropical and need a humidity level of 75%+.  I found myself spraying his tank 5-6 times a day in an attempt to keep the proper levels.  Heat is not an issue since during the day they need a temperature of 75 to 85 degrees and a night time temperature of 65-70 degrees.  I took all of this into consideration in my build.

I decided to build an enclosure out of wood that measures 4 feet tall X 3 Feet wide X 1.5 feet deep.  I started by building a plywood box to size out of some plywood I already had.  I also added some climbing branches inside.  In the below photo you can spot Mu Shu checking out the start of his new home.

I snagged two pieces of glass ($10 a sheet) from Home Depot that measured 3' X 1.5' to use as the doors.  I cut some 2x6 from the scrap lumber pile at my house to use as the top and bottom runners and side tracks.  I used my table saw to cut tracks in the boards for the glass to slide in.

The side tracks allow the glass to slide into them preventing the escape of crickets and other food. 


Next I needed to add ventilation for proper air flow and a way to allow the heat lamps to warm the enclosure.  I achieved this by cutting three 8" circles in the top.  These were later covered in wire mesh.

Next I did some light sanding as I wanted to make the enclosure  a little more rustic looking.  Then I stained the outside and left the inside "natural" and waterproofed the wood inside and out.

Once everything was dry I used aquarium grade silicone to seal all of the cracks where the pieces of wood joined each other.  Again this was done to help hold in moisture and prevent the escape of Mu Shu's food.

Next I installed an 18" UV light fixture inside the enclosure.

After everything was dried and cured it was time to take it inside and start getting it ready for Mu Shu to move in. 


I started by putting in approximately 5" of pesticide free soil.

I then planted the enclosure with a couple of live plants.  I put in two spikes and a vining plant.  The ivy is fake and will be used until the vining plant grows.  I covered the soil with moss.  This will help keep the humidity levels up and act as an easy changeable substrate.





I placed his water dish in and added a fish tank air pump and bubblier stone to create movement in the water.  MHDs will not drink from standing water.

In order to control the humidity I installed a ReptiFogger.  The fogger sits on top of the enclosure and is piped into the side. 

On top I have two heat lamps.  The entire system is on timers for worry free health of Mu Shu.  The lights turn on at 8 am and off at 8 pm.  The fogger turns on at 7 am, noon, and 7 pm and runs for a hour each cycle on medium.  With this setup the temperature stays perfect and the humidity ranges between 60-80%. 


Mu Shu has moved in and seems to love his new home.  When I got him he was dehydrated and would not eat.  He now eats well and is looking good.  He is way more active (MHDs are not the most active Dragons)

By using wood and items I already had for the Anoles I was able to make what I believe is a very nice enclosure for less than $50.  The only things I had to buy was the glass and the plants.