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Utah horned lizards

sos84066 May 21, 2004 11:26 AM

okay I got a pair of horned lizards from the bookcliffs area....I think they are short horns...my problem is they are about an inch long not counting the tail....and they run from everything......they won't eat...i've tried to feed them 6 diffrent kinds of ants...everything from ones the size of a pin head....that they just ignore......to ones the size of their heads big black things....i've gotten them to drink water and I bought them a heating rock that they just love....until a ant runs by and scares them off of the rock.................i have even bought some pintail crickets.....smallest I could find....they run from those too....i've tried to feed them a red ant with a nasty stinger...twice in trying to find them something to eat....I think these are the havesters everyone talks about.....well....one waged his tail a few times as it was aproaching him....and he just kept backing up then he would run like a bat out of hell..........Any thoughts????.....i've gotten them to drink water a few times sprayed them down and they would open and close their mouth.....and I even saw one dinking out of a dip in the heating rock when i spray the tank down.......another thing i was wondering about is they make their eyes bulge out for whatever reason i got no idea.......any help would be greatly admired

Replies (5)

Cable_Hogue May 21, 2004 02:33 PM

You don't say much about the environment they are in but they certainly sound stressed. They need a large enough terrarium, the proper UVA/UVB lighting, and time to settle down from the capture. Wild HLs do not take to captivity well sometimes. You might have to give them a few days to relax. They should be in an area that has little or no traffic. Temperature is also crucial to appetite stimulation. When you feed the ants make sure you only put one or two in at a time. And leave them to eat in peace. They don't like folks staring down at them. They need a warm basking area and also a cooler place within the cage so they can properly regulate their body temp. Hopefully others will post thier opinions, but most folks frown on catching wild HLs. Captive bred individuals are much easier to raise.
There is plenty of info on this forum (and the old archived HL forum) to get you where you need to be with these guys. Good luck!
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sos84066 May 21, 2004 05:32 PM

well right now tell me if i should change it or nt i'm picking up more and more all the time....i've had them for about 2 days...and they are in a 10 gallon tank....is that to small for them???....reading on her i'm thinking so.....their not very big just wondering.....i also have a small heating rock....and i've been using a calcium sand.........should i use somethign different then this.....i've got several rocks placed all over in it.....what temprature should they have to eat...its been at around 90 maybe 80 in there for them

BadBoid May 22, 2004 01:12 PM

Your temps for them sound more than fine. Just be sure they have some shade too, because they mostly like to spend only a few minutes basking in directs sunlight. As far as feeding goes, I have two short horned lizards, one of which seems to be a somewhat finnicky eater. She eats best if no one is watching her, or even around. What I usually end up doing is giving her 4 ants at a time, leaving, and coming back 5 minutes later to see that they are all gone and give her more. Also, it has been my own personal observation that this lizard seems to have a better appetite in the morning hours.

I hope some of this is helpful. I dont have much experience with short horns, and you should keep in mind that these are adult lizards.

some questions for you, though. How long have these guys gone without eating? How many ants do you put in the cage at one time? how long do you leave them in there for, and do you leave the lizards unobserved? Are they both not eating? it might be a good idea to house them seperately so you know exactly who ate what, in the event that they do eat. Also, if you have access to a digital scale, it is very important to keep track of their weights, especially of animals that seem to be problem feeders.

Good luck.

sos84066 May 21, 2004 05:47 PM

also what type of light should i get them and where can i get it....i also read that if they start to turn darkier they are not getting hot enough....they have are a little.....when i got them they were almost white...and now they are kinda greyish i guess is what you would say one still has a white head tho....kinda weird maybe ??.....and if i can't get them to eat how long should will they be alright for...before i should try to put them back in the bookcliffs i wasnt the one that got them but prolly could take them back ????

Cable_Hogue May 24, 2004 09:45 PM

The kind of light you want can be found here. It's about $45 bucks plus shipping. You need a tank size of about 40 gallons minimum. The light should be on one end of the tank. This allows for a heat gradient so the HLs can het up or cool down as needed. There are lots of other concerns you'll need to read about. Watering, etc... If you can release them back to the wild you might be doing them and yourself a big favor. It is alot of work or cost to get them the ants they need for good short and long term health.
They are not a pet to take on lightly and require some special care.
Good luck to you man!
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