Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had trouble posting, so before I write my questions and lose them for the fourth time, I'm testing this out.

Lee

O.K. It's working! I acquired this big guy from a local person who "confiscated" it from a person who had captured it in the lava flows near here and was keeping it in a laundry bucket without substrate, food or light in his garage--for 7 days. I'm a frog person, so don't know a log about these guys. I put him in my only desert setup with the juvenile sagebrush lizard, planning to make him a separate environment, since I never mix frog species. However, these two get along so well, I've left them together. I'd appreciate some advice, comments, suggestions, whatever from anyone here.

This is what I'm doing now: They are under a double fluorescent hood with one Reptisun and one full spectrum light. The substrate is local sand with Bedabeast. There is a water dish filled with pebbles, renewed daily, although neither has ever used attempted to drink. The plantings are some spineless cacti and succulents. There are caves under the rocks and a sagebrush branch that reaches diagonally to within a few inches of the light source. The sagebrush lizard uses this a lot.

In the mornings I feed dusted crickets and "mini" superworms plus some dusted fruit flies. The sagebrush lizard takes all of these, and the horned lizard goes for the superworms, very rarely taking a cricket. In the afternoon, I feed about 12 to 14 mound ants. I don't know the exact speci of these, but they're in the Formica group, I believe, and there are occasional black "slave" ants in with them. The horned lizard eats all of these within an hour or two. The ants will go after the crickets and bother the sagebrush lizard somewhat, thus the separate feedings, when the sagebrush lizard can burrow away from them. When the ants scare up and capture an uneaten cricket, the sagebrush lizard has fought with the ant over this prize until the horned fellow waddles down to eat the ant and settle the matter.

While the sage lizard goes into his under-rock cave at night, the horned lizard doesn't even attempt to burrow, but stays in the open. Other than the water dish and some selective misting to water the succulents, the habitat is dry.

I plan to release this horned lizard when we find out the exact area he came from. In the meantime, we're certainly enjoying him. I examined him under a lens for mites and ticks and found none. They both seem lively and healthy. The horned lizard appears to be getting rather portly, and I'm wondering if there could be a possible problem with over-feeding and obesity as happens with some frogs. Perhaps this is only apparent because he was so skinny and pathetic when he was brought to me.

Lee Bandura

I apologize for multiple posts, but forgot to say the location is SE Idaho, about 6,000 feet.

Lee

I have just a couple of comments. First, if you want the lizard to drink, its probably a good idea to spray him with a mister. often, my lizards will lick the pools off the rocks or glass of the aquarium, or even just let it drain off their heads right into their mouths. Also, be sure there is an area of sand that is big enough and deep enough that the lizard can bury himself in it for the night.

Also, if the lizard is getting very 'portly', it is not impossible that 'he' could in fact be pregnant. from what I understand, mating season for the short horned lizards is april-may, so the timing is right. Do you know how to sex these guys? Cable Hogue posted some very good pictures showing the difference between males and females not too long ago.

Hi Bandura,
You might want to consult Fish and Game before releasing as it is probably prohibited. This is because you might inadvertantly release pathogens into the wild. The local desert tortoise populations here have suffered from a disease that was passed on from a captive tortoise being relased. (At least that is the theory).

If you can manage to feed and house him you might consider keeping him (after consulting the regulations of course).
Good luck either way.
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