Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Everyone!

I was contacted by the reptile pet store at the end of June with news that they had received 3 Horned Lizards from someone who had captured them in Baja and brought them back to California. The person who captured them realized that the animals were doing very poorly under their care and surrendered the animals when they were informed about their specific diet and protective status. I was contacted by the store, as I have had great success in maintaining good health with my "family" of Modestums. Unfortunately, I was not in California at the time and when I returned a week later 2 of the animals had already perished. Before one of the Horned Lizards died she layed one egg and revealed that she was gravid. A reptile handler at the store was able to remove the rest of her clutch after she expired. I identified the mother Horned Lizard as a Coronatum and received the eggs upon my return to California. I placed the clutch of 9 eggs in an incubator but, over the past 6 weeks, 3 of the eggs grew moldy. The day before yesterday, the remaining 6 eggs began to hatch. 3 babies were born on August 23rd and 1 baby was born on August 24th. The other 2 look like they will be hatching today or tomorrow.

I have never had "just born" hatchlings before. I don't know when to expect them to start eating. What sort of diet should I start them on to get them ready for their Harvest Ants? Their first instinct is to borrow down in the sand. How long is normal for them to stay under? I'm keeping their sand pretty shallow right now - just about an inch - is that ok?

Any advice would be appreciated. I just want to give these babies a good head start until I can get the chance to return them to Baja. Here is a picture of the first 3 that hatched:

These are protected and I'm sure Less will be contacting you. That said, they should eat Pogonomyrmex californicus a couple of days after hatching. Fruit flies are also good.
A couple of inches of sand is good and should be moistened in some areas.
Make sure they have some water available. Put in a lettuce leaf and put water droplets on it or spray the glass so they can drink the drops.
Let us know how it goes.
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Phrynosoma.Com

I realize that these animals are protected and my intentions were to return them to Baja (although I haven't any idea where in Baja their mother was collected). I thought the best I could do for them was to get them strong enough to be able to scurry away from predators and then release them near a Harvest Ant nest somewhere in a Baja desert. Though your advice was helpful, your message seemed ominous in tone in that I should expect to hear from someone named Less, and that I was acting illegally in trying to keep these eggs alive. I don't want any trouble from the California Fish and Game Department. There is a canyon about 2 miles from my house and I am leaving now to release the hatchlings and bury the remaining two eggs.

Sorry, that wasn't my intent at all. Lester works with these HL's and usually contacts folks who chance upon them as you have. He can assist in returning them to the wild if that proves to be the right course of action or can take them himself as part of his study group. (I don't mean to speak for you Lester so plese chime in if I'm way off base). They could potentially pose a risk to wild populations if released so this may not be the right thing to do.
I applaud your efforts to save them from an otherwise sure death.
If you have not released them yet perhaps there is something that can be done.
Feel free to email me if you care to.
Thanks
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Phrynosoma.Com

Don't release in a canyon!! I heard that's where they're MOST LIKELY to be taken as prey since birds are constantly flying over there. I hope you didn't actually do it. They need to be somewhere where they can stay alive. Your email didn't sound like you intended to keep them long term. It sounded like you were trying to do the right thing. Oh, man . . .I hope you didn't do it.