Reptile & Amphibian Forums

One of my 8 year old students brought it in for show and tell on Friday. He told me the lizard hadn't eaten in 2 weeks.

I'm not sure what type of horned lizard it is. I brought it home with me and placed him in some warm water and tried to feed him some crickets. (This is what the student had been feeding him.)

All he does is is dig under the ground. The temperature is about 95 degrees in his basking area and about 76 degrees at the other side of the tank.

Does anyone know whats wrong? I can take him to my herp vet but he is on vacation until next week.

Any way to get him to eat? I would hate for him to go another week without eating. It looks like he is still a baby.

If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it.

Do you have any photos? It is hibernation time and this may be the issue. If so, this is a good thing. But if he is really emaciated it my be that he is on his way out. In this case providing proper lighting and getting some ants for him to feed on would be your best hope.
It takes some experience to know if his weight is where it should be for hibernation, so the photo is the best way to get a quick read on his condition.
There is a lot more to know regarding his general care. You can find much of this info as well as some photos that may help ID him at www.phrynosoma.org

I'm glad you took the time to research this and post.
Thanks
Mark
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www.phrynosoma.com

Yes, an immediate photo. The question of whether it is safe to hibernate or not is the first thing to address right now. If it is, then it will need to be cooled down and no lights. If it is not then it will have to be warmed and have UVB lighting and given harvester ants. Thus the reason it is important to show a photo right away to see if it has enough fat reserves. Make sure you keep it hydrated though, because two weeks with a youngster and it's likely dehydrated. Best way to do that is to soak it for a while, then mist it occasionally with a clean spray bottle ( using room temp or lukewarm bottled/filtered water-no tap water. )
Also see hibernation related posts in the other threads.

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"A man that should call everything by it's right name, would hardly pass the streets without being knocked down as a common enemy." The Complete Works of George Savile, First Marquess of Halifax 1912,246

if you are trying to use crickets for now, I would suggest only pinhead, or very small. Larger crickets can cause digestive blockage problems, especially in a young horned lizard.
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"A man that should call everything by it's right name, would hardly pass the streets without being knocked down as a common enemy." The Complete Works of George Savile, First Marquess of Halifax 1912,246

I took some Pics. they are a bit blurry but I think you can get the idea.

another.