Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When I first got the horned lizard I ran out and got some small crickets for it to eat and ordered it some ants. It ate a few of the crickets but didn't seem to care for them much. When the ants came the lizard went right after them as soon as they started moving. It ended up eating only 10 of the harvester ants. The next day I went to feed the lizard again. It didn't seem to have in intrest in the ants. I pulled them out after a little while and decided to try the next day. About 4 days after the inital feeding the lizard seemed to have in intrest in eating again but it only ate 3 or 4 ants. Three days later the lizard still has no intrest in food. For the first few days the lizard would hiss and dart every time I put my hand in the cage. Now all it does is sleep. It moves every few hours but will fall asleep even when I'm holding it. I believe the lizard is a roundtail. Is this normal for horned lizards or is something wrong?

what size enclosure are you keeping it in?
also are you providing it with proper U.V.?
he may not have much interest in food do to stress from an enclosure to small or maybe from improper u.v.

Hey there,
To echo Osira's response, I'd be willing to bet your HL's lack of appetite is stress or temperature related. Depending on terrarium size, an HL can get freaked out if there isn't anywhere to hide, and likewise will "shut down" if temps aren't high enough for proper daily routine. Don't forget the power of UVB..... Anyway, let the temps get into the high 90's-low 100's on the hot side, and around 75 or 80 on the cool side. Maybe place his tank in a low traffic area of your home. That might help him from stressing due to your interactions. Until he gets better, I would advise AGAINST handling your HL, because it may stress him even more. Anyway, Hope this helped.

check out Phrynosoma.org for other husbandry questions.

good luck!
-Phil

You need to confirm what species you have as well. Did you catch it, and where? If it is a Roundtail, they often have a preference more so toward honeypot ants, and this may be why he was initially excited by ants, but quickly tired. You should also keep aware of a possible impaction, and ensure that he is still defecating since eating last, and that he is adequately hydrated. The initial stress caused by captivity and improper conditions can cause many potentially fatal problems to develop quickly. Observe from a distance, and handle only as you must.
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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 shouldn't do this..... sounds like worms the sleepy thing, and dash , I am gone..........scott.

I do believe the tank is a bit small It's about 24x12. I have some rocks in there for him to hide under. The temp is about 103 at the basking spot and 85 on the cooler side. and a burrow that is at 80.
The lizard is about 3 inches long nose to base. This lizard was bought at a small pet store. It has 4 dominate horns flat on the back of its head pointing strait back. The limbs seem to be very thin yet the body seems to be bloated and his eyes seem to be a little sunken. I do not believe impaction is in issue because I find small amounts of excrement around the tank. The sand I am using is a fine grain and the same type I have used for my other pets. Today I have found him sitting in a bowl of watter. I do mist him but I always leave a water bowl.

I'm also heating with a dayglow bulb for the uva. The room with the cage is a spare so it has very minimal traffic. Mostly me checking up on him.

the enclosure its in is raither small might want to double the size
they need uvb and uva quite a bit of it too

you may want to check out phrynosoma.org this site has lots of excellent information on honred lizards

4 "dominant horns"? This is probably something other than a Rountail, but pictures would help since the layperson giving a description of the horn arrangement usually doesn't suffice for an ID. You probably have a platyrhinos if it was bought at a pet store.

He is dehydrated though if his eyes are sunken. And that level of dehydration is dangerous. Keep up the hydration and give filtered, warm water to soak in, and lukewarm filtered water for misting. Stay away from mealworms or anything other than ants or very small crickets, at least until he is rehydrated. Impaction can result from dehydration.
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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

Sadly he has past away. Buy the time I was certain enough that it was dehydration and sure force feeding him would do more good than harm, it was too late.

It was identical to the one on the left.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Horned_lizards.jpg

My girlfriend's sister bought this lizard on an impulse buy not knowing anything about lizards she left it with me. Let this be a lesson to all. If you don't know about an animal don't bring it home.

>It was identical to the one on the left.
>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/Horned_lizards.jpg

Ok, it was a rountail ( P. modestum ) then. The one on the right is a DHL ( P. platyrhinos ).

>My girlfriend's sister bought this lizard on an impulse buy not >knowing anything about lizards she left it with me. Let this be >a lesson to all. If you don't know about an animal don't bring >it home.

Amen to that. I'm sorry to hear about it. This is sadly the disposition for 90 % of Horned Lizards captured and/or sold willy nilly to the general public. It's sad that these human impulses to keep something "cute" usually end up killing the animal.
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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