Scott-While I currently have a pair of Solare a female over 5 years old and a male who was under the weather but a little TLC and some panacur treatments seemed to have turned him around, there is one thing that I would like to comment on not to take away from your experience, excellent write up in a way that the average person can take in and understand, but a number of years ago and I might be wrong about the author but I believe it was Richard Montinucci, don't quote me, but I believe there was a very interesting article on prey size with horned lizards. I believe large prey in horned lizards not to be at all a good idea, certainly I have put in a larger cricket meant for another HL and a smaller one took it on (as you say to my surprise) But it is better to feed them 3 small nutritious crickets than one large whatever. I am not telling anyone what size to feed their animals but my own rule of thumb has been about the size of a 3/8 inch cricket (often 1/4 inch) for an adult Solare. Hls seem to be able to lap these up instead of needing to attack them to eat them. This is the same eating stroke with the tongue that they use in eating ants so I am assuming this is better and more natural. I do deviate from this with moths as they do crunch down easily but again I don't feed them overly big moths for their mouth size and actually I usually will capture many at one time so I am not limited to what ever is in the bug napper. Living in a rural setting the bugs are pretty plentiful here in Texas... In nature if you observe these lizards, you very seldom ever see them go after large prey, part of that might be that they are not as fast as other lizards, albeit the pacific Horned lizards are known to eat bees and if they can capture those that must be fast enough, but that having been said I would feed your lizards smaller prey, and of course ants is the best. Also you mentioned the car vacuum. I use a vacuum that I purchased at WAL-MART here in Texas and its called a Scorpion and it is a battery rechargeable, I can suck up 500 ants in no time with it, I have several ants nests at least 6 or so that I rotate between so I don't impact any one nest and this seems to work well. The other thing I would like to mention is that with respect to Solare, I have noticed an ant diet the females will get large and put on the weight as you mentioned, But I have also mentioned whether good or bad, is that feeding other insects such as crickets, wax worms, etc. The females seem to become obese. I have seen this in my own female and I cut her way back on any other insects but just as more of a treat from time to time. Being optimistic animals they will take what ever they can get, but lets face it in nature they are pretty much stuck to doing ants for the most part but not for the whole year. I have seen them eat nymph grasshoppers and the other thing they seem to relish a lot is a moth. I use a "bugnapper" from Zoomed which is a fluorescent light that draws in insects into a bottom container, you unscrew it and wallah you have a boat load of insects, including preying mantis and big moths. I feed all my lizards some moths from time to time and my collards love preying mantis, but I also feed them other flying beetles and the like, just be sure you can identify a fire fly as these are deadly poisonous indeed. Well so much for this, I thought I would throw this in, for the sake of conversation...as we spend time observing and sharing information we can all learn and apply to better husbandry protocols. I have seen your lizards and they indeed look great, good luck!!!
LAst of all wild bugs do open your lizards up for possible nematodes etc. however I have been pretty good with this and a healthy animals seems to do well even with wild bugs.
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