How do lizards lose their tails?

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Most lizards (such as the Brown Anole, Indo-pacific Gecko, etc.), have a natural weak point in the central region of their tail vertebrae which can easily break apart. Apart from that, the muscles of the tail can also tear apart easily. So, when the tail is pulled with sufficient amount of force, it is severed without much difficulty. It has also been said that even though it seems the tail comes off because of pulling, it is the lizards themselves who control the severing.

What about excessive bleeding?

When the appendage gets severed, the muscles around the severed point, contract. This in turn, constricts the blood vessels around that point. Hence excessive bleeding is prevented.

But this is only part of the story. The fascinating thing is that many lizards have the ability to re-grow or regenerate their removed appendage.

Amazing, huh?

However, it takes time for the tail to grow back. It can vary from a few months to a couple of years. Also, the new appendage generally does not possess the colours and patterns of the original one and often appears dark grey in colour.

There are a few lizards, especially the larger ones such as iguanas and komodo dragons, whose tails do not break easily since their tail bone and muscles are not designed to sever.However, their tails can be separated with a larger amount of force than what is required for most other types of lizards. Another interesting thing is that their tails do not grow back.

Why do lizards lose their tails?

The primary reason appears to be predators. Often, a predator tries to capture a lizard from behind by grabbing on to or biting its tail. The tail gets severed providing the lizard a chance to escape.

Besides, a lizard can cast off its tail when it feels threatened or cornered. The cast away appendage continues to wriggle, thus drawing the attention of the predator such as a bird or a cat while the lizard makes its escape.

Lizard tails have been known to perform a variety of motions even after being severed. To read more, click here.

In some places, venomous creatures such as vipers, hunt lizards. When a viper injects venom into a lizard’s tail, it becomes important for the lizard to shed its appendage before the venom reaches its vital organs.

A report published in 2009, describes the factors affecting the ability of a lizard to shed its tail.

Studies consisted of laboratory experiments and field measurements carried out in mainland Greece and several offshore Aegean Sea islands inhabited by different combinations of predators.

 It was found that in the islands containing vipers, the lizards could shed their tails quite easily. However, in the island with no vipers, the lizards had largely lost their ability to shed their tails. To read more about it, click here.

Citation: University of Michigan. “A Venomous Tale: How Lizards Can Shed Their Tail When Predators Attack.” ScienceDaily 27 March 2009. 24 July 2010 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/03/090325170604.htm>.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Does losing a tail affect the lizard?

Well…yes, it does.

Although, the resulting wound gets cured, losing a tail can cause three main problems

1. reduced mobility
2. loss of energy (the lizard’s tail stores a lot of energy in the form of fat)
3. reduced social status and reduced ability to maintain territory

Interest to humans

The lizard’s ability to regenerate its tail and the ability of the severed tail to perform movements on its own may have interesting connotations for humans

Understanding how lizards regenerate a lost body part may help in treatment of people who have lost limbs

The ability of the severed tail to perform complex motions seems to indicate the presence of a control center at the far end of its tail thus providing a possibility of a model to study the human spinal chord and spinal chord injuries.

To know more about this, click here.

The following sources have been consulted for writing this article

 http://www.auburn.edu/communications_marketing/askaubie/011905.html

http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/wildlife/lizards.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325170604.htm

http://www.livescience.com/animals/090909-lizard-tails.html

To read some of my other articles, follow the links below

A Site Which Provides Creative Writing Prompts: Creativewritingprompts.com

Reading Story Books Can be Fun

12 Reasons for Reading Newspapers

Comments and Online Articles

Dogs are wonderful and loyal, but also large responsibilities. Cats are curious and independent, but finicky and often in need of attention at every moment they tell you they want it. Birds are beautiful, but rather smelly and very messy, not to mention their beautiful songs are usually sung when you’re trying to sleep. Fish are funny and often great counselors when you need them to be, but are very sensitive and can die at the drop of a dime. Frogs are fascinating, but they have a tendency to hop away and ne’er return. Ferrets are fun, but they have a hard time giving up the spotlight for other pets. Rabbits are very soft and some of the best cuddlers I have ever known, but they take a lot of very special and specific care. Mice are nice and small if you’re not looking to give much room, but they are escape artists and the moment one is loose you have a BIG problem.

Out of all the many kinds of animal companions I have had the pleasure of caring for, I think that snakes are definitely the easiest. Even vegetables are harder to care for then a seductive snake.

Here are the basics you need to know when considering what type of things you will need to provide a compatible habitat and lifestyle for your new snake friend:

1) TERRARIUM

Most snakes make their indoor homes in terrariums. More commonly known as large fish tanks. The size of the tank you will need entirely depends on the size of your snake. You’ll want to consider how large your snake will be when it is full grown and how long it will take for it to reach “full grown”. Corn snakes are my favorite as they can get up to 7 feet long, but maintain a small and slender body, meaning that they don’t need extra huge tanks to live in. I have two and they are very happy in a 55 gallon fish tank.

Inside the terrarium, they need to have objects to climb on and rub upon. In most cases you can purchase some clean drift wood, or you can even provide them with wood from outside so long as you clean it well. In most tanks you will see two or three large climbing branches, as well as some mounted climbing toys on the walls, such as pieces of rock or bark.

They will also require some bedding. Most snakes prefer as much variety in their substrate as you can give them. The tank I have has some lava rocks in most of it that were cheap from the pet store, a small area of soft wood shavings and some sand in a corner of the tank. They will often rub against the rocks to help with shedding, sleep in the shavings and play or bury themselves in the sand.

It’s also wise to provide some live plants and other shrubbery for your snakes. This provides them with good energy and fresh air, as well as a little piece of nature.

2) FOOD AND WATER

This is probably the hardest part about snakes. They need fresh clean water EVERY DAY. With other pets, you can often get away with giving them water when they run out of it or get it dirty for the occasional bath. Snakes are not only more particular, but they also LOVE to play and bath in their water every day. They are very sanitary creatures once you get to know them.

For their food, you’ll want to consider whether you’ll feed them live food or frozen. Live food is easy to get and provides the snake with a natural means of getting it’s food. Not to mention, you don’t have to kill the food for them. Many people do find themselves in preference of ending the foods life before feeding them to the snake, but I can assure you that the snake is likely to be much more humane about it. Frozen food is often cheaper and easier to keep because you don’t have to feed and care for it, though there is just something “not right” about it. I have known many snakes that refused to eat for up to 6 months until their human companions brought them something still hot and moving.

The last part of food to consider, is the size of the food. Baby snakes eat “pinkies”, which are baby mice that have yet to grow fur, or whom have just grown in their fur but are still very little. Then their are full grown mice all the way up to the varying sizes of rat. The larger your snake will get, the larger their food will need to be.

3) PLAY

What’s that? You didn’t picture that a snake would play? They certainly do!

Snakes are a curious creature. Their play is full of wonder, innocence, curiosity and mischief. They are even more curious then ferrets, who have been long known for “getting into things”. Snakes enjoy a combination of new things to climb on and explore, different places to discover and smell, time with other snakes, crawling all over you and my personal favorite, Hide and Seek.

You can provide your snake with plenty of play time through giving them paper towel roles (both from TP and large paper towels), rolled up newspaper, puzzle boxes, bigger water dishes, time outside climbing on trees and burrowing in dirt and plenty of time in your arms.

4) WARMTH

Snakes cannot self regulate their body temperature the way mammals can, which means you need to provide them with warm areas and cold areas in the tank. This is easily done by placing a hot lamp on one end of the tank and leaving no lighting at the other end of the tank. Snakes are interesting in that although they cannot self regulate without the sources their, they do know when they are hot or cold, so make sure not to box them in with too much or too little of options.

Some people prefer to provide heating blankets underneath one side of the tank instead of a lamp. This is a good option and can often cost you less in electricity.

5) SECURITY

There are two types of security you need to worry about when sharing your home with a snake. Your security and theirs.

By your security, I am talking about the security of knowing that when you wake up, your snake friend will still be in it’s terrarium. I am perfectly fine with waking up next to one of my snakes trying to keep warm after they have escaped, though my hubby and children are a bit opposed to this. Everyone has their own feelings on that matter, though it’s not the only concern. If a snake can get out of their enclosure, you can be assured that they can also get out of your home. Once this happens, there is a large possibility of them getting hurt or of other animals in the neighborhood getting hurt. Especially if your snake is one of the larger breeds, such as a boa or python.

Keeping your snake securely in their terrarium when you’re not around can easily be done by making sure that you have a secure top with locks that keep the lid down. You’re snakes are expert escape artists from birth and have the perfect body for squeezing through the tiniest places. Don’t underestimate this if you’d like them to stay in their tank.

When I speak of “their security”, I am talking about providing your snake with some security in their new home. Snakes are wild creatures and always will be, no matter how tame they seem and no matter how long you have had and socialized them. They won’t mind living with you so long as you provide for all their needs, especially what is called a “Safe box”.

A safe box can easily be a rodent igloo from the store, that has the opening turned away from where people can see inside. My corn snakes were very happy with a large shoe box filled with sand and moss for a few years. A safe box can be a deep log that is dark and protected from prying eyes or even just a few pieces of wood put together to make a hidey place. Whatever you decide to make it out of, just make sure you do it, your snakes will thank you.

6) BREED

Choosing the species or breed of snake you would like to take in, really varies on where and how you live. Smaller snakes tend to cost less in food, while they usually eat more often then their larger cousins. Larger breed snakes are often harder to loose track of because they are so large, yet the larger your snake can become, the more room they will need to live and play.

Corn, King and Milk snakes tend to be the easiest snakes to care for when you’re new. They don’t ever get to large and often don’t require too much attention. Boa’s and Pythons tend to be among the more common large breeds of snakes, though there are plenty of exotic large breed constrictors that manage to find themselves on the market as well.

The only general rule followed by most snake care takers, is to avoid poisonous snakes, rattle snakes, snakes on any extinction lists or any snakes that can get any larger than 10 feet. This will ensure that you don’t have to many problems later on, especially if this is your first time choosing a snake.

7) OTHER PETS

Snakes are an interesting creature in that they are usually not opposed to other pets. Especially if those pets are very large compared to the snake. If it’s really big, the snake will know it can’t be eaten. The rest just depends on the other pets. Cats are often to suspicious and aggressive, while dogs are usually to excitable and jumpy. Snakes prefer calm and quiet in their friends, otherwise they feel threatened.

For the most part, snakes are generally best kept from other pets, to avoid any accidental issues. Though this doesn’t mean they can’t be compatible with other pets if they are separated by remaining in their tanks until the other animals are away. The hardest thing I’ve had to deal with between my snakes and other pets, has been keeping the cats away from the mice.

ATTENTION

Some snakes are very cuddly and prefer to be in your arms whenever you can spare the time. Other snakes prefer to be left alone for the most part and will let you know when they would like to be social. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll want to devote at least a few hours every 3 or 4 days, to holding and socializing your snakes.

Not only does this give them a sense of bonding with you as their human care taker, but it also prevents them from taking on an overly feral nature. If they are left to themselves too often, they might become afraid of you or visitors and become aggressive. Handling them moderately often prevents this.

After you’ve taken some time to look up the costs of getting your snakes new habitat set up and thought about how many little escape hatches a snake could find in your home, take some time to consider how long you will care for your snake. Many of them can live up to 30 years, even the little ones. Try to think ahead for the long term. You’re snake will likely be happier if they have a companion other than you (though some snakes do prefer solitary life, so do your research). They’ll be happiest if they are allowed some outside time to play, though they will settle with being allowed to crawl around your home.

Think about it all, then go ahead and give a snake a home. They are not slimy or scaly like one might imagine, nor are they generally aggressive. Snakes are to be respected and they each have unique characteristics and personalities just like people do.

Before Breeding Corn Snakes

Prebreeding condition of corn snakes is that they should be perfectly healthy prior to breeding. Any health problem can cause complications with the female. A sickly snake will easily and quickly deteriorate during hibernation. This makes it even more important to make sure that the snake is healthy prior to breeding.

During summer and fall, feed larger prey or increase the daily food intake of the snake so that it can increase some weight. This is important before you start brumation. This extra weight is important because the snake is going to lose some weight during brumation.

Once the snake has put on some extra weight, it is ready for brumation. Make sure the digestive tract of the snake is empty.

Now is the time to set the snakes at a pre-cooling state. Keep the snakes in a tank with temperatures of about 65-70 Degree F for about 7 days.

Next, set them at temperatures at about 55-60 Degree F for about a 30 Days. After 30 days, again set the temperature to around 50 Degree F for another 30 to 60 days. Therefore, the full brumation period ends up to 2 to 3 months.

Decreasing the temperature slowly is important to prevent any shock to the body of the snake. Sudden decrease in body temperature can cause complications.

After Brumation

After the snakes have been at 50 Degree F for at 30 to 60 days, you need to reverse the process. Set the snakes at 65-70 Degree F for about 5-7 days. Now put them back in their regular enclosures at normal temperature.

Keep them at normal temperature for about 2-3 days. Feed them small meals for about 5 – 7 days and then start their normal meal.

Now you can put the male and female snake together. Continue feeding them regularly. Make sure you separate them for feeding.

Copulation

Most copulation occurs at night, but sometimes the snakes will start to copulate after being fed and after shedding.

You can either separate the male and female after they have copulated a few times, or you can wait until you notice swelling in the abdomen of the female. Once you notice the swelling, feed the female often to extra nutrition and to help reduce substantial weight loss.

Egg Laying

After about 20 to 30 days of copulation, the female should lay the eggs. The female snake will shed at least 7 to 14 days before laying eggs. After this point, she will not eat until she lays the eggs.

At this point of time, you need to prepare a lay box for the snake. Use a large bucket or plastic storage box so that the snake can coil easily. It should also have an access hole in the side.

To prevent the eggs from dehydrating, fill the container (half) with some moist medium. You can use peat moss, sphagnum moss, or vermiculite.

The laying period is very stressful for the snake. Do not disturb her during this time. Once she had laid eggs, leave her for about 2 -3 hours to rest and then remove her from the box to gather the eggs. You can also offer a small meal to the snake.

Incubation

Proper incubation is necessary to keep the eggs at the right temperature and humidity. Use a hovabator incubator or a homemade incubator. Set the temperature to about 76-86 Degree F. The higher the temperature, the sooner the eggs will hatch. The eggs should hatch after about 50-55 days.

Leopard geckos are one of the easiest lizards to care for. Leopard Geckos are a semi small variety of lizards that do not bite and will tame very easy if handled regularly. Left on their own, and male and female will breed without any outside influence as long as they are provided for in a health way. A unique characteristic to leopard gecko is that their feet do not allow them to climb glass like almost every other species of geckos.

Housing:

A full grown adult Leopard Gecko does not need a lot of room. You can keep a single adult in a ten gallon aquarium. You can keep several adults in a 20 gallon aquarium but you need to avoid having 2 males in the same aquarium. They will fight over the females. A hide box with Sphagnum and Vermiculite mixture is good for holding in moisture. For bedding you must not use anything that might accidentally be eaten. Leopard Geckos can become impacted very easy and is fatal. I used reptile carpet for my Leopard Geckos and it worked well. Leopard Geckos will pick a spot to use the restroom and generally use the same area every time. With reptile carpet you can remove the carpet, clean it and replace it very easy.

Feeding:

Leopard Geckos feed exclusively on insects. Cricket and Meal Worms are the most commonly used food in the pet industry. Be sure to dust the insects with calcium powder. Your Leopard Gecko can become sick without having a calcium supplement added. A shallow water dish is needed to provide a drinking area for your geckos. Do not use a deep dish or your lizards may have problems finding the water. They could also drown.

Extra Care:

You need to mist the aquarium every other day to add proper moisture into the air. This helps the lizard in many ways, but the most noticeable way is during shedding. The old skin around the eyes and toes will not detach unless there is moisture in the air. If the skin does not get removed, the geckos can lose a toe or get an eye infection.

Breeding:

If you have a male and female leopard gecko, chances are they will lay eggs. A hide box with moist bedding is needed. The female will dig and bury her eggs underneath the bedding every couple of weeks. 1-2 eggs will be laid in each clutch. My female laid eggs starting in March and would lay about 5 clutches over a 3-4 month period. The eggs need to remain moist and a temperature around 78-85. It takes about 2 months to for the eggs to hatch.

Here is some basic care on crested geckos:

Crested Gecko Care

By VTAlsup     

Before you purchase or collect your Harvester Ants decide how you want to house them and prepare their living arrangements. One adult Horned Lizard will eat up to 60 per day.

Habitat and Feeding (Option 1)  

They can be kept in an aquarium. They do not have “sticky feet” so they cannot climb out of a glass or slick plastic (deep) container. If the aquarium is soiled or the plastic container is just a bit rough they will climb out – so a lid is highly recommended.

Put a bit of sand in the bottom – an inch is plenty. Mist the ants and sand each day to keep them hydrated and feed them bits of grass, vegetables, and small seeds. If you have birdseed a sprinkle of it works too. Remove any uneaten veggies daily. Remember that in the wild they have an abundance of fresh food. Forcing them to eat rotting vegetation will kill them.

Your Horned Lizards will only be as healthy as what you put in their stomachs.

This routine will keep your ants alive for 2-3 weeks. However, older ants are not as nutritious as younger ones. I recommend you plan to replenish your ant supply at least every 10 – 14 days.

Option 2 (My Personal Fave)   

A much more convenient solution to keeping ants is to put them into hibernation. A temperature of 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit will keep them sleeping for up to 3 months. Monitor the temperature; 40 degrees Fahrenheit and below will kill them.

I like to let them wake up long enough to eat and drink once a month, I just get nervous about their nutrition level and therefore their nutritional value for my lizards. 

In this hibernated state you can shake a few into your Horned Lizard habitat and as they wake up and begin to move around the lizards will gobble them up.

This way you don’t get bit and neither do the lizards.

If you put too many ants in they can kill the lizards. In the wild the lizards bury up in the sand and pick the ants off as they come wandering by, and if they are overrun with ants the lizards make a hasty retreat. They don’t have that option in most habitats.

Baby Horned Lizards and Hatchlings

Baby’s that are too small for Harvester Ants may be fed whatever insect is small enough for them to consume. Give them flightless fruit flies, tiny crickets, and meal worms if you can find them small enough.

No food offered should be larger than the space between their eyes. If they are hungry and try to swallow something too large it can (and has) damaged nerves and caused paralysis.

When they are big enough, try the ants, just one at a time. Baby’s may not have developed skin thick enough to ward off the hemolytic venom of Harvester Ants yet, so proceed with care.

NEVER Leave Insects in the Lizards Habitat

Always watch as your reptiles eat. Both ants and crickets can do devastating harm to your lizard’s eyes. If the insects are thirsty they go for the animals eyes first thing. More than one reptile owner has found there pet with its eyes eaten away.

This is another reason to keep the insects hydrated, and remove any “leftovers” once your lizards have stopped eating.

Collecting        

Do your own collecting if you are lucky enough to have this ant species close by. Do use caution, they bite and sting – and hurt – a lot! Their venom causes hemolysis – the bursting of nearby red blood cells. This makes for a nasty, red, swollen sting area.

Find a mound of the correct ant species – it has to be the Harvester Ant! Dig a shallow hole within 2 feet of the mound. Place a large mason jar, or glass coke bottle in the hole. A small piece of apple in the jar works great as bait. They can’t climb up glass so make sure you provide a way for them to get over the top. Some paper tape up the outside or anything they can walk up works fine.

Once they go into the jar to get to the bait, they can’t climb back out, and you have your ants.

How to Know You Have the Right Ant

Harvester Ants range in color from an orangey red to a darker reddish brown and some are bi-colored. They are also pretty big for ants, about 0.5 inches in length.

The giveaway is their clearing and harvesting habit. They cut away all grass and vegetation in a circle around their mound. The bigger the colony, the larger and wider diameter the bare spot is in the yard or field where they are living. If they weren’t so mean they would make great lawn mowers.

Not All Horned Lizards Eat Harvester Ants

Research your Horned Lizard Species.

All the lower elevation, desert area and hot weather species MUST have Harvester Ants. A few of the Horny Toads from cooler, mountainous climates do not.

For the ones that do there is no substitution for these ants. Without these ants the lizards’ life expectancy is cut in half, and reproduction of fertile eggs with healthy embryos is virtually nil.

All reptile diets need some variation. The horned lizards, depending on species, need about 50-70 percent of their diet to be Harvester ants. Mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc. should also be offered.

You Can Order Live Harvester Ants Online at:

http://antsalive.com

http://www.wichitafallsreptilerescue.webs.com

http://lllreptile.com

http://live-ants.com

Do a google or yahoo search for “harvester ants horned lizard food” to come up with more suppliers. If you just search for harvester ants you wind up with pesticide links and general info on the ants.

Horny Toads are a lot of trouble – not a pet to take on lightly. Please do a lot of reading before taking on this animal to care for. I absolutely love them and think they are well worth it.

And PLEASE – never just let them loose in the wild especially if that species does not already exist there naturally. They will die and we have too few of them now. There are several rescue groups and I would be glad to take them myself.

I can be contacted through Twitter, Facebook and Myspace for any animal related issues – or most anything else.

Different types of reptiles can fit in different types of setups. Small to medium sized lizards (anoles and bearded dragons) can fit in aquariums set up with heat, UV, water, etc. Keep in mind bigger is always better. For bearded dragons, a minimum of 4 ft x 2ft x 2ft is recommended for ONE dragon. Most species of snakes can also fit nicely into aquariums, except for Giants, which reach 8+ feet in length. Then a special enclosure will be needed. You can either make this on your own or look on-line. Green Tree Pythons are comfortable with height in their enclosure rather than length.

Most snakes can also fit into a nice rack/tub unit. These units are made from plastic or wood and have plastic tubs, such as Rubbermaid or Sterlite, that slide into the shelf. There is usually a gap of 1/8 inch or so. There are specialties racks made for hatchling snakes too, but only last a few months or so. If you look on-line and type in Snake Rack, you should be able to find websites that build them. They also come with heating options for an additional charge. Certain colubrid species like Corn Snakes do well in either an aquarium set up or rack/tub unit.

Large lizards and some giant snakes will do well in a single room type enclosure. This requires you to be a bit of a handy man and have the accurate lighting, heat, water source, basking shelve, etc. in the room. It also requires you to secure all vents, holes, and windows to prevent escapes.

Want to be creative with your reptile’s habitat? Consider housing your iguana or tortoise outdoors if you live in a warm climate or build a small pond for your turtle.

                             How to find them:

Finding the American Toad (Bufo americanus) is really not that hard they are commonly found in North America and Canada the best time to go looking is night as its cooler for them and its when they hunt for bugs.during the day they can be found under rotting leaves and logs half buried in the dirt to keep cool so remember to look carefully.They really can be found anywhere there is moist dirt and lots of bugs (so you may even have some in your own backyard!) Unlike Frogs Toads are not very good swimmers so you usually won’t find them by alot of water unless it is in the spring for mating.Also American Toads only have 1 or 2 large warts on them anymore then that and it could be a Fowler toad wtich is commonly mistaken for an American toad (please wait for my raising Fowler Toads)

                             How to catch them:

When you find 1 cup your hands over it and scoop it up.Its really not that hard as Toads are not like there cousins Frogs Toads can not jump that well they usually hop or walk.

Okay so now you caught a Toad and wonder how to setup there tank. How to care for them:

Now if it is a small Toad about the size of a thumbnail a 3 gallon sized tank would do perfectly.But if you have a huge 3 inch toad I would recommend a 20 gallon tank.Now you must fill it with moist dirt that you find in your backyard (make sure there is no fertilizers or pestasides) or you can go to your local pet shop and buy some coconut fiber witch I heard is really good but I just use dirt and never had a problem.Make sure whatever you have in there is moist not muddy get a spray bottle (one that never had any chemicals in it) and mist it every few days to keep it moist (even mist your Toad they like it). Now get a small container and bury it so it is at the same height as the dirt and fill it up with dechlorinated water by using a filter or letting the water sit in the sun for 24 hours as chlorine will kill the toad.Put a few hiding places in there like logs dead leaves a bottle with a door cut in it so they can get in and out.

I will be checking this page twice a day for comments if anyone needs more info or help please post and I will help.

(Keep an eye out for raising Tadpoles) and (raising Frogs)

Thanks!

This species does not squirt “blood” from their eyes as some of the other Horned Lizards do.

Habitat

Desert Horny Toads are found in the deserts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. This puts their required daytime temps at 101, up to a max of 105. Basking temp can be up to 110. This should graduate down to 80 F at the other end of the tank so that they can self regulate their body temp.

Night temps should drop to 70-75 degrees F, using a heating method that allows them 8-12 hours of darkness, depending on the time of year you are imitating. If you let the temp get much below 70, your animals will begin to hibernate. Put a simple thermometer at each end of the tank. If the lizards get too cool they won’t eat. If they get too cool after they eat, they cannot digest their food.

Unless your habitat is outside in the sun, Desert Horny Toads must be provided desert quality UVB lighting. This does not mean full spectrum lighting from your local Wal-Mart lighting department. The bulbs lizards require are found at pet supply shops or online. There are several brands, and the cost varies significantly. Do research on the various UVB qualities. It will mean life or death for your lizards. The first sign of UV deficiency in a Horny Toad is that they will stop eating and become lethargic.

The substrate should be sand, (for adults), 5 inches deep to allow for burrowing. There are new calcium sands on the market which provide added calcium if swallowed, as opposed to normal sand which can cause an obstruction when swallowed. The new sands also come in colors that add interest to the habitat. Babys – especially hatchlings – should only have paper towels or news print. They are more likely to ingest sand than older lizards.

They will need hiding places (hides) large enough to get completely inside. There should be one for each lizard. If you have 2 that don’t get along, this can save a life. Sometimes they just want a quiet, dark place to nap. You may see more than one in a hide, but they should have the option of being separate.

Clay planting pots work great for this and are much cheaper than those made for lizards. I break one side out (laterally) and bury the edges in the sand. You can hot glue dried moss, seashells or just sand on the sides for the look of aged pottery. The 6 inch pots are just the right size.
Adding plants can add to the appeal of your habitat. But be careful, the lizards will take bites out of them from time to time.

Any plants added need to be:

Non-Toxic
Not Artificial (can cause impaction)
Have no fertilizer or pesticides present
If the plants are potted – no water absorbing foam pellets

Diet

The main diet of this species is big red Harvester ants. If you don’t have them nearby, you can order them online. These ants provide formic acid, an absolutely necessary element of the Horny Toads diet. Their longevity is directly related to the amount of Harvester ants they get in their diet.

They will eat crickets, mealworms, and most anything else that moves that they can get in their mouth, but without a 60% Harvester Ant diet, they will not live long, may become impacted, and fail to produce viable offspring.

Start babies out on tiny crickets. As they get a little older, tyr a couple of ants at a time to see how they do. They need to be big enough to eat the ants so the ants don’t eat them.

Buying and Keeping Harvester ants

A couple of good places to get Harvester ants: www.live-ants.com, antsalive.com/hornedlizard.htm, wichitafallsreptilerescue.webs.com, and LLLReptile.com. Prices vary considerably, so do your homework. I prefer LLL Reptile, (and I’m not getting paid for saying that), because the price includes shipping and they are FAST.

I have bought them cheaper – but wound up waiting days for delivery, or with many dead, or with spiders mixed in the box of ants. I am no kind of spider buff – as a matter of fact I hate them. I’m sorry – we can’t all love everything.

The best way to keep your harvester ants is in the refrigerator. The ants curl up and go into hibernation at 45-50F. This makes feeding much easier. Just shake in the needed quantity. As they begin to wiggle after warming up, the lizards enjoy lunch, and you have escaped the possibility of enduring some very painful ant bites.

Do not add more than the lizards can consume in about 20 minutes. Too many ants can overcome the little Horny Toads and kill them. In the wild, the Horned Lizards bury up in the sand and lap them up as they come out of the ant hill and wander by. If they are spotted and attacked, they run for safety.

Water

Desert Horny Toads will not drink standing water. They will die of thirst waiting for rain or dew with a dish of water setting in their habitat.

You can buy a misting system, but I have always used a plant mister or sprayer. They will lick the droplets as they run down their heads and faces to their mouths. You should mist as long as they show an interest in drinking. When they are finished, they will usually run for cover. Offer water at least 3 times a week. Any water given should not contain chlorine.

Final Thoughts

Look into the cost of keeping Desert Horned Lizards or any other pet before you buy or adopt it. Exotic pet vets are not cheap, and the reptile specialists are usually few and far between. The really good UVB bulbs can get close to 100.00 USD each. Then you have the cost of the habitat with plenty of room, parasite meds, live food, the aggravation of keeping bugs around all the time, and keeping them alive.

I believe reptiles are well worth it, but you have to decide if they fit into your lifestyle.