Horned Lizard Care & general info
Phrynosoma spp.
The Horned Lizard, or Horned Toad as they are sometimes called, is a fierce looking desert dweller equipped with sharp spines on its body and pointed horns on top of its head. Oddly, they are in fact very passive with a willingness to bypass trouble. When they feel threatened they have the ability to spray blood from the corners of their eyes.
The Horned lizards can be found in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico. There are about 13 species of Horned Lizards, the most common being the Texas Horned Lizard, and the Round-tailed Horned Lizard. An adult Horned Lizard can range for 3' - 5'. They are diurnal, active during the daytime, so when being kept as a pet, will require proper UVB lighting. For a single Horned Lizard you will need a minimum 40 gal. vivarium. Sand makes the best substrate. Horned lizards like to dig in the sand so it needs to be around 4" deep. Their cage does not need to be very tall, as they are not much for clmbing. There should be various sized rocks, with the basking light directed to one for them to bask on. Their basking temperatures should be between 100.4 - 109.4 degrees. They should have a cool end to thermoregulate and those temps. should be between 84 - 95 degrees. Their nightime temps. should range from around 64 - 75 degrees. They come from dry arid regions so you will need to keep their humidity around 30 - 40 %.
The Horned Lizard is insectivorous, eating mainly harvester ants. This diet is difficult for most owners to reproduce, because one lizard may eat thousands of ants per day. Harvester ant venom contains formic acid and other proteins which provide proper gastrointestinal pH. This acidity promotes proper gastrointestinal flora and protects the lizard from intestinal parasites. The ant venom in the stomach also produces a small amount of water as a by-product, which helps hydrate the Horned Lizard. The Horned Lizard can also occasionally be fed pin-head crickets, mini mealworms, and flightless fruit flies. They also seem to really enjoy a moth or other small winged insects. Horned Lizards require some supplementaion. Reptile vitamins can be given once a week to twice a month. You should dust the crickets and other non ant prey with calcium whenever fed. When feeding Harvester Ants place only a few at a time in with the Horned Lizard. If you put too many in at once, they may turn aggressive and attack you lizard. You should offer your lizard a few at a time,,,several times a day, removing any uneaten ants at the end of the day. An adult Horned Lizard should be eating 50..up to 100 ants a day. A juvenile or baby may eat 10 - 20 a day.
Most Horned Lizards will not drink from standing water. You can put a water dish in their viv for a basking pool. The best way to hydrate a Horned Lizard is to mist him and his enclosure. Captive bred Horned Lizards may drink from a dropper, placing water drops on his snout. This method can spook wild caught Horned Lizards. Due to the fact that most Horned Lizards come from desert or semi-arid climates, they do not require water every day.
Horned Lizards also stress over frequent traffic, noises, or an audience too close to their cage. Many will not eat if watched too closely.
It is best to house one male with two or more females in a large enclosure. As always, make sure to watch your females for signs of stress.
Horned Lizards often will attempt to climb the wall of its enclosure when they are stressed or in a new environment. In doing so, they will often stand on their tails, damaging the vertebrae and breaking their tails. Their tails do not regenerate, so you should try to prevent them from doing this by covering the sides of their enclosure with printed landscape scenes. There is less chance they will do this if they cannot see through their viv.
Horned Lizards do not like being handled, they will tolerate it, but it is stressful for them. With this being said, it is best to keep handling to a minimum.
The Horned Lizard, or Horned Toad as they are sometimes called, is a fierce looking desert dweller equipped with sharp spines on its body and pointed horns on top of its head. Oddly, they are in fact very passive with a willingness to bypass trouble. When they feel threatened they have the ability to spray blood from the corners of their eyes.
The Horned lizards can be found in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico. There are about 13 species of Horned Lizards, the most common being the Texas Horned Lizard, and the Round-tailed Horned Lizard. An adult Horned Lizard can range for 3' - 5'. They are diurnal, active during the daytime, so when being kept as a pet, will require proper UVB lighting. For a single Horned Lizard you will need a minimum 40 gal. vivarium. Sand makes the best substrate. Horned lizards like to dig in the sand so it needs to be around 4" deep. Their cage does not need to be very tall, as they are not much for clmbing. There should be various sized rocks, with the basking light directed to one for them to bask on. Their basking temperatures should be between 100.4 - 109.4 degrees. They should have a cool end to thermoregulate and those temps. should be between 84 - 95 degrees. Their nightime temps. should range from around 64 - 75 degrees. They come from dry arid regions so you will need to keep their humidity around 30 - 40 %.
The Horned Lizard is insectivorous, eating mainly harvester ants. This diet is difficult for most owners to reproduce, because one lizard may eat thousands of ants per day. Harvester ant venom contains formic acid and other proteins which provide proper gastrointestinal pH. This acidity promotes proper gastrointestinal flora and protects the lizard from intestinal parasites. The ant venom in the stomach also produces a small amount of water as a by-product, which helps hydrate the Horned Lizard. The Horned Lizard can also occasionally be fed pin-head crickets, mini mealworms, and flightless fruit flies. They also seem to really enjoy a moth or other small winged insects. Horned Lizards require some supplementaion. Reptile vitamins can be given once a week to twice a month. You should dust the crickets and other non ant prey with calcium whenever fed. When feeding Harvester Ants place only a few at a time in with the Horned Lizard. If you put too many in at once, they may turn aggressive and attack you lizard. You should offer your lizard a few at a time,,,several times a day, removing any uneaten ants at the end of the day. An adult Horned Lizard should be eating 50..up to 100 ants a day. A juvenile or baby may eat 10 - 20 a day.
Most Horned Lizards will not drink from standing water. You can put a water dish in their viv for a basking pool. The best way to hydrate a Horned Lizard is to mist him and his enclosure. Captive bred Horned Lizards may drink from a dropper, placing water drops on his snout. This method can spook wild caught Horned Lizards. Due to the fact that most Horned Lizards come from desert or semi-arid climates, they do not require water every day.
Horned Lizards also stress over frequent traffic, noises, or an audience too close to their cage. Many will not eat if watched too closely.
It is best to house one male with two or more females in a large enclosure. As always, make sure to watch your females for signs of stress.
Horned Lizards often will attempt to climb the wall of its enclosure when they are stressed or in a new environment. In doing so, they will often stand on their tails, damaging the vertebrae and breaking their tails. Their tails do not regenerate, so you should try to prevent them from doing this by covering the sides of their enclosure with printed landscape scenes. There is less chance they will do this if they cannot see through their viv.
Horned Lizards do not like being handled, they will tolerate it, but it is stressful for them. With this being said, it is best to keep handling to a minimum.
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Facts about the horned lizard PDF.
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