Horny Toads

[Conas]

Has anyone ever kept a horny toad? I'm not sure if they're illegal or not. When i was little, we had them all over the place in my side of the woods, but now i haven't seen one in forever. I think they might be endangered and that's why that might be illegal. I loved this lizards, they were by far my favorite thing to chase 8 ) Anyone know where i could get one?

[Wuntu Menny]

Conas, if you are in Texas, I believe the only species you are allowed to keep is Phrynosoma modestum or the round tailed horned lizard. I'm not positive on that, so you will want to check with state authorities before acting. I can tell you that the Texas horned lizard is strictly protected and any attempt to even capture one without a permit can result in serious penalties.

I have kept them before way up here in Canada, but the animals don't fare well in captivity. I suggest doing a heap of research before aquiring any. That will give them the best chance to survive and hopefully thrive. One of the biggest considerations is their specialized diet. You should have a much easier time providing for this as you don't suffer from 8 months of winter.

I would recommend checking out Sundial Reptiles both for husbandry info and CB animals. Loren and Dana Pennebaker are very knowledgeable on this subject and their site is great.

Good luck,

WM

[Hamster of Borg]

The Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) and the Mountain Short-Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) are both protected in Texas. Fines are pretty hefty for harrassing them, muchless capturing them.

The president of the Horned Lizard Conservation Society (http://www.hornedlizards.org/) came and gave us a talk at an Austin Herp Society (http://www.austinherpsociety.org/) meeting a month or so ago. He spent much of the time stressing how even those biologists involved in horned lizard conservation, who have been extensively trained to keep horned lizards in captivity, still have a high mortality rate. Even with proper diet (primarily harvester ants) and proper light cycles, and all the years of research they have done. Horned lizards are simply just not well suited to being in captivity. If you want to enjoy them in the future, please leave them where they are. Populations are dwindling drastically as is. If the horned lizards are on your property, you might even want to drop a line to the Horned Lizard Conservation Society (http://www.hornedlizards.org/). I'm sure they would be most interested in coming out to assess the population.

Ham

[Conas]

that's some wicked help guys, thank you so much!

[Wuntu Menny]

Just for the record Conas, while I did provide some suggestions. I am of the opinion that Phrynosoma are better candidates for field observation and best left where they belong.

Your curiousity and interest in them sounds similar to my own before I aquired my first specimen. I found out the hard way just how difficult they are to keep. Even people in the southern states have trouble keeping them in outdoor pens mere yards from where they were collected. Every account I've read of attempts to keep them in labs under closely controlled environments has ended in failure.

Please take these facts into consideration before making your final decision.

WM

[Samba]

Horned Lizards were a big part of my life growing up as well, (I live in New Mexico). I kept two for a time and when fall was on it's way I set them free. I have many photos to remember them by. I've always wanted to get more, but I am unprepared to do so at this moment. Unless you are performing some kind of research or study to better understand the species, I would recommend leaving them be. I know they much appeal, but the sad truth is they are difficult to keep alive. If you want something that looks kinda similar to a horned lizard you can try keeping bearded dragons. They aren't the same, but they are much easier to keep and they are completely legal (in most areas). The best part? These make excellent beginner lizards! Good Luck!