Re: The horny toad followed me home!

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Posted by tshiffert on May 16, 2002 at 14:06:57:

In Reply to: Re: The horny toad followed me home! posted by Lester G. Milroy III on May 16, 2002 at 10:31:55:

: : My son and his National Guard buddies claim that a very young horny toad ended up in their gear when they returned to Ft. Irwin after camping a few days in the Mohave Desert. My son brought Irwin (the HL) back to Ohio and has had it in captivity since last August. I have a couple of questions. #1) How do I know whether or not this is a protected species? #2) Irwin (the HL) is very lethargic and isn't eating. His main diet has been crickets. Should I get him some ants? #3) Would someone at a pet store or a veterinarian be able to help me with Irwin? The girlfriend is bringing Irwin here for me to care for him but I'm not sure where to begin.

: :Hello Teresa. THe horned lizard that you have is not a protected species as such, but it is not legal to remove it from California without permission or permit from the California Department of Fish and Game. It is a Desert Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos. The lethargy is more than likely due to the diet of crickets. Ants are the required diet. Ants of the Genus Pogonomyrmex or Messor are the ants in the range of the HL and are the ones required. You might also not have the right temperatures available. Temps of 95 - 110 during the day and 55 - 65 at night are required. Check the postings on this forum for more info on setups for enclosures. If you need more help and info, email me or post here again and we will see what we can do to help. Lester G. Milroy III

Hi, Lester. Thanks for getting back with me. This morning Irwin wasn't moving at all and appeared to be dehydrated. I gave him a luke warm bath and he drank a lot of water. Shortly afterwards he defecated and then perked up. He was rapidly crawling around the aquarium, looking out and digging in the sand. Then he decided to bask in the water pond. I've watched him all morning. He closed his eyes and they have not opened in several hours. I made an appointment with the vet but can't get in until Monday. I took him to the local pet store, but they weren't any help. I think I've lost him. Thanks again. Teresa Shiffert

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Horned lizards normally drink by dew build up......... ReptileFreak18 05/16/02 (0)

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: : : My son and his National Guard buddies claim that a very young horny toad ended up in their gear when they returned to Ft. Irwin after camping a few days in the Mohave Desert. My son brought Irwin (the HL) back to Ohio and has had it in captivity since last August. I have a couple of questions. #1) How do I know whether or not this is a protected species? #2) Irwin (the HL) is very lethargic and isn't eating. His main diet has been crickets. Should I get him some ants? #3) Would someone at a pet store or a veterinarian be able to help me with Irwin? The girlfriend is bringing Irwin here for me to care for him but I'm not sure where to begin. : : :Hello Teresa. THe horned lizard that you have is not a protected species as such, but it is not legal to remove it from California without permission or permit from the California Department of Fish and Game. It is a Desert Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos. The lethargy is more than likely due to the diet of crickets. Ants are the required diet. Ants of the Genus Pogonomyrmex or Messor are the ants in the range of the HL and are the ones required. You might also not have the right temperatures available. Temps of 95 - 110 during the day and 55 - 65 at night are required. Check the postings on this forum for more info on setups for enclosures. If you need more help and info, email me or post here again and we will see what we can do to help. Lester G. Milroy III : Hi, Lester. Thanks for getting back with me. This morning Irwin wasn't moving at all and appeared to be dehydrated. I gave him a luke warm bath and he drank a lot of water. Shortly afterwards he defecated and then perked up. He was rapidly crawling around the aquarium, looking out and digging in the sand. Then he decided to bask in the water pond. I've watched him all morning. He closed his eyes and they have not opened in several hours. I made an appointment with the vet but can't get in until Monday. I took him to the local pet store, but they weren't any help. I think I've lost him. Thanks again. Teresa Shiffert

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