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 #342940


Hank17
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 Regal Horned Lizard

I found a Regal Horned Lizard last night, it is only a juv. right now, it is only pushing 2 to 2.5 in. right now, I heard you only feed them ants, is that true?

-Hank
05/15/05  03:43pm

 #343203


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 342940


 Regal Horned Lizard

oh man, for the most part with that species YES. I have three young ones right now that are just past their first winter. in my observation, of my 3 and the ones kept by other people I know, they enjoy an occassional other insect...and I’ve tried a some very small crickets to stretch the ants a bit...but the regal’s are not enthusiastic about anything given very often other than harvester ants. from what I’m seeing so far, I think the opinion that regal’s won’t thrive without a majority of ants in their diet is true. best last study done on the diet and stomach contents of the regal horned lizard in the wild, places their diet at about 90% harvester ants.

if you caught a regal horned lizard I’m assuming you probably live in Az., southwest NM? it will make it much easier to care for, if you actually live in their native range.

you should have no problem getting a ton of harvester ants around there. they are the big red or red and black colored ones about 1/4" long, and have a large circular colony entrance that is bare of all vegetation for several feet around. they also sting like a muther, so watch out how you get them. there are many different good methods to catch them if you need pointers.

Solare link

also look at
phrynosoma.com
this site is maintained by a freind of mine near Phoenix who also keeps horned lizards, including Solare ( Regal ). he can definitely help you as well.

as one last thought, I would like you to consider all options before deciding to keep this horned lizard if you are not experienced. I personally don’t recommend them for the beginner to reptiles due to their declining populations. my concern is that if you keep "him", that "he" lives. there is husbandry for these lizards that must be followed that is not negotiable if you want them to do well. this is not to scare you from keeping it, just to inform you of the commitment required. among such things as ^hundreds^ of ants a week to eat ( a ^thousand^ or so a week when grown ), "he" will need a UVB light source ( 8-10% UVB[8.0-10.0] florescent or mercury vapor UVB )and a large aquarium with sand and other things that reflect the environment where he came from. 40 gallon is the average opinion from keepers of horned lizards as a minimum aquarium size.

stay in touch so we can help if you keep it.

Mick



05/15/05  07:34pm

 #343546


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 343203


 Regal Horned Lizard

thanks Mick I do live in Arizona, about 3-4 miles west from the Superstition moutains. I went herping for some rattlesnakes in the desert and I found it, and I always thought tose red ants were fire ants, when I was around six years of age, I accidentally sat in an ant colony. I see those every single day.
05/15/05  11:08pm

 #343628


Cable_Hogue
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 343546


 Regal Horned Lizard

Hey Hank, You must be only a few miles from me then. I live up by the mining camp rest. Near the foot of the mts. Drop me an email if you have any questions. I have a really great method of catching ants. cable_hogue at phrynosoma.com (replace at with @). :)
05/16/05  12:31am

 #343660


Fireside3
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   Message To: Cable_Hogue   In reference to Message Id: 343628


 Regal Horned Lizard

all right, good deal Hank. I was just out there near Superstition Mt. at Cable’s place last month! that’s where I got my 3. I’d like to see a pic if you can get one up, to compare the morphology against your’s. is it male/female or do you know? male will have enlarged post anal scales just aft of the vent.

I also have to say welcome to horned lizards from another Crotalus hunter! if you’ve kept them any length, now your ready for horned lizards. I used to mess with atrox, lepidus lepidus, & horridus.
hey how’s your reflex action? :-)

no, those aren’t fireants at all...those harvesters sting pretty bad, but are NO WHERE near as aggressive as the Solenopsis invicta. they are the killer bees of the ant kingdom, boil out of the nest and sting by the thousands in mere seconds! you can give them a try and find out though, I was planning to send some to Cable so he can study them closer :-) they are everywhere in Texas, but I don’t believe you have them at all out there. I got into a fireant bed when I was about 2 and had to be rushed on life support to the hospital, almost died.

Mick



05/16/05  01:37am

 #344051


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 343660


 Regal Horned Lizard

Do you no where Crismon and Broadway is? I can’t tell if it’s m/f, give me a few days and I will post a pic, I think it is desert instead of a regal because it has some designs, and it has two dark blotches right behind the neck.
05/16/05  03:02pm

 #344326


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 344051


 Regal Horned Lizard

if it’s a Solare ( Regal ) it will be real easy to tell. greyish coloration with a complete set of horns spread across the back of the head, like the rays of the sun or like a crown.



also meant to tell you, since I’m assuming you have some knowledge of snakes or used to keep them, these horned lizards are different in that they do not derive D3 from the prey they digest, like snakes or larger carnivorous lizards. they need UVB lamps or sunlight.

Mick



05/16/05  07:55pm

 #345122


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 344326


 Regal Horned Lizard

It sort of looks like them, I think it is a desert, yesterday I was looking at it and I seen this tanish pink color on its back and has dark brownish black blotches right under the crown, two of them on each side of its neck, or shoulders if you would call it, but it does have the crown all the way around its head. Give me a call at (480)354-9215 or (480)354-7834 ask for Hank.
05/17/05  03:25pm

 #345881


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 345122


 Regal Horned Lizard

this look familiar Hank?




05/18/05  05:13am

 #346220


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 345881


 Regal Horned Lizard

It looks like the back of the Superstitions. A few years back though
05/18/05  03:09pm

 #346248


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 346220


 Regal Horned Lizard

LOL! I jumped in my Delorian and went back to 1880 to get this pic! just kidding. it all looks pretty old west out there in certain places. but I assure you that pic was taken a month ago, I think off the dirt road leading to the trail heads, maybe a couple miles from the ghost town?
this is looking south-east. apache junction and the ghost town are further to the right off the picture.



05/18/05  03:30pm

 #346258


Fireside3
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 346248


 Regal Horned Lizard

here is a pic looking north-west from apache junction, the mountains in the background are the beginnings of the rest of the Superstition chain I guess. the one with the cliff face kinda stands alone and is directly behind me in this shot.


this is a pic from the top of one of those in the chain, where we went looking for short horns. lake Roosevelt can be seen below in the distance.



05/18/05  03:41pm

 #347333


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 346258


 Regal Horned Lizard

Very Nice, I’ve never been to four peaks, i’m mean I drove by it on the way to Payson. I am most likely going to head up to the Superstitions to go hiking for a little bit, hopefully find a rattler or two. I was going to feed that horned lizard to my Argentine Black and White Tegu, but one of my buddy’s girlfriend wants it, and she said she had those Harvester ants in her yard, so I’m going to give it to her, I couldn’t find any any colonies, besides those little black ones, and ( Spike ) wouldn’t eat them.
It is not my kind of pet, I like aggressive snakes, I was bitten by a 9ft burmese python in my hand yesterday at work, it actually hurt, that is the first time a snake bite ever hurt.
05/19/05  03:20pm

 #347664


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 347333


 Regal Horned Lizard

feed a horned lizard to a snake! that’s horrible. is the person who wants the lizard aware of it’s needs? have her contact us for assistance. if anything changes on that, I’m sure Cable wouldn’t mind taking another, depending on subspecies and sex. don’t want to speak for him, but he has a few more he needs to get before he reaches his take limit and it may be one he doesn’t have now.

are you going to be able to post a pic of it so we can get the subspecies ID? that would be nice for range information.

you don’t know what your missing, til you’ve been chewed on by a big retic. python or a 6ft. bull snake! I’m sure Diamondback or Mojave hurt real bad, I just been too fast for those that have tried so far.

Mick
05/19/05  07:56pm

 #347912


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 347664


 Regal Horned Lizard

Its the pythons that hurt the most, and my Tegu is a Monitor Lizard we have the forum for them on the site to. I will post a pic a soon as I can, some regals have designs on them, but this one has a wierd color for its species, is it possible that I have found a new species or sub-species?
05/20/05  12:11am

 #348019


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 347912


 Regal Horned Lizard

oh crickey, knew the tegu wasn’t a snake...the story about the snake biting you was still lingering in my mind!
I’ve kept a few savanna monitors, but the tegu is actually not a monitor...they aren’t even in the same family.



05/20/05  03:06am

 #348024


Fireside3
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 348019


 Regal Horned Lizard

here’s my male posturing in his territory. they communicate amongst themselves by head bobbing, and a few times when they’ve been busy at it, I’ve put in my two cents. he is either curious to hear more, or doesn’t like what I have to say, because sometimes he will climb on a rock like this to get a better look at me and make himself seen. he will then bob his head back in a more pronounced way.



05/20/05  03:23am

 #348033


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 347912


 Regal Horned Lizard

oh P.S.
if this lizard you have has the typical 10 horns, single row of abdominal fringe scales, etc. then you have a Solare. you might have unique morph of the Solare though...maybe even a cross with something. does it look like this at all?


oh yeah, credit to Wendy Hodges and www.digimorph.org

Mick
05/20/05  03:47am

 #348348


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 348033


 Regal Horned Lizard

It looks just like that but without the yellow, and it has this pinkish, tan color on him. I’m going to buy some film, and post a pic
05/20/05  03:01pm

 #348359


Hank17
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 348348


 Regal Horned Lizard

the designs running on its back is the same. It is a Solare, I’ll give it to you if you want it, but if it is a new sub-species I want to be countable for it. and who is cable-hogue, is that your friend?
05/20/05  03:12pm

 #348701


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 348359


 Regal Horned Lizard

you’re kiddin me right? you haven’t been paying attention? :-)

Cable_Hogue is the guy that posted message #343628 in this string. and the one I referred to in several other messages...the guy that lives in Apache Junction near the ghost town, who was trying to get in touch with you.

he didn’t call? I sent him an email to tell him that you had posted your phone number.

yeah, I’ll certainly take it if Cable doesn’t want another one right now. I’ll ask him first though since he’s out that way. if it is a new subspecies, you are assured you will get the credit for discovering it. we’ll call it Phrynosoma Solare Hankesii or something...what’s your last name? it’ll be something like that.

somebody around you’s gotta have a digital camera right? I mean it’s gotta be a pain in the to take film, develop and scan it.

Mick




05/20/05  10:37pm

 #349346


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 348701


 Regal Horned Lizard

I like that name, my brother has a digital I’ll borrow his.



05/21/05  07:28pm

 #349501


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 349346


 Regal Horned Lizard

Hank, you got him on any UVB or ants right now? he’s gonna go down hill pretty quick here without that, being you’ve had him about a week and he’s wild caught. just letting you know in case...
05/21/05  10:34pm

 #349717


Hank17
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 349501


 Regal Horned Lizard

here is some pics, I have been feeding it little black ants so everything is ok, I have a 60w zoo med (blue) uvb also. But the batteries are dead on the digital, so i’ll post tomorrow around 7:00-7:30pm my time.
05/22/05  03:30am

 #352803


Fireside3
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 349717


 Regal Horned Lizard

no pics yet.



05/25/05  01:03am

 #2015327


Jackie2663
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   Message To: Fireside3   In reference to Message Id: 348701


 Regal Horned Lizard

HI Mick,
Hope you’re well. My name is Jackie Forster and I am an associate TV producer at Pangolin Pictures in New York City. I am working on a show for the Discovery Channel and need to track down a horned lizard that we can film. Although its a challenging task, we would like to film the lizard squirting blood from it’s eyes. Do your horned lizards do this? Do you think it would be possible film with you?

Thank you and hope to hear from you!
Jackie



06/02/09  05:48pm

 #2023498


Stonergirl
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   Message To: Hank17   In reference to Message Id: 342940


 Regal Horned Lizard

Yes I found some horned toads and a friend of mine had one and told me they eat a certain kind of ant
06/16/09  06:42pm


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