Desert Horned Toad

Question
QUESTION: Desert Horned Toad,  20 gallon tank, fine reptile sand found at the pet store, humidity is low but unsure of percentage, highest basking point is at 110, basking rock is at 106, the middle of the cage is around 92-94, the cool end of the tank is at 85, and under the shade temp is at 82, nighttime is around 76. I use a tube UVB lighting system that was changed 3 weeks ago, no vet history, harvester ants (around 50 per day) for one week out of a month (this was the pet stores doing as I have had the lizard for only a few weeks),  I just recently have purchased the ants and he has been eating around 40-50 per day for the past 4 days, otherwise he was being feed about 2 roaches, 2 crickets, and 4 meal worms per day or per every other day depending, the only supplement they were feeding him was calcium and I have continued with the calcium on his meal worms and his roaches, he eats his ants no problem, however many ants I give him is what he usually eats (not as eager to eat his other meal options but that is understandable), I give him a bowl of water in his house but he doesn't drink it, I give him a dropper of water and he seems to take that but only about once a week,  he poops once a day (sometimes twice depending but mostly once a day), I got his in a pet store in Spokane, Washington, He has not shed while he has been with me but seems to have yet to shed a part of his horn, no other animals

My questions:
What would be your suggested light cycle time? How much day and how much night and at what times would the lizards regular schedule take place? (I do not want to promote hibernation but if that is essential please let me know)
WHat would be your suggested night and day temperatures? Is my cool side of the spectrum cool enough for him?
He is 6 months old and I am wondering how many ants he should be eating per day? Do I promote other meals or do I stick to harvester ants full time?
I was also wondering if you would be willing to sell harvester ants in bulk? I am a bit less knowledgable on the ants but was wondering how long they could last in the fridge... I bought 100 from you a few days ago and am hoping to by in a larger quantity and keep them for longer periods of time than 100 ants could do.
He seems to have calcium coming out of his nostrils, the pet store said it was fine but I am curious to know if this is healthy for the little guy

Sorry I have loads of questions about the little guys.  It's just hard to find reliably information on the internet, and even harder to find enough information in the books. He seems to be healthy and I haven't had him long. Just full of questions

ANSWER: Actually, you've come to the best person you could ever have for this.

What is the name of this pet store where you purchased him?

I will try to get back tomorrow and answer some of this, if it is not covered elsewhere in my writings. The best advice I could give you, if you want the most care info you are going to find anywhere, is to do the following:

Go to my website at wichitafallsreptilerescue.webs.com/harvesterants.htm and order The Horned Lizard Manual. I wrote it. It's about 60 pages on horned lizard care and everything you need to know is covered. I don't really see offhand a question here that I don't address in the manual.

Next, join my yahoo discussion group at groups.yahoo.com/group/hornedlizards

And keep in mind that in the hands of 90% of people, these lizards die in a matter of months. This is especially true if you aren't WELL experienced and aren't hurting for funds. In other words, you must have the resources to provide everything they need without delay or excuse...and you must set aside significant time commitment. This is not a low maintenance lizard, and I regard them as expert only in my opinion, so I would suggest that if you have hopes of keeping it alive long, you follow all my recommendations or reconsider your stewardship now.

I see you said that you are using a "tube" UVB light. Can you give the wattage, brand, and model?

I will also need to see a few photos to assess his health. Must be better than cell phone quality. I will need to see an overhead, belly, and side view. Ensure the lighting and focus is good. The best way is to place the lizard on a white sheet of paper in a well lit room. Place something in the shot for scale (such as a ruler or quarter). You can email the photos to me at phrynosoma_texas@yahoo.

Until I see what condition he is in and his size, I will not know whether your use of roaches or crickets is safe. Mealworms typically are not safe in the quantity and frequency you are using them. These lizards are usually sold in bad shape.

He won't drink from the bowl like a dog. You will have to put him in some lukewarm water and douse his head and back until he smacks his mouth. That is how they drink.

You didn't order ants from me if you only ordered 100. I do sell in bulk, and 100 is too few for me to mess with. The least I am selling now is 250, and usually the least I will sell is 500.

I doubt has calcium coming out of his nostrils. The pet store told you it was fine, because they have no clue what it really is. It's excess salt being secreted, and can be in indication of dehydration and or excess salt in the diet. Mealworms are high in sodium.

Lighting cycles, what to feed and when, how to handle ants, how to perform hibernation, how to
assess and treat a sick horned lizard - It's all in the manual I wrote in great detail.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I purchased the lizard at Rasmussen's Reptiles in the North Town Mall in Spokane, Washington

I tried to order the manual on the website you gave, I don't think the link is available for me to click on. If you have another way I can order it that would be great.  Or if I could order it directly from you that would work as well.  I think I just may be unsure how to navigate the site also.

I am aware that these animals are extremely hard to take care of and I am trying to educate myself to the best of my abilities to care for this lizard.  I appreciate all that you have done for these guys and I want to make a good life for these guys as well.  I am very particular with him and I want him to have the best conditions possible so time and funds is not an issue.

I am interested in your bulk harvester ants, I also thought the ants I bought came from you.  Do you have a direct link so I don't repeat my mistake?

And again I am very interested in purchasing your manual, please send me a direct link to buy that as well

thank you so much for your help, I truly appreciate what you do for these animals and I hope I am not bombarding you with too many questions.  I am just concerned that he is of poor health because I dont' know where he came from and I want to try and give him a better quality of life.  Pictures coming soon, thank you so much, Makayla

UVB light is an exo-terra repti-glow 15 watt, 18" tube bulb.

I will be sending you an image of him tomorrow, along with a picture of his habitat and so forth.

I put him in a bath 2 times and both times he is in a rush to et out.  I made sure the water wasn't too hot or too cold but just being outside of the cage may have startled him.  I feed him some water out of a dropper today but I have only seen him gulp from a dropper once prior to todays occasion (I have had him about three weeks now).  I saw on other sites that misting daily can cause skin damage (these sites are also extremely unreliable) so I was cautious not to get too much water on any of the skin other than the nostrils and the mouth (even covering the nostrils does not seem to promote licking water up from the nose).  Seeing that you thought the white nostrils was a sign of dehydration, my concern for his hydration is high. Do you know how much water they should be taking in on average?

Answer
I will cover more later. Go to the link to my website which I gave previously. All the instructions for how to pay are on the page. There are two links at the top. One for ants, the other for the manual.

If you purchased only 100 ants, they didn't come from me, because I never have sold that few.

Some UVB is better than none, and a linear tube is better than compact/coil, however, the best UVB sources for diurnal desert dwelling lizards like this one, is a mercury vapor spot/flood type, such as the ZooMed Powersun. Usually, this would be my third choice in a lamp, but the previous best on the market are experiencing some manufacturing and delivery problems.

This horned lizard most likely came by way of wild capture from Nevada. This is common commercial collecting grounds for horned lizards.

What site told you that misting would lead to skin damage?

Horned lizards drink by rain harvesting. Place him in a lukewarm bath, ideally measured with a thermometer, to be no more than 100F and no less than 85F, and with reptile safe dechlorinator. Put him in a container with walls high enough that he cannot climb out, and make the water only as deep as to come up to his sides. Douse his body and head fully and repeat dousing of the head and nares multiple times. He will eventually calm and sit in the water, but he is in a new environment and will need time to settle. Allow him to soak for ~20 min.  

The crystals forming around the nares, as I said, is salt secretion. This can be a sign of more than one thing. It does not necessarily mean he is dehydrated. As I said, mealworms and other feeders are higher in sodium than ants. It is most certain that the pet store did not have sufficient information to keep him properly though, so dehydration from not being properly offered water is certainly a possibility, but guesses can't be made until I see photos and judge the level of hydration. It does not hurt to assume that he may be and offer the water baths though.