How to Raise Horned Toads

Horned toads, or horny toads, refers to small horned lizards, predominately found in the desert areas of Texas and other western states. These animals are small lizards with small horns all over their bodies. There are several different species of horned lizards, each with different abilities, such as the ability to run quickly or shoot blood from around their eyes as a defense mechanism. Just like with other animals, you need to be able to care for them properly, so they can reach their full potential.

Things You'll Need

  • Terrarium
  • Heat lamps
  • Rocks
  • Sand
  • Small dishes
  • Food
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Instructions

    • 1

      Organize a terrarium for your little horned lizards. They reside in the desert areas in the wild, so ideally they should have a sand pit to bury themselves in, rocks to climb on and hide under, and heat lamps to act as a extra heat source, so the terrarium remains a very warm temperature.

    • 2

      Turn the heat lamps on during the day and then off at night. The lizards are used to the desert getting extremely hot during the day, up to temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and then really cold at night, hitting temperatures below the freezing point. You can recreate a more comfortable biome in a terrarium for your little guys.

    • 3

      Feed the horned toads at least once a day. Horned lizards like to eat harvester ants, but really most ants will do. They will also eat other small insects, like crickets, who will just walk up to them. This type of reptile likes to have its food delivered without too much of a fuss, so if you put the live insects in the terrarium, they will be eaten.

    • 4

      Clean out the terrarium at least once a week with a small slitted shovel. This will remove most of the waste matter. Four times a year you should replace the sand entirely to make sure you're getting all of the waste out of the terrarium. Wash and refill the water dish as well. Make sure that you rinse the water dish thoroughly to remove all soap, so the soap does not kill your horned lizards.

    • 5

      Keep a tight-fitting lid on the top of your terrarium at all times. Depending on the size of your lizards, they can jump well, and their food sources such as crickets can also jump out of the terrarium. So it is best to keep a well-fitted lid on the terrarium at all times.