You may be wondering why you have not seen many Horny Toad lizards in pet stores nowadays. These pets are now some of the rarest reptiles in many households today, and that is for a very good reason.
Also called, Horned Lizards, the Horny Toad has not been around in the pet trade for many years already because there are fairly acceptable causes. No, it is not because it is a particularly rare and difficult type of pet lizard to acquire, and it also is not because it is now on the endangered list (although they are threatened species). The reason why Horny Toads are now virtually off the face of the pet trade is quite simple. But to get to understand that, it is crucial that we first know more about the Horned Lizard.
What is a Horny Toad?
Overview
Do not let the name fool you because the Horny Toad’s name may be something of a misnomer that can easily confuse and throw people off. This reptile is not a toad but is actually a lizard that was named after a toad because of its appearance. Nevertheless, it is every bit a lizard as one can be and is far from being a toad if you simply just factor in its morphology and genetic makeup. That is why there are some who prefer calling this reptile the Horned Lizard instead of the Horny Toad.
Horny Toads have 22 different species that each have their own unique traits and range. They can be found all across America and are concentrated more in North and Central America as opposed to South America, where there are plenty of different species of lizards. The most common type of Horny Toad is the Texas Horned Lizard, which can be found in Texas but also in Colorado and even down south in Mexico. Meanwhile, there are Horny Toads with a restricted range due to their natural needs. An example is the Coast Horned Lizard, which can only be found on the coasts of California because it requires to live in an environment that is near coastal areas.
Generally, the Horny Toad lives in semi-arid places such as the deserts of Texas. They can also be found in woodlands and coastal areas, depending on the species of Horned Lizards. They usually thrive in places with low rainfall and are naturally made to be able to survive in such dry places.
The Horny Toad gets to live an average lifespan of about 5 years. There are only a few of these reptiles that get to live over 5 years as these are not known to live lives that are quite long compared to their other lizard cousins. They used to be popular in the pet trade, but, for very valid reasons, they are now virtually considered undomesticated animals and are only supposed to be left alone in the wild.
Physical description
Horny Toads are short to medium-sized lizards that are somewhere between 5 to 8 inches long. What gives them the “toad” name is that they look like toads in the sense that they have bodies that are short in comparison to its overall stout appearance. Meanwhile, they have round abdomens that make them look circular if view them from above. In that sense, they can really look like toads.
Meanwhile, the Horny Toad is also called as such, not because of its voracious sexual appetite but because it has many horns and spines surrounding its body. As such, it is also called the Horned Lizard, which is the more appropriate name for this reptile. However, it is still often called the Horny Toad. Their horns are actually just modified scales that were meant to be held up so that this lizard does not lose moisture through its skin in the dry and low-rainfall places it lives in.
Diet and eating habits
Horny Toads are almost exclusively insectivore that only feeds on small insects. In a lot of cases, the Horned Lizard only eats a specific type of insect. An example of this is the popular Texas Horned Lizard that only eats ants, but it might still eat termites, beetles, and other small insects to supplement its diet. All other species of Horny Toads also usually thrive of a diet composed of only ants but can do well when eating small types of insects that are similar to an ant.
Temperament and behavior
The Horned Lizard is one odd reptile in the sense that it has a defense mechanism that is quite unlike any other. Whenever it feels threatened and is on the defensive, it will squirt blood out of its eyes and seems something that is straight out of the pages of a horror movie script. It is needless to say that this is one shy and defensive reptile that is quick to try to defend itself whenever it feels threatened.
Horny Toads do not like getting handled and are most likely going to feel stressed when you try to handle them. They show this by staying stiff on your hand and will not move as much as you would have wanted it to. This is a sign that they are not happy from where they are not happy while getting handled and are only waiting for the opportunity to quickly find shelter the moment you release them. Frequent handling is not recommended because of how stressful it is for the lizard.
In the wild, they tend to be good at camouflaging with their surroundings and are experts at hiding due to how they know they can easily get predated on by larger predators. When they are not hiding, they spend their time looking for ants to eat but are quick to retreat to their hiding spots whenever night falls, and dangerous predators are already on the loose.
Reasons why they are not on the market anymore
It is illegal to own them
The Horny Toad has been classified as a potentially threatened reptile due to how its population is now on the decline in the wild. As such, it has been outlawed for them to be owned as pets but can still be kept in zoos for research purposes. Other than that, there are no other means for you to own them.
Humans are primarily the reason why they are now on the decline. Ever since the Fire Ant was introduced as an invasive species in the deserts of Texas, they have pushed away from the native ant species, which are the primary and maybe even the only source of food for the Horny Toad. But since Fire Ants are a pest to humans, they have used pesticides to kill off ant colonies regardless of whatever species of ants live there. As such, the main source of food for the Horned Lizard has declined, which is what led to the decline of these lizards’ population in the wild.
Zoos have since been trying to improve the numbers of these lizards by breeding them in captivity and then releasing them in the wild to try to boost their population ever since the rapid decline of wild Horny Toads in their natural habitat.
They are not good pets
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Another reason why Horny Toads are not a trend anymore is that they are not good pets. The truth of the matter is that they really do not thrive under domesticated conditions, and none of the species of Horned Lizards are known to have been domesticated. These reptiles do not like getting handled and are bad at interacting with humans.
However, the biggest reason why they do not make good pets is that they have a very specific diet. The Horny Toad’s main source of food is ants. These reptiles do not like eating other types of insects, but they do supplement their ant-based diet with other insects. However, other types of insects are only for supplementation purposes as they will not be able to live off solely on them. Instead, they get their primary nutrients from ants and can only thrive well in captivity when fed with ants.
The problem here is that it is very difficult to get your hands on ants as a source of food for pet lizards. As such, former owners of Horny Toads go the extra mile just to get ants for their reptiles. Others go with the conventional types of insects, such as crickets. However, they were quick to realize that Horned Lizards are too difficult to keep. Either it is too difficult to get live ants or the reptile just does not want to eat any other type of insects when you feed them crickets or other similar feeder insects. You will slowly notice it starving to death even though you try your hardest to trick them into eating feeder insects.
There is no point in keeping them
Overall, there simply is no point in keeping Horny Toads other than the fact that they look really elegant animals. They may be easy on the eyes but are so difficult to take care of that keeping them just turns out to be a very costly and useless endeavor. As such, the market sees no reason for supplying them, seeing as how exotic pet owners no longer have any reasons for trying to care for Horned Lizards. Instead, they just get Bearded Dragons and admire Horny Toads in the wild or in zoos.
