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Q:
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Looking at getting a thorny devil. Any Tips, Hints, Suggestion?
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I'm looking at aquiring a thorny devil and would love for anyone who has previous experience or knowledge of these reptiles to please add any hint, tips or suggestions they feel will be useful to me! If u know something please comment!!
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Accepted Answer
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1/21/2010 4:30:36 PM
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FyreFocks
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I personally wouldnt recommend it. Ive never known anyone to keep one of these alive longer than 4 months. Theres something missing from most insects which we offer animals in captivity and they eventually pass. I wish i could be more specific, but im a very uneducated man. I have heard the harvester ants will work, but you need to keep them in the fridge to sustain them and if you get bit, well, its going to freaking hurt.
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Assisted Answer
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1/21/2010 4:36:05 PM
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Aimee
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are you talking about Phyrnosoma spp? if so, I completely agree with Nick.
fanciers go so far as to say that if you don't have EXACTLY the correct husbandry and EXACTLY the right species / locality of ants, they will not survive. apparently two horny toads from a few miles apart will eat ants that aren't quite the same.
these guys http://www.hornedlizards.org/ are an absolutely phenomenal source of information.
if you do choose to keep one, good luck and post pics! they are so cute
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Member Comment
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1/21/2010 4:37:50 PM
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Member Comment
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1/21/2010 4:39:16 PM
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Aimee
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sorry! Nate!
(grovels at your feet...fries you bacon...)
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Member Comment
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1/21/2010 4:40:56 PM
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FyreFocks
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Bacon? All is forgiven! And all your clutches will hatch this year.
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Member Comment
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1/21/2010 5:48:01 PM
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Geckofactor
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Thorny devil? You mean Moloch horridus? Cause you can't get those in the U.S. If you mean a horned lizard or "horny toad" then yeah don't bother I've never kept one but I've heard nothing but bad things.
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Member Comment
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1/21/2010 10:55:09 PM
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natsamjosh
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If it's anything like a Horned Lizards (or it is a Horned Lizard), I agree with everyone else. I picked up a Horned lizard a few years back at a local show. I figured it was very likely going to die anyway, so I bought it, hoping I could care for it. And we have a lot of ants in our backyard. Of course, I wasn't nearly as smart as I thought I was, since the lizard would not eat the ants we have around here. (The a**hole seller idn't tell me this, he just said they eat ants.) Long story short, I ended up ordering nasty harvester ants online. Nearly caused a divorce when my wife saw what was in that first shipment. And maintaining a colony of big, biting ants is not a whole lot of fun. The lizard did eat the harvester ants, but even still it didn't last more than a few more months. :(
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/thorny_devil.htm
"The Thorny Devil usually eats ants, eating a very large number of ants in a single meal, about 600 to 3000 ants! They can only eat one ant at a time with their sticky tongue, but can eat at a rate of up to 45 ants a minute."
Whether it's Thorny Devil or a Horned Lizard, it's probably not a good choice for a pet.
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Member Comment
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1/22/2010 12:14:13 AM
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magsj387
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Like Ken said, Thorny Devils are damn near impossible to obtain in the US and cost a small fortune, along with the permit they require. I think you were referring to Phrynosoma. I too did my research in hopes of bringing home a few and try my luck at breeding them. First off you have to provide for them an adequate ant diet for them if you want any shot at keeping them long term. Second unless you live somewhere were those types of ants are native year round, my guess is your not, you'll have to mail order them. When your talking $40-50 per 1000 ants and they can go through anywhere from 50-100 ants a day your looking at investing a lot of money....if and even if then you can manage all of that, the ants are not available all year round nor are they allowed to ship certain months of the year thanks to the Feds. So my suggestion would be to enjoy pictures of them as well as field herping and checking them out in their natural enviorment, but they are just not meant to be domesticated...
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Member Comment
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1/22/2010 12:17:19 AM
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Member Comment
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1/22/2010 9:36:35 AM
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JohnJohn
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I have to agree with everyone here. Although I've never tried to keep a horny toad, I have heard it very often that they are nearly impossible to keep alive.
If you are intrigued by the challenge of keeping difficult species, or aclimating wild-caught animals to captivity, there are some other species that would still be very rewarding. Acclimating wild-caught animals can take a lot of patience and hard work, but can be very rewarding in the end if you have success. But, if you've never been down that road before, I would start with something else other than horny toads.
Check out Petrosaurus. They are awesome. Petrosaurus are definitely on my own wish list.
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Author Comment
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1/22/2010 1:11:08 PM
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Tkdsnakeman
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Thanks everyone for all the info, I have heard they were difficult and expensive but I have seen a lot of videos of owners enjoying theirs. I do not think the risk of loosing one of these cute little guys is worth the endeavor. I work at a petshop and know from experience that people who can't afford proper setups or refuse to do what is neccessary loose or give away their reptiles. It would be a shame to aquire one if you knew you could not keep it alive or sustain it in captivity. I think I will enjoy them where the belong and push on in my wish list. Thanks again everyone!
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Author Comment
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1/22/2010 1:11:14 PM
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Tkdsnakeman
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Thanks everyone for all the info, I have heard they were difficult and expensive but I have seen a lot of videos of owners enjoying theirs. I do not think the risk of loosing one of these cute little guys is worth the endeavor. I work at a petshop and know from experience that people who can't afford proper setups or refuse to do what is neccessary loose or give away their reptiles. It would be a shame to aquire one if you knew you could not keep it alive or sustain it in captivity. I think I will enjoy them where the belong and push on in my wish list. Thanks again everyone!
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Member Comment
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2/2/2010 3:04:11 PM
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EandJReps
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If anyone thinks about getting a Thorny Devil or even a horned lizard(toad), 99% of the time it will die in a few short months...... if it is lucky. The Thornt devil will only have a chance to live if it eats only the ants that comes from Australia . Horned lizards can be easily stressed out and do not care to be held like some other lizards.
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Member Comment
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1/19/2011 4:52:38 AM
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abi21491
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This question has had no activity for 14 days and will be closed by an administrator unless the original poster takes action. Recommended Action: Points awarded An administrator will select responses and assign points at their discretion. Original poster, please close this question out and assign points. If you have any further information in the resolution of your problem, please post it here so that others may learn from it.
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