WANTED! Coast Horned Lizard

Solares are going to be mostly in arizona. Mark on the forum keeps some solares. Talk to him on the phrynosoma forums. Their crown does look pretty cool

could you please send me his link so i could contact him somehow i was'nt ale to locate him sorry

The Coastal Horned Lizard is a species of special concern in Ca., but as far as the State of Ca. Fish & Game Dept. is concerned, this means "endangered" in statute law. There is a difference between state endangered and federally listed as endangered. They are not always the same lists, but as far as legality and permits go in Ca., the P. coronatum ( CHL ) is unlawful to possess or transport without permit. In fact, it is unlawful to collect any wildlife species in the State of Ca. without permit. Attempting to go through an inspection or customs station into Mexico with a horned lizard would get you detained and the animal seized ( best case ). Worst case, you could face fines and extended detention, especially on the Mexico side as they are particularly nasty about such things.

One should really study these lizards for some extended time before trying to obtain one. They are not what I would consider a beginners reptile, and do not do very well in captivity without extensive preparation and understanding. I get emails from very many beginners who have tried to keep a horned lizard, only to have it die within months due to improper care.

for one there not as hard as everyone says they are ive owned one it was fairly easy i jus feed it ants and small crickets and there habitat is aslo fairl easy i used i think it was vitasand and had a heat rock and a bowl for water and i had him for almost a year till i sold him

I defer to my own knowledge of them with nearly 23 years of reptile experience, and the opinions of people like Dr. Wade Sherbrooke and Dr. Richard Montanucci who say they are difficult. Professional herpetologists from both the Nasville and Ft. Worth zoos are members of my yahoo list, and I know many other zoos who have given up keeping them, or who will not try them for very good reason.

“Horned lizards are among the most difficult lizards to keep in captivity because they have specialized dietary and thermal requirements, and they are susceptible to disease.” -Dr. Richard Montanucci, professor-Emeritus Clemson University, Herpetologist & author of “Maintenance and Propagation of Horned Lizards in Captivity”.

"Unfortunately these lizards are frequently collected from the wild for pets. They usually die in captivity because of a lack of proper husbandry. This is an incredibly delicate lizard, subject to stresses which include handling. For this reason, it should be viewed only, and not handled at all." David Cooper of the North Carolina Herpetological Society

[ I provided my care manual on horned lizards to the NCHS, which superseded the one written by David Cooper. ]

They are as hard as people say they are. You probably just got lucky, but then again, just because you say you kept it a year does not indicate that it was healthy when you sold it. Some species can be kept relatively healthy in captivity given proper conditions, if you are versed in their care, vigilant, and have the time and resources for them. If you are not any of those things, they are going to die before their time. I will stand by my statements that in my opinion these are for advanced herpers and beginners to reptiles should not try to keep them.