"I don't think Robyn is "power feeding" his Uro's, he is just offering free choice of food, the are just choosing to eat more."



Yes, they definitely do. They have to, because in their habitat they do have to make use of any food and have to eat plenty if plenty is available.

But that is the exception in their habitat. There are many months where food is sparse. And Uros are adapted to such conditions by thausends of years.



"What are the long term effects of faster growth rates? I don't know, but I doubt it is risked liver or kidnety damage."



Why do you doubt this? Its well known form tortoises and green iguanas, that kidney and liver problems as well as gout, obesity and other illnesses in later live are due to power raising.



"She suspects that these conditions, may be the result of improper hydration through out the reptiles life. In other words, a reptile that is constantly in a minld state of dehydration might be more prone to these problems latter in life. This is true for humans in the case of kidney stones. "



Thats nothing new, well known to the communitiy that exceptional well hydration can help to reduce nutritional problems associated with a too rich diet. Especieally chameleon keepers do make use of this to overcome some of the not yet solved problems of chameleon nutrition.



But perfectly hydrating Uros is not easy for most keepers. Too high ambient humidity can cause scale problems, too much drinking water can cause severe digestive problems.



You may be able to balance for too rich food with extremely rich hydration. But why take dot and antidot when its easier to follow the nutritional scheme Uros are adapted to?



From all that experiences with tortoises, iguanas AND UROS out there, I guarantee that power raised non hibernated specimens will have a significantly reduced lifespan in comparison to naturally fed animals



Why should we ignore all information about their nutrition in the wild and try to use their "maximum genetic potential"?

To me this is not the way to go in any animal husbandry.



I have exoperienced a lot of trends and discussions like this in the last 30 years of herping and I have made my experiences. Good ones and bad ones. And as a conclusion from all that and from my scientific background, I absolutely stick to what I said.

If you do not beleive me. Let it stand as my opinion and ignore it.

But this forum is made for exchange of opinions and experiences.

So I won´t stop to offer you my 2 cts, especially when discussions tend to reach a position, wehre I see danger for the animals.

And again, I see a lot of danger. What seems fine and great now can be tomorrows horror.



Ci@o



Ingo

[ Show Entire Thread ]