Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got my guy a few weeks ago now and he has barely eaten anything. I have a basking spot at 130F and the spot he mostly spends time in is 100-110F and then there is a nice cooler side that goes down to 80F if he wants. He eats very little here and there. I fed him a few crickets on the weekend that he went crazy for (2) and gave him a few leaves here and there that he just takes a bite or two out of.. So in two weeks he's barely eating anything. Maybe this is due to the winter months or aclimatizing?

Shawn

um, well you got your lizard from a good person so i doubt it is full of worms or anything, but if you are really concerned you could always get a fecal done to ease your mind (i can't remember if you said you had done that or not)

it could be the weather, hugo gets up and eats a few bites and then goes right back to bed.

also he may not like what you are giving him. uros do have their favorites. maybe try different leafy greens and see if he responds to them differently. helga will only eat bok choy, maybe some escarole. hugo used to only eat bok choy and now seems to like escarole better. xoco will eat anything because he never stops eating, i am still trying to figure out what would make stew happy, i know he eats because he poops, but it never seems like much is gone from his plate.

bee pollen, which can be found in vitamin stores, can stimulate the appetite sometimes when sprinkled on the food but it will lose its effectiveness after awhile.

i would say he is probably still acclimating, just keep an eye on him and make sure he is not losing weight.
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vonnie
***The first law of dietetics seems to be: if it tastes good, it's bad for you. — Issac Asimov ***

jeune, pretty sound advice. What about hyperactivity in your experience. The only time I can pick this guy up is when he's about to sleep or if he's cooler. He's constantly non-stop in that tank, glass dancing. When he's out he wants to always fall down on the floor. Basically it's like he ate a Snickers or something. LOL Thanks again.

Shawn

that behavior is fairly common.
uros never will truely understand glass.
Check your temps to make sure the glass dancing isn't your guy trying to escape the heat.
In many cases glass dancing can be reduced or eliminated by giving your uro other stuff to do, like digging and climbing on rocks & branches.
I believe the jury is still out as to whether glass dancing is harmless or harmful... I have read that the severe angle of the tail during this can be harmful...

As for handling your uro, it's better not to, especially since this animal is new to you, and is not yet acclimated. After he is established and eating well, try getting him used to you by hand-feeding treats. But these are not like bearded dragons. They will never sit calmly on your lap or shoulder. Some uros will tolerate moderate handling, especially if you have conditioned them to associate your hands with food. Unless the human's living space meets the heating & uv requirements, it's best to keep your uros in their enclosure.

re tempting him to eat: try sprinking yellow edible flower petals (hibiscus, rose, dandelion) on his greens. yellow is very attractive to many uros.

good luck
--benedita

Shawn,

I purchased my uro from the same breeder that you did back in August/Sept 2005 (same clutch). For approx. the first 2 months I had “him”, he ate very little and did not respond well to handling. During this time, I left him alone as much as possible, weighing him every 2 weeks to ensure that he was at least maintaining his original weight (which he did).

Currently his body weight has more than tripled but his “disposition” has not improved. He is a very, very nervous/skittish little guy that does not like to be handled (I should have put the “does not like to be handled” part in capitals).

I think you’ll have to do little research about acclimatization and settle in for the long haul. You’ll really have to resist the temptation to overreact to this settling-in period and let your uro come into its own. Purchasing a digital scale, so you can track any weight changes, may help in this regard.

I noticed an activity/appetite increase when I raised nighttime temps (as we discussed in another thread) and purchased a MV UVB bulb.

Shawn,
What are you feeding "Max"? Jeune had a good suggestion about the Bee pollen grandules. I forgot to mention to you that I also use Bee pollen as an appetite stimulant. They are use to it and seem to like it. Every so often I have to give them something different in their diet. If I only gave them spring mix everyday they would get board!LOL. They like frozen(thawed) peas and green beans, Bok choy, snow peas, zuccini, nappa, escarole etc. Also remember that they only have small bellies at this size so it doesn't take a lot per feeding to fill it! NOTE: Try not to feed him/her crickets more than twice a month and only a couple at a time.

Rhonda
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1.1 U.maliensis
2.1 U.geyri
1.1 U ornatus
0.1 U. macfadyeni

Thanks everyone for replying,

I will definatly try the Bee Pollen and I believe he doesn't appear to get stressed with my presence at all. I can walk by the tank, tap on the glass, reach my arm in to hand feed him and he doesn't get scared. He's hyperactivity level is through the roof and some nights he likes to head off to bed in his cave early (6ish). He seems very alert and has all the UV, Heat and cool side that he could want. I will try some different foods this weekend and see what happens. He's taking everything with his tongue all the time so I think he's tasting for food. I'll keep you all posted as to how he does. But again, he doesn't seem stressed at all. Just getting used to his surroundings I suppose.

Shawn

Actually...One more thing.

So far I have tried to freeze the greens in individual ziplocks to prevent myself from always having greens go bad. If you want to by Collards you have to buy a bundle and so forth. I can get Baby Bok Choy easily but for the other large greens they don't last long and I end up only using like half a large leaf during the week. Do most of you feed frozen, dried foods. What's everyone regime so I can get an idea of what and how often you feed. I'm curious to know your regime Gexy since I got him from you!

Thanks,

Shawn

I've never had any success with freezing greens. To make greens last longer in the fridge, I've invested in some vegetable Ziploc bags (the ones with the small holes in them). They work to keep the greens fresher longer than in standard bags. This is the best thing I could come up with.
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1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra, Isis)
1.0 Satanic Leaf-tail Gecko (Diablo)
0.1 Satanic Leaf-tail Gecko (R.I.P. Samael)

Hi Shawn,
From my years of experience in working with herps especially uromastyx, I've learned a few tricks of the trade. Don't take this the wrong way as uro keeping is a long term learning experience. I've still got much to learn ... sometimes by my mistakes but hopefully more by a hands-on and shared experiences with others which is where these great forums come in. I agree with all the great info my colleagues have shared with you as far as acclimation. I can add one or two things which may help. When ever I would get a fresh import every now and then in order to add new blood or build my breeding groups and I found that they wouldn't eat ... often for two to three weeks, I would try different approaches so as to try to minimize their stress factor. If yours was purchased from a breeder it should be less of a task to acclimate. The first rule of thumb is to cover it's tank with paper, cardboard or whatever will keep the uro from seeing you, a family pet, a bird flying across an uncovered/open window ... I'm sure you get the picture. The only time I interact with a stressed/acclimating uro is when I feed (most always while it's still sleeping) or clean it's cage and this is even done while the uro is sleeping while taking care not to move or disturb rocks, hides or furniture.
Lastly, handling is not accepted during this delicate time except for a weight check from every few days to a week and also in order to check it's physical appearance while looking for loss of fat to the ventral side of it's tail and any obvious weight loss especially to it,s hind quarters. At the same time you can quickly observe it to assure that it's bright, alert and responsive (bar).

Good luck,
John