Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone

I had a question about the substrate of my Uro. I have had Malis since a long time ago, but researching about Saharan Uros I noticed that they need more humidity and more water than malis. I have keeped him on Calci-Sand and gave him water every other day but he never drink. I wonder if the sand its to dry for him, should I change to other substrate?
Thanks
Manuel Cantu

You might be reading the info wrong. They do not need more humidty or water but since most of the are wild caught imports people stress getting them hydrated quickly since most are dehydrated by the time they get into the hands of new owners. You can offer water to them but chances are they will not drink. They get thier water from thier greens so adding something like Romaine which has a high water content can really help but has no nutritional value.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

I use high quality bird seed (millet only!) for my cage substrate. I read up about it a long time ago and it works great. As you know, Uros can eat seeds (and love to) so this type of substrate won't cause them to get compacted, it can't get in their eyes (it is virtually dust and odor free), and it is easily sifted. I think it is an ideal substrate, and it is pretty inexpensive. When you change out the bird seed (it can last several months) then you can just give it to the wild birds outside. The only problem I have run into is this - if water leaks down to the bottom of the seeds, it can cause them to try to sprout and then die and decay, so be careful when putting water so it can't leak out. Here is the place where I have received invaluable information on Uros.
http://www.deerfernfarms.com/Uromastyx_Care.htm
- Crissey
PS - Uros love dried lentils and peas - they "chew" them up easy with their powerful jaws!

One more thing - my Uros love Bok Choy and it has a lot of water content and it great for them. I wouldn't recommend ever feeding your Uro any kind of lettuce! You can find Bok Choy in the fresh veggie section of the supermarket (my Uros love to lick the water off the big leaves of the Bok Choy before they at it). I also regularly feed my Uros Hibiscus flowers (I have several plants that I keep growing throughout the year just for them) and dandelions (do not use dandelions that have been sprayed outside, only ones you know are safe). Maybe that will help get your Uro rehydrated. My Uros love to drink out of their feed bowl when I feed them peas and carrots (frozen that I heat up) mixed with juvenile Iguana pellets that have real fruit in them.
Good luck
Crissey

I wouldn't recommend ever feeding your Uro any kind of lettuce!

There's nothing wrong with feeding your uro romaine 2-3 times a week as long as it's mixed in with their staple greens consisting of endive,escarole,dandelion greens and bok choy.Romaine has a much higher water content then bok choy does.It's a good way to keep your uro hydrated.I wouldn't feed a sick or dehydrated uro lentils,split peas or dry beans.
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Cajit
Clearwater,Florida,USA
URO'S RULE ALL!!!

1.0 Mali Uromastyx (OZ) DOUG DIX

I would get rid of the calci-sand as it contains calcium carbonate and you can't control how much your uro ingest's and it can interfere with the digestion process.As a rule don't buy any sand that's sold in pet stores.You can use the birdseed as another member said just make sure it doesn't contain sunflower seeds as they can cause impaction.Or you can use washed and sifted play sand, it's sold in most hardware stores in 40-50 pound bags for about 4-5 bucks.Just make sure it says washed and sifted play sand on bag.If your uro is 7 inches and below then go with a non-particulate substrate such as repti-carpet,paper towels,brown bag and etc.as particulate substrate can cause impaction due to their smaller size.
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Cajit
Clearwater,Florida,USA
URO'S RULE ALL!!!

1.0 Mali Uromastyx (OZ) DOUG DIX