Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi to All (have i mentioned you guys are awesome, this is such a great forum!)
A quick question:
Mortimer has been really favouring bird seed lately. I leave it in his cage all the time and i'm right now on a mission to recapture his interest in greens (which he has been largely ignoring). Today i noticed that his poop is full of either flax or millet seeds. The seeds didn't seem digested at all. Is this a problem? I know that sunflower seeds can cause impaction but are the little seeds all right? Mortimer is not dehydrated and is active but how many nutrients can he be getting if the seeds pass right through him?
Thanks for listening,
maggie.

as long as your birdseed is primarily millet, minus the sunflower seeds/chips and other tropical seeds found in bird seed, your uro should be ok. From what i've found from research and deerfernfarms.com, no the seeds are not digested and they pass right through. I don't think there is much nutrient value to the birdseed bc the uro's don't digest it, but maybe someone else can help you with that.

Mortimer definately needs the greens for nutrition as well as for getting a sufficient amount of water in his diet. Kameko, my mali, is a picky eater and he seems to love carrot slices, peas, turnip and mustard greens. Try some dandelions as well because uro's will go crazy for them!!! I've found that if i don't offer him everything at once, he is less likely to pick and choose and i guess realizes he better eat whats there since there is not much to choose from. I try to give him a small variety each day so that he doesn't just get his favorites... although sometimes thats hard when he stares at his dish, looks at me, stares back at the dish...kinda like... you think i'm gonna eat this don't you? LOL. anyway,... good luck!

tara
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My maroccan only ate birdseeds a week or so before she started shedding (first time since i've had her). Maybe that could be it. Just a thought. Good luck!