Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thanks for the advice everyone, and Urotamer, new problem. The night of the vet visit, I put in some more crickets for him. He didn't eat any, but I assumed it was just because he was tired, as I had put them in after dark, and he was asleep. But today, almost all are still there. I am bringing in a fecal tomorrow.

If offered bugs they may eat them for a few days then not want any more for a while. NOW you can try green beans, etc. to see what he'll eat. It's still a good idea to bring him with you when you bring in the fecal sample.
Keep me posted.
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**Kenn**
The Uros at home:
http://www.arabianwildlife.com/current/dubh.html
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/uromastyx.html
http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/runningbrook/729/id19.htm

"It's still a good idea to bring him with you when you bring in the fecal sample."

I would suggest the exact opposite. The uro was just seen by the vet and I see no reason to stress it more by removing it from its enclosure to make another trip back to the vet to drop off a fecal sample. If the vet feels that the animal is dehydrated and is suggesting fluid therapy of some sort- then the trip with the uro would make sense.

Geyri tend to stress easier than many other species and regardless of what you offer for food, the appetite may not pick up until the animal has somewhat acclimated to it’s surroundings. A ‘hands-off’ approach and minimizing outside movement and noise will help with the acclimation process.

I would remove all insects from the enclosure. As El Toro already mentioned- the burden of a high animal protein diet to the system of this herbivore would be even greater if the animal is dehydrated.

Although there is no harm in offering some greens beans and peas, I would caution against the use of these items as staples in the diet (should the uro take a liking to them) as there are better choices. Green beans and peas are known as a moderate oxalate and the Ca ratio is not the best. Try a variety of leafy greens, a little shredded zucchini and throw in a little color like butternut squash for enticement. Any edible flower blossom you can get your hands on would be a plus.

In additional to checking for parasites, take a close look at the enclosure setup. Uromastyx will have a difficult time acclimating if the enclosure is too small or if the enclosure is lacking in one way or another. Regardless of what you offer for food, if the animal is stressed from improper environmental factors, the appetite will most likely be decreased or non-existent. The two most important things to rule out with a decreased appetite would be health issues (you are working on that) and enclosure issues. If you are attempting to use something small like a 30x12 enclosure, this could have a lot to do with the issues you are seeing. If you have not already done so- I would invest in some reliable equipment (digital thermometer and temp gun) for measuring ambient and surface areas to make sure that the readings you are getting are correct. This is extremely important if you are using a smaller enclosure.

Focus on getting a fresh fecal for analysis, ensuring that the enclosure is large enough and the heating is accurate, and minimize handling and outside movement and noise.