Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There is a cute little Egyptian Uro at a local pet store... I think I'm in love. LOL This lil lizard is so sweet, eats well and seems to want to be handled. I have everything to take care of it too. I don't know that much about them, but have been doing some research. Can anyone give me some feedback on their experience with Egyptian Uros and what their care regime is like? I have almost decided to get it (only $60) I just want to know if they stay friendly and what care is like for an adult. I have several types of lizards so I have plenty of experience with reptiles. Just looking for feedback. Thanks in advance!

Like all Uros, they're unique & wonderful. Just be prepared for a critter that can undermine the foundation of a city block. Seriously, let that be your main consideration. It will need space & considerable substrate to be a happy camper.

I use papertowels as a substrate. The need veggies which you will have to belend or cut up every so many days. Crix are a thing as well if you have other herps who eat crix you may know that it stinks to run to the store everyday so it's better to order a bunch and keep them in a container and fatten them up for the uro as well. They should be on a diet about 70 veggies 30 crix when sub adults--when adult should eat just veggies. Babies will eat possibly more crix the veggies! Also if using glass tanks as setups you can use like a50 breeder they are a great space for uros! Good luck and enjoy!

Thanks! You use paper? How do you get hiding spots with paper? Could I use shredded for hiding also? How big is your Uro? I have been at the shop twice before and the last time the little egyptian guy was in with an amazing red/orange Uro, Nigerian.. maybe? The orange guy was a bit bigger and not very friendly by comparison. The egyptian is about 6 inches in length and fat as can be, he/she was chasing a cricket the last time I was in the shop. I keep a constant flow of crix here, I have aussie water dragons, rankins, a beardie and a frilled, so I buy bulk online and also breed supers and mealies. I am hoping to get to the shop later today, if time will allow me.

There is no reason to feed a Uromastyx crickets or any other insect. I can see people arguing for a treat or to help taming down a uro but to suggest insects in a regular diet is not good advice.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

I do not feed insects. They are unnecessary and can cause health issues. A very few now and again are unlikely to be a problem, but 70/30 veggies to bugs is asking for trouble for any age uro.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Ok, so before I go out an get a Uro... could someone please tell me the exact way to feed a proper diet. I had read that veggies and maybe a cricket/worm as a treat, now and again. Is this correct? There seems to be conflict in the feeding area. This guy is small and growing, so it really counts. I would really appreciate your responses.

That is not correct. There is no good reason to feed a uro crickets. They cause more problems than they're worth and can lead to things like parasites and kidney disease.

Stick to the idea that uros are herbivores. Many people are misinformed on this and are relying on outdated information and crummy books.

The main part of the diet should consist of nutritional greens such as endive, escarole, bok choy, and dandelion greens. That can be supplement with some veggies like squash. You can also feed the occassional dab of dried lentils, certain kinds of bird seed (I give my uro a pinch of millet every week or two), and edible flowers...

Sorry if it came across as me suggesting offering insects as treats as that was not my intention because I'm a 100% no insect man myself.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

Greens are only half the issue. A good seed bowl is essential. So, here I go again. Our bowls contain crushed 15 bean soup beans minus the kidney beans. Add to that split lentils, buckwheat & oat groats, mung beans, barley, bulghar wheat, parakeet feed, small amounts of bee pollen, & the list goes on. Point is, greens are vital but they NEED the hard foods too. Bugs, they don't need.
Keep posting your good questions.

Ok, that helps.. a lot! Arredondo: I think you just made me hungry.. that sounds like the ingredients of a nice soup. I always say.. if the food isn't good enough for me, my reptiles aren't having it either.
Seriously, I will totally NOT feed crix or feeders. So here is what I have pasted to my notebook for what to feed my (pending) Uro.

The main part of the diet should consist of nutritional greens such as endive, escarole, bok choy, and dandelion greens. That can be supplemented with some veggies like squash and edible flowers...
Greens are only half the issue. A good seed bowl is essential. So, here I go again. Our bowls contain crushed 15 bean soup beans minus the kidney beans. Add to that split lentils, buckwheat & oat groats, mung beans, barley, bulghar wheat, parakeet feed, small amounts of bee pollen, & the list goes on. Point is, greens are vital but they NEED the hard foods too. Bugs, they don't need.
Feel free to correct this..

I do have a question about the beans.. why do they need hard foods? I'm sorry if I seem stupid.. I just have no experience with Uros and want to make sure I give the lil guy everything it needs.
Again, thanks so much! I am so glad to get these answers BEFORE getting the Uro.

Follow the advice from the forum, stay away from crickets. The very best green you can give them is turnip greens, but not always available. Stick with high quality greens, forget about the lettuces. Mine seem to like red leaf, so once a month or so I buy a small bunch and add it. Variety is nice, buying small amounts of many different things. Frozen, thawed mixed veggies, chopped of course, sweet potatoes, green and yellow squash, a red pepper once in awhile, dandelions, hibiscus, rose petals...the list goes on.
I was not happy when I read your post that they put the egyptian in with the geyri. Make sure if you buy it, that you take a fecal in. Not knowing if the egyptian is cb, wc or farmed, and the fact that they now mixed species makes it important for your uros health to have a fecal done.
I also used paper towels for babies, and put a cave or "'retes" stack in the cage for basking/hiding. The only difference in the cage setup is that you won't use a regular substrate until the baby is of substantial size. Best of luck to you. Post pics when you get your little one.
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1.1 varanus acanthurus brachyurus (Dorado & Dora)
1.1 u. macfadyeni (Amani & Abeba)
1.2 u. ornata (Husani, Zari, & Bintu)
0.0.1 geochelone carbonaria (Rojo)
0.0.1 cyclura hybrid lewisi x caymanensis x nubila (No Name)
1.1 hyla chrysoscelis (Pudge & Squirt)
Herps Are Awesome!

Thank you. I have a feeling that the lil one didn't like the bigger guy either, the larger one was getting the look.
I will be certain to have a fecal done.

Your questions don't "seem stupid" at all. In fact, it's refreshing to see someone posting such good inquiries BEFORE the purchase.
"Hard foods" are a very natural part of a Uro's diet. In the desert environs, they're a staple, especially after the new spring growth has died off. The blend that we use is primarily based on what we've gathered on various care-sheets & input from this forum.
2-Deep, try buckwheat groats just for fun. All our guys pick & peck for their favorites but almost all seem to go after those groats first. Well, after the parakeet feed.
Doug, you're the toxicologist/nutritionist. Can you comment here? Value of seed foods?

What do you do if your Uro won't eat anything from the seed bowl? I've offered Dozer a bowl with finch seed (with nijer seeds removed), assorted beans and lentils. Once he picks out the lentils, he's done with it. I've also tried sprinkling bee pollen over it to entice him, and still no interest.
What types of nutrients (fiber?) do they get from the seed bowl? Are there other ways of getting those nutrients into him? Any other suggestions to get him interested in the bowl?
Thanks for the help.

Ok sorry i always feed at lest a crix a day to my uro! He loves his veggies. He when little was on a diet of 30% crix and 70% veggies. Which he is perfectly fine and healhty as ever! Just had all herps to vet and every is in great health and no problems! So sorry but i have no problem feeding crix or mealies to my guy. I attached pics as well so you can see how GREAT he is. ALso endive and bokchoy are not supposed to be offered everyday dandelions yes but bok choy and endive are to be given weekly not daily! Yes there will be conflicts on everything because everyone has their own opinions and techniques of doing things. Good luck!

Yes sand is bad and i have paper towels laid down in half the tank and then a box...here i will show you the pic of thebox with the desert snow! That's where he sleeps only he hangs out all day out and about in the tank!

Image

Here are some more of the pics!!

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He is so beautiful.. and looks very healthy. I am still researching and I really appreciate everyones imput.

Thanks! Good luck you seem very smart!

It's always great to see someone putting in time to research instead of rushing things. Sometimes its hard to tell who to believe. A lot of caresheets and forum-posters will all say something different. My best advice would be to read through a few pages of these forums. After a few days you'll quickly be able to spot what the best information is.

”ALso endive and bokchoy are not supposed to be offered everyday dandelions yes but bok choy and endive are to be given weekly not daily!”

There is much confusion when it comes to endive as many people freely interchange the term endive and chicory. There is a difference between endive (chicorium endivia) and true chicory (chicorium intybus). The curly endive that many of us use as a staple is a close relative to its flat-leafed sister- escarole (Chicorium latifolia). I disagree with your statement that endive should not be fed daily. If you are concerned about endive (not true chicory) being high in oxalates, dandelions are actually a little higher.

” So sorry but i have no problem feeding crix or mealies to my guy. I attached pics as well so you can see how GREAT he is’

I could post a photo of my mother in-law a week after she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor which took her life within six months. The photo would show a very healthy looking woman.
I could also post a photo of my father two weeks before his quadruple by-pass surgery, the photo shows a man that looks extremely healthy and fit.
Not all health/medical conditions can be ascertained by looking at a photo. Although ‘some’ forms of gout may manifest into visible signs that can be seen after the disease has advanced, this is not true for all gout and/or kidney disease.

Which he is perfectly fine and healhty as ever! Just had all herps to vet and every is in great health and no problems!

Did the vet do radiographs to verify whether or not the animal has tophi deposits? If so, keep in mind that certain types of deposits may not show on x-ray. Did the vet do complete blood work to check how the kidney and other organs are functioning? If not, then you have no clue what the high animal protein diet is doing to this herbivore and you most likely will not know until the disease process has advanced. Please do not insist that you are not feeding a high insect diet as you have already posted that you feed your geyri five crickets a day and 1-2 mealworms a day as treats. The amount/weight of the insects fed daily amounts to a rather high ratio given the weight of the greens an average geyri would eat in a day. I suggest you pick up a few veterinarian books and look into the impact a moderate or high animal protein diet can have on an herbivore.

Ok, so I wanted to show you all the pic of the uro in question, I asked for a pic from the shop. Please tell me your opinion. I was told its CB and about 4 months old. Hopefully my schedule will allow me to get over there this weekend.

Oh I love the baby egyptians! He is cute and has about the right look for a 4 month old Egyptian, assuming Mosca was a good representation. (the top and bottom photos are of Mosca when he was 6-8 weeks old, the middle one when he was about 6-7 months old)

Elizabeth

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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
Madison, Wisconsin

Oh my goodness... your uro is so adorable, thanks for sharing the pics!! The store was closed today.. *tear* maybe tomorrow.

As always, thanks for summing up the facts!

I wil continue my diet as i have had planty of success and am rehiblitating one right now, I have nor problems and have had none. Thanks.....

Not sure on CB or WC alot can depend on there dispostions, good luck very cute uro!

Leolady, you should really rethink your own husbandry before offering advice to others. You talk about your "healthy" uros as your examples but you completely left out your Ornate that is not eating.

Anyway, I love baby Egytpians as well, just be aware that even though it's that small now it can grow up to 2 feet or so in length and you need a very large enclosure for it, something like 6 feet by 2 feet minimum!
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

My ornate uro is eating and i am rehabilitating her and doing a great job at it. She is doing very well and eating great now! My husbandry is COMPLETLY better then half the people that mentioned there's here using sand! SAnd is the worst and always will be!

Leolady,

I find your comments and logic off just a tad when it comes to some statements you have made on animal protein, diet, freezing food, temperatures, enclosure size, and even sand. I am not sure where you pull some of your statements and opinions from, but it certainly does not appear to be from credible sources or reliable statistics. In fact, you give very little data (primarily biased opinions and inaccurate comments stated as facts) such as the basis for why you feel that feeding moderate amounts of animal protein to herbivores on a daily basis is good for them. I find many of your comments a little irresponsible and I can only hope that new members will see through this thick fog and rely on members pointing out your inaccuracies and giving more sound advice.

should have been a politician. LOL. I would have just said: "You don't what the ---- you're talking about!" LOL.

I have found that my posts are removed rather hastily when I handle it your way Tom.
Plus, you know how difficult this would be for me with my easy-going, laidback, mellow, meek personality.

Debb for President in '08!

Thank you for straightening me out on the substrate issue. My god, I've been using sand for years without knowing it's the worst!! Thank you for saving our lizards before it was too late. Whew!!! Almost lost 'em all but for your experience & insight!

Sorry i think sand is the worst substrate to use for any herp and would never recommend it. Uros don't naturally live on sand, it's technically a hard packed clay, dirty, soils, not sand. For those who use and prefer sand there is that risk that i am not willing to take and don't understand why anyone else would want to either. Why spend the money on an awesome animal and then you think that the substrate is cool looking and a few years down the road he is impacted, there goes all your hard work. I would rather save my self that aggrivation and do it the proper way without ANY risk and put him on papertowels. That's all i am saying.

I have seen plenty of unhealthy uros at stores and peoples that are on sand and not eating at all because they eat the calcisand and that's it. What the heck? They don't even eat sand, its not any part of there diet. I just think a healthy herp is better then a dead one.