Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I just got a new baby Egyptian Uro, about 4 months old, 5 inches long....

The person at the pet store sold me the crushed walnut shell--the bag says suitable for Uromastyx--but then of course I read online in about 10 different places that under no circumstances should I use that as bedding.

So...

My boyfriend went to the hardware store and picked up a 50 pound bag of washed playsand--which most, but not all, websites say is a good choice. He carried it all the way home in the snow only for me to find it was moist! of course, that will not work, I know, the sand would need to be dry. But, this may have been a blessing in disguise because it brought me to more searching and I came to the Deer Fern Farms site, which said that the safest is actually millet, and they explained why (well, they said birdseed that was mostly millet-so logically I feel plain millet will do as well).

So I finally went to the healthy grocery store and bought a big bag of organic millet--I read somewhere that I need to freeze it to kill any mites that may be in the millet.

Whew. So my question actually is--how long do I need to keep it frozen? Is simply overnight enough?

I am anxious to change out the bedding. He is doing very well--His name is Silverado; Silver for short....But I want him as happy and healthy as possible, of course!

Oh, one more question...I am feeding him about as much as he will eat. He eats a certain amount and leaves the rest, which gets dried up--then I will give him a little more fresh food a bit later, and he does the same thing.

Does this seem right? How much do baby Eqyptians need to eat?

Thanks so much!

Help!

Does everyone feel my 5-inch new Uro should not be on substrate at all, and only on newspaper?

I would feel sad to do this to him because he loves to dig, and rest in his warm bedding; I would also feel scared that the heat lamp would set the newspaper on fire.

I bought some millet and I am freezing it to kill any mites.

I really appreciate your thoughts!

Thanks.....

I commend you on doing all the work.
This forum is an incredible resource for new Uro owners.
I think the consensus would be to keep the baby on papaer towels or newspaper.
1 reason would be to monitor how much food your baby is actually eating which would be hard if it is supplementing with millet. The other is potential compaction problems with sand.
5" is still a really, really young Uro.
My Hatchling Egyptians from September are nearly 8".
I keep them on paper towels.
Feeding: Mine eat alot. All the food has to be in tiny pieces or they will not give it any attention. Very rarely do they allow any of it to dry up. Make sure you vary the diet!
Particular favorites: Radiccio, Romaine, dandelions flowers and greens.

Good luck.
>>Help!
>>
>>Does everyone feel my 5-inch new Uro should not be on substrate at all, and only on newspaper?
>>
>>I would feel sad to do this to him because he loves to dig, and rest in his warm bedding; I would also feel scared that the heat lamp would set the newspaper on fire.
>>
>>I bought some millet and I am freezing it to kill any mites.
>>
>>I really appreciate your thoughts!
>>
>>Thanks.....

Thank you so much, I appreciate your help!

For now I have switched it out to paper towels, and he seems ok with it. He really picks up on my feelings, and I am feeling less anxiety ridden--suddenly he has all this energy and spirit! He seemed a little lethargic before.

So you think no millet at all? what about a little for food as a treat, and how long should I keep it frozen to kill the mites?

and should I worry about the heat lamp with paper in the tank?

Thanks so much!

I have never used the millet, so I do not have any info on it.
Sorry.
As far as the paper towels are concerned, I have never had a problem with heat sources and the towels.
I guess that would be dependent on distance/ physical proximity.
Millet as a treat, sure, but alot of the pro breeders are reluctant to give seeds, or dry foods until a year of age.
I do offer finch seed, but very sparingly.
My holdover hatchling(yearling) really enjoys seeds.
Some of the hatchlings enjoy the mazuri pellets. i offer this to them completely ground to a powder.
I'm certainly not a pro, but try to read all I can about the egyptians....hope that helps.

Good luck.

E
>>Thank you so much, I appreciate your help!
>>
>>For now I have switched it out to paper towels, and he seems ok with it. He really picks up on my feelings, and I am feeling less anxiety ridden--suddenly he has all this energy and spirit! He seemed a little lethargic before.
>>
>>So you think no millet at all? what about a little for food as a treat, and how long should I keep it frozen to kill the mites?
>>
>>and should I worry about the heat lamp with paper in the tank?
>>
>>Thanks so much!

Thank you, I appreciate your input. I am not sure what mazuri pellets are but I can look that up.

No emergency but if you or anyone gets a chance, if you were to venture a guess as to the age of a 5 inches Egyptian Uro, I'd appreciate an approximation--I was told at the pet shop approximately 4 months, but maybe he is actually younger....

thank you!

"E"

my Niles doesn't seem to eat much veggies, he heats up and runs around ALLL day like a psycho trying to get out and then at night he's pooped and passes out. He's very healthy but I suspect he's eating too much seed , he has a belly but i never see him eat. Should I take him off the seed/sand mix he's on and put him on just paper towel so i can moniter his food intake more closely? I'd just feel badly b/c he LOVES to dig and he can't dig on paper towel.. that's why i hate giving them that substrate b/c all my lizards just try to dig all day and i give in!

should i have the baby uro on towels??

thanks
kris
-----
4.1 Bearded dragons (Lee,Stumpy,Blackie,Spazz,Lynn)
1 Egyptian Uromastyx (Niles)
(Papa Kunja and Uri have recently passed..we love you)

Thank you for your advice!

I have switched my lizards on and off soo many substrates over the years.. what a pain in the butt! I've typically had them on washed play sand or millet seed or a mix of the 2 b/c uros like to eat bird seed. I can't believe that stuff 'bout freezing the seed!! jeepers!! gimme a break , i've never heard of millet having mites in it. most vets i've been to say the play sand is fine as well as the millet or just newspaper, that's what i've been told,

hope that helps,

kris
-----
4.1 Bearded dragons (Lee,Stumpy,Blackie,Spazz,Lynn)
1 Egyptian Uromastyx (Niles)
(Papa Kunja and Uri have recently passed..we love you)

Thank you for your advice!

Yes, since millet is a food, a grain--there is always a danger of mites-same with rice, but since we boil it before eating it it's not such an issue, but since we of course would not cook the millet before using it as a substrate, best to make sure nothing is living in it that could harm the lizards.

Whew!

I vote for paper towels also... my two baby U. geyri are about 5" long and do great on paper towels. I've heard that Uros can be converted to other substrate at about 7" long. There is really no right or wrong with millet vs. sand, just personal preference. I do know of a few people who kept their Uros on millet, only to find out that they were eating almost all seed and hardly any of their greens or other foods. In that case, millet would not be a good idea, but it's worth a try.

My Uros all get a standard diet of endive/escarole, dandelion greens, a little bit of bok choy, and then I rotate through other things throughout the week like shredded squash or zucchini, watercress, cilantro, peas, lima beans, bee pollen, edible flowers, nasturtium leaves, etc. I give my adult Saharan soaked lentils once or twice a week also.

Andi

Thanks so much for your input!

Yes, the paper towels seem to be the right thing for now.

I will keep the 7 inches for other bedding in mind.

I really appreciate the diet info too!

That is interesting about the bee pollen! I know it is good for people, but do you know of the specific health benefits it has for these lizards?

Thanks again.

Hey Alligator

I have 3 Mali's, each just under 7" STT, that I keep on White Millet, at first they ate alot of it and I was concerned, but lately they have been eating more greens than millet. I froze it for 12 hours, then let it thaw and get to room temp before putting it in the enclosures.

You can get it from most Feed & Seed Stores in 50# bags for about $20. You may need to special order it.

Hi!

So, eventually if I decide to millet you think the white millet is better than the organic millet that I purchased? Just curious....

I know I have more questions but I am sleepy--will write more tomorrow--thanks everyone for all your help!

I do love my new baby.

OH oh oh, before I forget--the pet store said they thought about 4 months old, but at only 5 inches do you all think he is younger than that?

I know it depends on their housing circumstances, etc. how fast they grow, and of course at the shop he was just in a tiny enclosure....

And oh yes, I remembered one more question.

What about a few cooked lentils once in a while--cooked soft, not just soaked in water. He ate a couple today and liked them--but I feel like I might have read somewhere they shouldn't have too much protein before a certain age.

And what is Mazuri?
Thanks so much!

I dont know about organic millet, but I use the White Millet seeds. I dont know if mine are organic or not LOL

As for Age .. ours are just under 7" long and they have aged at about a year old, maybe older. Our 9" almost 10" Uro has been aged between 2 - 3 yrs old. It all depends on the type of Uro, the housing situation and the husbandry (care) they are getting.

Lentils ... aaahhhhh heroin for Uro's... they love them !!! But if you feed them too many, they won't eat their greens. You don't need to cook them, I just microwave about 1/8 cup, 1 x every 3-4 weeks and split them between the 4 Uro's I have. Uro's have a problem processing protein so too many is not good.

Mazuri pellets (ground up) should be sprinkled on their greens 1 x every 4-5 Days. And you should have a calcium supplement you are sprinkling every 3 days on their greens.

I hope this information has helped in some way.

Ah!

Yes, it helps a lot!

I did serve mine a couple of organic french green lentils yesterday--and you are right, he loved them!

I won't overdo it though. I did cook them and let them cool-I wanted them to be soft as he is still a baby.

He is an Egytian Uro which are the largest, so I am thinking that at just 5 inches it is possible he is younger than what the pet store thought.....ah well. I wish I could be sure!

They can get to be 2 to 3 feet. I have a feeling Silver will make it to around 2 feet.

Whew! baby dinosaur! I never thought I would have a lizard for a pet but he "spoke" to me in the store and said, Mom, take me home! even then I went home to think about it--couldn't stop thinking about him and went back the next day! The rest is history. I have had him now a week and 3 days.

Oh I am rambling....ok, still not sure what Mazuri is, so I will look it up:

Ah! It is a brand name. Now, which does one use? The one for Iguanas? Hard to tell. That one has ground corn in it though, which I read is bad for Uro's since corn is very liquid retaining and can bloat up their digestive systems.

Ah, a delicate balance for these lovely creatures is needed.

Ok, thanks so much for all your help!

I am sure I will have more questions soon....

Take care!

You can order them from Doug Dix at www.deerfernfarms.com for like $10 I think ... go to the Supplies pages.

Ohhhh alarm is going off .. time to put the Uros to bed for the night.

Thanks so much, I will look at that site.

Getting it all sorted out!

how long is he? sounds good that he's eating alot. mine eats when we're not looking and then runs gleefully through his veggies scattering them everywhere... and in a few hrs. yes theyre dried up from the heat of the cage..

i wish mine would eat veggies in front of me! do you have pics of silver?
-----
4.1 Bearded dragons (Lee,Stumpy,Blackie,Spazz,Lynn)
1 Egyptian Uromastyx (Niles)
(Papa Kunja and Uri have recently passed..we love you)

Thank you for your advice!

Silver is just over 5 inches right now.

He is so cute. He has been eating his lettuce right from my fingers.

I got him some organic yellow squash and zucchini--think I will grate some of that for him tomorrow, see if he likes it. Greens are his favorite so far!

No pictures yet, I keep meaning to get my boyfriend to take some with his camera phone--I don't have a camera in my cell. soon!!