Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi!

I have questions about Silver again.

He's got his new enclosure, and because it is bigger, the lighting doesn't seem to be as warm even on the basking side. I have the what I now know is unreliable regular thermometer, the dial kind, and I have ordered a while back two digital that are taking their sweet time to arrive, so I am having to feel it out as best I can.

He seems more lethargic than usual, and he is not happily eating his lettuce, I am wondering if he is getting used to his new home-also I had some acoustic musicians here on Sunday which was a bit louder than he is used to, but I sing and play music here all the time--I wonder if it bothered him with more instruments? I know lizards can feel vibration, and he was running around a lot--but he usually does that when I have other people over that aren't playing music. (Although he was running around more.)

I was a bit worried about the music thing, but something kept telling me not to worry too much.

Anyway, now he is not eating, and very lethargic, and hid in his cave all last night and slept there till this morning, and NOW he is moving very strangely, kind of stilted and shaky and he walked slowly away from his food--

Although now when I wasn't looking he walked over and settled down under his basking light.

He does that trying to get out of the glass thing a lot, then stays in that position and falls over...I wonder if he hurt his leg, it seems a bit sensitive, and I wonder if that is why he he walking like that?

I want to make a vet appointment for him as soon as possible but it can't be till after my puppy recovers from her spay operation--I am going to bring her home today, and I have to watch her so that she doesn't eat her stitches, and allow the wound to heal properly. And I am the only one home during the day to watch her, which of course is when the vet is open for Silver.

Ok, thank you for reading...

And so it would seem to spite me--because he is that goofy, he just walked--normally-over to his food and ate a bunch of it, looking at me all alert as I told him what a good boy he is.

Then walked normally back over to his basking spot! Maybe he just was tired and had a leg cramp!!

Oy, he sure keeps me guessing!

Uros don't like change, and they can stress out easily. He's going to need some time to adjust to his new enclosure. When your new thermometers get there, you can check and made adjustments with the temperatures as needed. They are more lethargic if they don't have the right temps, and they also can't digest their food properly if they don't have a good basking temperature.

Can I suggest adding endive/escarole (a.k.a. chicory) and dandelion greens as a staple part of his diet besides just lettuce? Lettuce is okay and is good for adding liquid to the diet, but it doesn't have a lot of nutritional value for Uros. You can also rotate through several other things as "treats" throughout the week like shredded zucchini or squash, bok choy, cilantro, water cress, edible flowers, and a small pinch of bee pollen once every week or two.

Hope he decided to move around well and start eating again... be patient and give him time to settle into his new house

Andi

Hi!

By lettuce I mean mixed greens of different sorts. This week he has:

Red and Green Oak Leaf Lettuce,
Red Leaf, Lollo Rosa, Red and Green Romaine, and Tango. Last week was a mixed baby greens, slightly different. I was mixing in the dandelion greens, but they got so wilted so fast. I've given him grated zucchini and grated yellow squash once and he totally ignored it. I mixed in a bit of mustard greens a few times and it was not his favorite.

Tried giving him bits of acorn squash and he pretty much ignored it. Greens are his favorite, and also I will keep trying the others on and off.

I will definitely buy the dandelion greens when I can, like I said they were so wilty after about a day and a half that I didn't think it was good to give him.

Read that some firm blueberries are occasionally good, he had no interest. Just greens greens greens! He gets all perky after eating his greens! I guess that makes sense!

I am constantly on the lookout for edible flowers also.

Our back yard is never chemically treated; we rent a house and the landlords don't landscape--they just come to pick the graped from their grape arbor--so I am hoping to grow some edible flowers--ha ha, I wonder, can one actually purchase dandelion seeds? That would sure be easy to grow!!

His thermometers finally came today, I will get those in tonight.

Any thoughts on the loud acoustic music bothering him?

Also, suddenly later after I wrote he seemed all excited to have such room to play, and was whizzing around for a while.

Thanks!

You should give lettuces, any kind lettuces, as the main staple because it doesn't have any nutritional value. Your uro will get sick and die if he doesn't eat more nutritious greens and veggies like collard, mustard, escarole, dandelion, parsnips, winter squash, turnips, green beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas.

Hi,

Yes, I totally understand that is why I keep trying to give him the different variety I am speaking of. I plan of course to continue to offer him the variety with the vitamins he needs. I hope that he decides to start liking it all!

However just fyi many lettuces (except iceberg which I would never give him and rarely even eat myself) have a very high nutritional value. You can tell because they are deep green or deep greenish/red, rather than the sort of clear whitish green of iceberg. For instance:

Lollo Rosa: Nutritional Value
Very low in calories, loose-leaf lettuce provides good amounts of vitamin A, Vitamin C and folate, along with a fair amount of iron. One cup of shredded lettuce contains about 10 calories.

...

Nutritional Value of Lettuce:

The nutritional value of lettuce varies with the variety. Lettuce in general provides small amounts of dietary fiber, some carbohydrates, a little protein and a trace of fat. Its most important nutrients are vitamin A and potassium. The vitamin A comes from beta carotene, whose yellow-orange is hidden by green chlorophyll pigments. Beta carotene, of course, is converted to vitamin A in the human body. The darker green, the more beta carotene.

According to the American Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, foods rich in vitamin A and C (antioxidants) offer protection against some forms of cancer. Along with other phytochemical, antioxidants reduce the risk of cancer of the respiratory system and intestinal tract.

Lettuce, except iceberg, is also a moderately good source of vitamin C, calcium, iron and copper. The spine and ribs provide dietary fiber, while vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the delicate leaf portion.

Nutrition Facts (One cup raw leaf lettuce, chopped)

Calories 9
Dietary Fiber 1.3
Protein 1 gram
Carbohydrates 1.34 grams
Vitamin A 1456 IU
Vitamin C 13.44
Calcium 20.16
Iron 0.62
Potassium 162.4 mg

...

Romaine Lettuce is a good source of Vitamins C and A.

...

Having said all this, I know it is very important to get him on the other more nutritional greens that are higher in calcium.

I think I will start offering him those without the mixed greens that he actually likes, and hopefully he will eat them out of desperation--if he doesn't I need to give him what he will eat, or he will of course die. I will make sure to give him calcium supplements as well.

Any tricks, folks, on how to get your Uro to eat what he is not interested in, because it is good for him?

Thanks.

Well, if you compared it to other greens and veggies, those that you have mentioned still don't have nearly as much nutrient as the collard, mustard, escarole, and dandelion. Dandelion being the best greens there is. Infact romaine and the green leaf lettuce only a fraction of vitamins, minerals, and protein as collard, mustard, escarole, and dandelion. I've seem the nutritional value of romaine compared to mustard and the romaine doesn't even come close. I owned an iguanas and talked to a lot of people, which believe to be experts and read a lot about what is good to feed my iguanas from what the experts wrote and they all say all lettuces have very little nutritional value. They are mostly water. And I did compared romaine to mustard as mentioned earlier. It doesn't even come close to what mustard have. You can compared it for yourself if you like and see the difference. And veggies like parsnips, turnips, green beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas have a lot more protein than any greens, even the dandelion, something that a growing reptile needs. And alfalfa has more protein than anyother plant I know, so it's good for growing animals. You can buy alfalfa as rabbit pellets, but make sure it has alfalfa as the first ingredient and doesn't have too much of other stuff. You can soak it in a little water to soften it before mixing it in with the salad. Or you can buy alfalfa tea from the health food store which is just the leaves of the alfalfa plant. Just tear open the tea bags pour it onto the salad and throughly mixed it up with the rest of the food. If your uro doesn't eat the greens and veggies you offer, don't cave in. Just waite a bit like maybe a week, maybe 3, but make sure you provide a shallow dish of water so it can drink if it wants to. When it is hungry, it will eat, so don't let your uro train you to feed things it only likes. I never did that with my iguana and he will eat everything I put in his dish, even the rabbit pellets (alfalfa).

Thank you for your input!

You CAN buy dandelion seeds and try growing them yourself. I'm an obsessive, addicted gardener LOL! I get all of my seeds from Territorial Seed Co., you can look them up online and search for endive, dandelion, etc. I grow both, though I'm having trouble getting them to do much in wintertime. I grow enough to feed my lizards all spring, summer, and fall though. I also grow nasturtiums, they LOVE the leaves and the flowers.

As far as getting your Uro to eat a better variety, could you try getting a head of endive or escarole and cutting it up into very small pieces and slowly start mixing that in with the greens that he does like, then gradually increase the amount? Just a thought...

Andi

Hi Andi,

THANKS SO MUCH!!

That is a GREAT idea!

sits much better than starving him if he doesn't eat the stuff in front of him!!

It is funny, I had trouble finding all the good greens at 2 health stores that sell organic produce. That is the main reason I at least had him on the more nutritional lettuce, which he loves. (High in vitamins A and C but not enough calcium!)

Today I had the brainstorm of going to the good old fashioned non-health food grocery store--a little sad because I reallllly want organic for him--but I did get him endive, cilantro and bok choy--also a butternut squash.

All of these will be part of his far tomorrow and we will see what happens. I think I will offer mainly the endive with bits of the others first, and if that just sits around for hours for his second course I will give in and give him some of his fave mixed greens.

Yesterday I tried again: some shredded yellow squash, zucchini and a bit carrot (all shredded of course) and a couple of peas.

He did eat a bit of the zucchini and all of the few peas that were there! But totally left the yellow squash and the carrot!

I am sensing a GREEN food theme, so maybe I will have good luck with the endive, with some of the cilantro and bok choy mixed in--fingers crossed!

Oh yes, and tried giving a little acorn squash again, to no avail--but discovered this week that I am rather fond of acorn squash--which I had never realized!

COOL about the dandelions! will get nasturtium seeds too. I have never tried to grow flowers before. Veggies yes, but a million years ago--I was in grade school! So I can't remember the right season to plant--I can look it all up online I am sure. I will have a friend take me to a home and garden store soon. I am in Chicago, so it stays quite cold, then a short spring, then a very hot and humid summer.

Oh dear, so tired. Got my puppy spayed this week and we are on watch 24/7 to make sure she does not lick or chew her wound. Must get rest!!

Again, thank you so so much you are such a helpful soul and I appreciate that so much. I am very happy with Silver--every time I walk in the room he is doing something that cracks me up. He brings a lot of light and laughter in to the household! And he is teaching me to eat healthier, myself!

Peace,
Jennifer

Reptile can go a long time without food and water. 2-3 weeks is nothing, and I see nothing wrong with starving her a little so she'll eat the good stuff. You're not actually starving it, but you put down food that is good infront it and if she doesn't eat right away that's up to her. If your uro is extremely stubborn, I would try to add what you are feeding her right now mix with a little of the good green and gradually increasing the good food and slowly decreasing the bad one until you get rid of the bad ones completely.