Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have only had my niger uromastyx for almost 3 weeks and he will only eat the wild dandelions and flowers in my yard, he will not eat anything i buy at the store. I offer him mustard greens, dandelion leaves, some lettuce, and a few other greens from the store, but he wont eat them. Can uros be picky eaters, or am i trying to feed him the wrong things.
He wont eat store bought dandelions, but he will eat wild ones.

Have you tried endive/escarole (a.k.a. chickory)? That's a good staple green to feed Uros daily if he'll eat it.

Andi

No I have not tried endive or escarole, but i will try it. He also seems to like the spring mix a lot, is that good for him?
I also have a ball python, and i know when he is shedding he is less likely to eat, is this the same with Uromastyx?

My mali was addicted to dandilions when we first had him, mainly becasue we spoiled him. The thing is that uro's can be picky eaters, but you still have to push them to eat their greens. I find that if you tear up the flower into pieces and mix it in with the chopped up greens, they are unable to just pick out the yellow without eating some greens too. Spring mix is great, just make sure that it doesn't have spinach, as it can bind the calcuim in their bones. Thankfully, dandilions are a healthy food, but they are not always available, especially in cold weather or in droughts. Another tasty treat are peas, again, to be used in moderation.

Key thing is they are just like a child, when it comes to eating habbits. You have to build their taste by exposing them to new things and making it impossible to get the tasty parts they want without eating the greens that they don't like (yet). Eventually, they learn to eat a variety of food. Good luck!

Thanks for the help, and i will start to mix dandelions with his other food. Today he ate about half of his spring mix and he was very active. Thanks for all the tips

Josh

Just curious. What's that substrate?
Dan.

I think it is called corn mix or something, but i am inthe process of getting a different substrate for him

If that's corn substrate, I'd highly recommend getting rid of it ASAP and going with either millet or washed play sand.

I am in the process of getting rid of it, Thanks
Josh