Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am thinking about getting my son a uromastyx. He first seen them at his doctor's office. When he was younger he called them dinosaurs.

I will be the primary caregiver to the lizard as my son is only 5. Could anyone give any good websites or books to check out before I buy one? Also where I can find them. I have found them in a local petstore. $80 each. Doesn't seem too bad. Although it is the first time I've seen one outside of the doctor's office.

I would like to learn what I can about keeping these. I have experience with snakes, but not lizards.

Thanks

Jennifer

Edited on July 8, 2008 at 22:35:39 by PHGinger.

Be sure to do a lot of research before actually getting a Uro. They're mostly known as a "look at me" pet, not really able to be handled a lot like you would be with a bearded dragon. Some people do handle them daily, but for me the problem with that is it takes them away from their heat source for too long. If you hold a Uro and it's all cuddly, it's not because it's tame, but because it's freezing and will snuggle up to anything remotely warm to try to regulate it's body temperature. Also, keep in mind that the recommended size enclosure for one uro is 4' x 2', and your monthly power bill will take a big jump because of all the heat and lighting required to keep them at the proper temperature gradient.

One last thing I would really really advise is to NOT get a Uro from a pet store. There are horror stories about how Uros are in such bad conditions at pet stores, and there is a general consensus among serious Uro owners to not promote Uros at pet stores because of the horribly negligent care they get there. You'd be much better off purchasing a Uro from a reputable breeder, you'll end up with less health problems and vet bills in the long run. Don't think that just because you can get a Uro from a store for $80 it's a good deal, not when you factor in all the health problems from being kept in despicable conditions while at the store. Count on spending a good $500 or more for an appropriate size enclosure, the heat and lighting requirements, and vet bills to check for and treat parasites. Also, do NOT believe anything that pet stores tell you about Uro care, 99% of the information they give out is plain wrong. Just read through this and other Uro forums and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Hope that helps out. I'm not trying to talk you out of it, just trying to realistically let you know what all is involved in keeping a Uro healthy and happy, and that it's not really a hands-on type of animal. If you want something that you can handle and snuggle with, a Uro is definitely not it, especially for a young child.

Andi

Edited on July 8, 2008 at 22:38:21 by PHGinger.

I agree with everything doublemom said. On the surface, it seems easy but there's a lot of work and money involved in getting the setup right.

I do worry that just about any lizard is just not a good pet for a child as young as 5 years old. Leopard geckos make good starter pets but the tail can break off if mishandled.
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1.1.17 Mali Uromastyx (Ra, Isis) & eggs
1.1 Satanic Leaf-tail Gecko (R.I.P. Diablo and Samael)
2.0 Tabby cats (Cloud, Magus)

Edited on July 8, 2008 at 22:37:37 by PHGinger.

As the "primary care giver" for a 5 year old child's "pet", I suggest a bunny rabbit. Uromastyx & most other reptiles aren't very appropriate for adolescents. Or for most adults for that matter. Stay simple until the child is older.

Edited on July 8, 2008 at 22:36:20 by PHGinger.

I get tired of hearing about kids and reptiles. It depends on the kid and the parent. If you have a rugrat that's a terror that you can barely handle, then fine, no reptiles(or any animals). My son is ten and has been around reptiles since very young and understands reptiles do not like to be handled and has no desire to do so. He knows not to startle them or bother them, he RESPECTS them, he loves having them around. He knows more about Uromastyx than a lot of adults I see post. We had a dog for a while (for him) and he couldn't stand the dog bothering him all the time! Now understand, my son is not the average kid, and I "do everything" and LOVE it...he helps with certain things, but it is like he is helping me fix a car, "hand me this, hold this...you see that? watch me adjust this...lets go to the store and get the supplies..." Do you buy a reptile and expect a child to have impeccable husbandry? Of course not. YOU care for the pet whether it's a dog or a snake or a bunny. In reality there is no good pet at all if you expect a child to care for it, or even worse the pet to "keep your kid busy". Pets are an adult responsibility that hopefully you and your child can enjoy together. More like an interest and experience to pass on to your child. An interest YOU must have then share. Should Mrs. Smith get her kid a Uromastyx? I hope not. But my son and I can't imagine not having them. Should all of his classmates have them? Hell, no.

Very good points mrslate... We originally got our first Uro because my daughter (then 12) wanted a lizard, and I didn't want any insects in the house. I told her that if she could find a vegetarian reptile, we'd talk. Well, after many trips to the library, tons of internet research time, etc., she found Uros. She paid for Gizmo and his entire setup with her saved up Christmas/babysitting money. I allowed her to get him under the condition that "I" would be the primary caregiver and decision-maker, and it would be her job to help me out and learn proper care and husbandry. I also told her that we would NOT bring him home until we had everything completely set up and running properly.

It has been a wonderful learning experience for the whole family, and we ALL participate in care, though I'm still the adult ultimately responsible. We've since gotten two juvie Saharans (mostly for me, because after having Gizmo I fell in love with Uros!)

I think the major problem with most kids wanting pets, regardless of reptile or dog or cat or hamster... is that there needs to be a supervising parent who is willing to teach their kids proper animal care and respect, and be ultimately responsible for the pet. My kids have known how to respect ANY animal since the time they could crawl. My daughter, now almost 14, knows more about proper Uro care than many adults, because we've taken the time to learn together.

I've known too many families where kids are downright abusive towards pets, and the parents don't care and don't do a thing about it. Ok.... just my .02 cents.

Andi

I completely agree with the above statements. I have lots of kids in my neighborhood that run around with no supervision and will never learn the respect for animals or anything else for that matter. They will become negligent teens and then sloppy adults themselves.

Then there are the kids who do have parents who teach them things, who keep an eye on what they do, even little things like letting the kids help wash the car will teach them respect for things. These are the kids that will be responsible enough to help care for pets and do things on their own.

We just need to make sure that our own kids learn that they need to respect animals, friends, cars in the road, etc. Stop putting the kid in front of the tv to gossip on the phone all day and teach them something useful.

Well said.

Just an example of this. I am 15 years old. When I was seven I got my first bearded dragon, and when I was 11 I started breeding them ON MY OWN. My dad knows almost nothing about them besides what they eat and that is pretty much it. I still have mine from when I was seven. So, yes it all depends on who you are. I don't know many other kids that are 11 and breeding reptiles, so yes all depends who you are.

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Darien Drollinger

sales@highendreptiles.com
www.highendreptiles.com

You Cry, I Cry, You Laugh, I Laugh, You Fall Off A Cliff, I Laugh Harder

Go Darien! Sounds like me when I was your age. I used to devote several hours every day caring for my herps and definitely knew more about them that my parents did. Now at 33, I hope both of my 2 boys surpass me in herp knowledge one day. Nice Website! Keep up the good work.
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-Jake
0.0.1 Uromastyx geyri
0.1 L.t. annulata
1.1 L.g. californiae
2.1 Pseudemys nelsoni
1.0 Geochelone sulcata
0.1 mexican double yellowheaded amazon parrot