Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi!! I have been reading this forum (and the Bearded Dragon Forum) for probably a month. I have finally decided to join into the fray!!

I have a Mali Uromastyx - right at 7" long. I got her/him (?) from PetSmart (Yeah I KNOW) - but they had her set up in the wrong tank environment and they couldn't have had her more than 2 days since I had been in there 3 days before that and she wasn't there then!! I had to get her - I knew if she spent much time in there with the bowl of water and crickets climbing all over her, she would end up getting sick and possibly dying.

Needless to say, that was right at 6-7 weeks ago!! She's doing fine, had her first shed two weeks ago (finally got the last little bit off her tail yesterday).

Anyways, I was wanting to check with all you people to see if any of you feed your Uro's crickets. I let mine have 4-5 crickets twice a week and she absolute loves them. But of course, she gets the normal "vegetables" all the time.

EX: Collard, mustard, dandelion greens, f/t mixed vegetables, (especially peas!!), tried Raspberries - she doesn't seem to care for them, she loves the Iguana Juvenile food - I soak it in water and she munches on that to beat anything!! Also mix in some finch seeds (she doesn't seem to care for that too much) 1-2 times a week. I also feed her other greens/vegetables just can't think of them all right now!!

I have her set-up in a 40 gallon breeder for now - thinking about "making" her a bigger set-up in the future.

Temps -
Basking - 110-125
Warm end - 80-85
Night - 70-75

She is an extremely active little Uro - she doesn't mind my picking her up - but she is always "on the move". I was wondering, when do they start to "settle" down and not go so crazy?

Of course, I don't know exactly how old she is the people at PetSmart are idiots!!! I would assume 4-5 months - but who knows for sure??!!

Well, sorry for the length of the post - I got carried away!!

Kelly

0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx - Digger
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon - Spike (daughters)
0.2 Cats - Freckles & Smokey
1.1 Dogs - Rascal (Puppy - had parvo but doing better) & Sabrina
0.0.8 Fancy Tail Gold Fish - F2, One-Eye (Born with 1 eye) and no names for the rest!! (Bad, I know!!)

Kelly,

Welcome to the group.

Some research has shown that a diet high in animal protein can lead to certain health conditions in (herbivore and omnivorous) reptiles such as gout and kidney failure. There is conflicting information on whether insects are a regular part of a uromastyx diet in the wild. A two year study on U. Ornatus (Molco/Osnet) concluded that insects were not a regular part of the ornates diet and the small percentage found in the droppings (1%) were thought to have come from ingested vegetation and blossoms.
Again, you will hear the argument that insects will lead to a significantly increased growth rate among uromastyx in captivity. However, it is not my desire to increase the growth rate of my uromastyx from that of their natural habitat. Especially considering it could come at the expense of a shortened lifespan.
I personally limit the amount of animal protein in my uromastyx diet and feed crickets only a few times per year as a special treat to those who like the chase. If I did not have a bearded dragon, I would not go out of my way to purchase crickets for the uros at all. I would say that approx 50% of my uros will eat a cricket the others could care less.
Just one opinion on the subject.

Thanks for the info!! I had a few small crickets left that were "too small" for my daughters bearded dragon (no such thing - but since Spike eats something between 30-40 medium sized crickets 2-3 times a week and these are 1/4" or smaller...etc) I have been letting Digger have 4-5 crickets twice a week until they were gone and debating on getting them occasionally for her. She really does seem to like them but I only read a couple things about crickets. Not a lot of information on it!!

Thanks for your thoughts.

They are greatly apreciated!! Anyone else - please jump in with any thoughts/personal experiences on this!!
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Kelly

0.0.1 Uromastyx - Digger
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon - Spike (Actually Daughters)
0.2 Cats - Smokey & Freckles
1.1 Dogs - Rascal (Shar-Pei/Lab Mix) & Sabrina (Shepherd Mix)
0.0.8 Fancy Goldfish - One Eye & F2 (only 2 named - sorry!!)

crickets are fine to feed everyonce in awhile, but not that much that often. my mali gets 1 waxworm every 3 days cause he really likes them and i already have them from my beardies so, he gets a couple. so i would say that its fine to feed him crix, just not very many.

If it were me, I would cut the feedings to once a week. Or else half the amount twice a week. But that's just me.

As it is, I have two uros - the female loves bugs, the male doesn't even notice them. Perhaps because he's older? I don't know.

Anyway, if I have a stray cricket that is too large for the anoles, I give it to Arthur - maybe once a month or so. At the beginning, I gave them to her a little more often, but found she tended to get a little constipated when she had too many, so I backed them off. Otherwise, the cat gets the big crix! He loves them. Yum Yum!!
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Torey
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
0.0.2 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Gimpy and Sideshow)
0.0.6 Bloodfin Tetras (including the one-eyed Captain Morgan)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

Thanks for your thoughts!! It looks like she won't be getting many more crickets!!

She doesn't have any problem with being constipated - she goes like clockwork every day "huge" poo!! (At least I think it's huge compared to her size!!)

Thanks for everyones comments/suggestions. Digger will probably get mad at me now!! She knows the "salt" shaker that I coat her crickets in and comes running when she sees it!! Maybe I can cut back to 1-2 crickets once a week or maybe not quite so often. HMMM... I wonder if she would like the dried or can-o-crickets?? Might be an idea so I don't have to worry about keeping them and they should last a while. - Sorry, typing "out loud"!!

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Kelly

0.0.1 Uromastyx - Digger
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon - Spike (Actually Daughters)
0.2 Cats - Smokey & Freckles
1.1 Dogs - Rascal (Shar-Pei/Lab Mix) & Sabrina (Shepherd Mix)
0.0.8 Fancy Goldfish - One Eye & F2 (only 2 named - sorry!!)

Ra likes waxworms more than crix (I think it's because waxies are very slow so he doesn't have to work at catching them ). He always gives anything that resembles food a lick so he knows if it's edible or not. That lick was always enough to scare off the crix before Ra had the chance to eat them. (I guess I have a very cautious uro). Waxworms also have the added benefit of helping young uros get a boost in growth. I'm not sure if that still applies to a one-and-a-half year old uro but it sure saves me a lot of trouble, like not having to worry about food items escaping and hiding around my apartment.
I'd hand-feed the waxies to Ra but I fear for the safety of my fingers . He doesn't bite on purpose but sometimes he gets a little too excited when he sees a food he loves and his aim becomes less accurate. I do hand-feed him peas (I can hold one end while he chomps down on the other).

Good luck with your uros
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1 Mali Uromastyx named Ra

Welcome to your friendly neighborhood Uro forum ! As for insects added to diets, I use them "very" sparlingly ( Debb & I seem to read to the same pages). They're good to use to deliver powdered meds. I also feel the protein is benificial to young Uros. 3 or 4 pin heads a week (or small meal worms) have not caused any problems. My two youngn's are 35 to 40 grams each. But to answer your question...they're not "needed" in their diet.

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Jason
Blackdog Uromastyx Pics