Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If I find that Ra "dances" more than usual, I use enrichment to help stimulate his mind a little more. I do this by hiding treats around his enclosure that he has to "forage" for. I've seen this done in zoos with a variety of animals and it really seems to help lower stress levels. I do this once in a while, not every day. It is very natural for a uro to forage for food so this helps the uro feel more at home.

I hope this is helpful
-----
1 Mali Uromastyx named Ra

That's a really great insight. Thanks for posting that. I do believe that they need stimulation to keep them busy and happy, just as any other animal does. After all, we buy our birds, cats, and dogs new toys now and again, don't we?

I like to try to give new stimulation to my animals, and this idea of hiding a treat is great!

I also like to take them out to crawl around on me, as it socializes them and gives them something new to do.

Thanks, again, for the idea!

Nicki
-----
0.0.2 Uromastyx geyri (Saharan Uromastyx) - New babies!
1.1.0 Uromastyx maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) - Spike and Lizzy
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri (Variable (Thayer’s) Kingsnake) - Kavi
0.0.1 Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli (Pueblan Milksnake) - Callia
0.2.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Red-Sided Garter Snakes) - Spot and Fluffy

what kinds of treats do you use?
My mali doesn't seem to have a favorite food...except maybe his occasional cricket, which of course would be a bit hard to hide...

I use juvenile iguana pellets since they are like candy to Ra. He'll neglect ANY other food in his tank if he's offered these as a steady diet (he's got birdseed as part of his steady diet). I've basically turned them into treats and he just loves them. If your uro likes flowers and such, you could use those. Maybe even a waxworm or two since they don't move very fast.

Good luck with the enrichment
-----
1 Mali Uromastyx named Ra

.