Reptile & Amphibian Forums

n/p

I'm going with accidental omnivore - I don't think they need ANY bugs as adults, though I have nothing to back that up. If I didn't have crickets in the house already, I wouldn't offer them. Arthur likes them, but Joe is older and won't touch them.

I also think that while too much is definitely a bad thing (kidneys, etc), a bug here and there if they want one isn't likely to hurt anything, either.
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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)
1.0 Sunset Dwarf Gourami (Sideshow)
0.0.1 False Spotted Corydoras (Spot)
0.0.2 Metae Corydoras
0.0.1 Dwarf Sucking Oto (Tootsie)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

np

If you observe the behavior of one of my Moroccans towards a superworm it's obvious that they have an intense instinctive craving for insects. Now how often they find them in the wild environment, how seasonal it is, and what percent of the diet insects comprise, I don't know. It would be ridiculous to claim that insects are not a natural part of their diet.

Whitneywee,

You write: “It would be ridiculous to claim that insects are not a natural part of their diet.”

If you are speaking of uromastyx as a genus actively seeking insects as a natural part of their diet rather than incidental ingestion or specific species, then I guess this post will seem ridiculous to you.

Here is an excerpt from the only long term study that I am aware of that was done on uromastyx in their ‘natural’ environment. This study contained over 700 hours of field study on U. Ornatus.

QUESTION: During your field studies have you observed the U.ornates in the wild eating insects?
DANNY'S REPLY: They don't eat insects. But the answer is actually more complicated.
We have more then 50 hours of feeding observations and found they eat mostly flowers and fruits. An analysis of their droppings showed that insects make up only 1% of the diet.
Some of these insects were probably on the fruits and flowers they consumed. We did a stomach analysis of a dead lizard and found it full of Acacia flowers and a few little ants.

QUESTION: Do the young eat more insects than the adults?
DANNY'S REPLY: So far it does not appear that they do. See above answer.

QUESTION: Do the Wild U.ornates eat more insects during a specific season?
DANNY'S REPLY: So far it does not appear that they do. See above answer.

Here is another excerpt from the website of the two people who actually spent four years of their lives researching uromastyx in their ‘natural’ environment:

Uromastyx. O is absolutely herbivorous! His diet bases mainly on the flower & fruit of perennial plants:

This study concluded that U. Ornatus did not actively pursue insects but that insects were ingested from the vegetation that was eaten. This does not necessarily make them an omnivore. The people involved in this research study refer to the ornate uromastyx as an herbivore. Does this mean that without a doubt all ornate uromastyx never purposely consume insects or that all species of uromastyx have the same dietary habits- of course not. But this study cannot be ignored and certainly tells me that it is not ‘ridiculous’ to believe that insects are not a natural part of the diet.
When debating the issue of a uromastyx natural diet, I would prefer to base my beliefs on organized research done in the 'natural' environment rather than what someone throws in a limited enclosed area with a Moroccan.

We all have our own opinions and for the record- if someone doesn’t agree with mine, I will not think that it is ridiculous.

As a scientist I will always put alot of creedence in scientific studies. I think that study on wild ornates is pretty convincing. And I agree that the suggestion that Uro's are herbivorous is pretty solid. However, the hobbyist in me says that the purpose of keeping reptiles is not only to learn about species you will probably never see in the wild, but also to enjoy yourself and have fun with it.
I know many people enjoy feeding live animal protein to their reptiles because lets face it, it is simply more interesting to watch than eating vegetation.
My medical opinion is that feeding a couple of crickets or mealworms a week won't hurt a uro as long as they are getting proper vegetable material for the remaining 99% of the time. In fact, if the feeding of a few insects reduces the amount of neglect an animal would receive because eating vegetables isn't fun, then it would be overall more healthy for the aminal.
While it most likely isn't natural for uro's to eat insects, hobbyists are not rehabilitators and will not be sending their uro's back into the wild. If it makes the hobby more fun for someone, and doesn't adversely affect the animal, then I have no problem with it. I have seen much worse things from neglected reptiles.
I personally find it fun to try to learn and imitate as much as possible the natural environment and diet of my animals, therefore I do not feed my uro's insects. However, as many hobbyists have told me, what they want is just an interesting, healthy alternative to a dog, cat or fish as a pet. I can't disagree with that desire.

I posted this on an earlier thread:

"I think that most of us Mali owners can vouch for the fact that they greedily relish insects. I am not sure about other Uro species, but Malis do NOT live in a place where they can eat flowers all day like the study of the Uros in Israel (according to my Geography professor who's done research in Mali). I think feeding the occasional insect (to Malis especially) is quite good. Hopefully they are well hydrated, it helps because of the protein. I feed mine insects only once every two months. I'll buy a 100 pack of superworms and feed the both of them about 20 each in a two week period, with the rest going to my hedgehog (over about three weeks)."

If you drop a cricket in the enclosure they will hunt it down and hunt it down well. If their belly is full of flowers and they are constantly high up in bushes, of course they aren't going to hunt down insects.
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Mark Martinez
University of Florida