I would like to toss out a comment/suggestion regarding the last post and others that I have seen out here recommending people call reputable breeders such as Doug Dix for questions on uromastyx.
Although these people have spent a considerable amount of time raising and breeding these wonderful animals and have a vast knowledge of their care, they also have a business (or two) to run. It would not be feasible to expect someone like Doug (or others) to handle phone calls (or emails) from the hundreds of people who visit these forums and who have a basic question on the care of their uromastyx . Can you imagine the number of emails and phone calls that this man probably already receives? And to top it off, I hear chronic complaints about Doug’s response time with emails and phone calls. I totally understand a slow response time when you are not only trying to deal with your business and answering phone calls and emails from people with inquiries on purchasing, questions from people who recently received a shipment from him or are awaiting a shipment, and emails and phone calls from hundreds of people who just bought a uromastyx from someone else and want to know how to take care of it.
I think we all need to keep in mind that Doug does have a business to run and we should not expect him or other ‘experts’ to answer questions from everyone who may purchase or own a uromastyx. Just as I would not buy a Hoover vacuum from Sears and expect Wal-Mart to answer my questions on it and show me how to run it, I would not ‘expect’ Doug or another breeder to service someone else’s uromastyx.
Am I suggesting that no one should call Doug or that Doug will not graciously accept calls from people who buy elsewhere- nope. I am just saying that we need to be more responsible for our own questions and research and need to use some etiquette when it comes to picking up the phone to call these few leading (and very busy) experts in the field.
By the way, I did a very simple search on the internet under ‘uromastyx gestation’ and came up with numerous hits showing that gestation time is usually 4-6 weeks. In fact, one of the sources was a care sheet right on this forum. It is amazing what we can do if we take on the responsibility rather than depending on others.
These are my ‘opinions’ and suggestions so if you do not like them or disagree with them, I politely suggest hitting your ‘back’ key and reading another post.
