Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i bought a female mali uromastyx today, totally unprepared. see yesterday i went to this pet store and it was so gross and they had my now little helga in a cage in a half way dark room with no heat lamps, heat mats or lights. when i asked why she had no heat they said they had run out of lamps for "in-store" use. i held her and she was so sweet but really cold to the touch. there were ALOT of things wrong with the store. anyway i called the humane society and a couple of herp rescues and told them about this store but i could not get that poor uro out of my mind. i have a really soft heart so i called my parents and they lent me the money to go save this girl from a cold life. i know i should not have supported them but i only got the lizard and just told them i already had everything for her because i did not want to support the store anymore than i already was.

anyway, i have her in a temporary cage because it is too small for her but she is warm and near sunlight with places to hide. i have read about these lizards because i was looking to get one in the future so i know the basics, like they eat veggies and the occaisional cricket and i know about temps and whatnot. but i have questions like how much should i feed her, like ounces-wise? (she is about 12 inches long and two inches across) do i need to keep standing water in the cage or should i just mist her everyonce in while or should i just add moisture to her veggies? when they say to dethaw the frozen veggies, exactly how should i do that, just put them in the fridge or actually cook them and then cool them off? should i not feed frozen veggies? and should i feed her something different everyday or should i always make a mixture of things?

those are all i have for now. i know i should have been better prepared but i could not leave her there. thanks for any info and i am going to go read all the care sheets now also.
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

Ok, that was funny considering you had only a few questions. Let's try to address a few....

>>anyway, i have her in a temporary cage because it is too small for her but she is warm and near sunlight with places to hide. i have read about these lizards because i was looking to get one in the future so i know the basics, like they eat veggies and the occaisional cricket and i know about temps and whatnot. but i have questions like how much should i feed her, like ounces-wise? Give her enough greens that she will not finish them. No need to restrict the amount of food, and she won't eat too much. (she is about 12 inches long and two inches across) do i need to keep standing water in the cage or should i just mist her everyonce in while or should i just add moisture to her veggies? The only uros I've read about, and experienced, that need or can use water in the cage is the geyri (saharan/nigerian uros). I keep the veggies pre-torn in a ziploc and enough to last a week or so, so there's no need for misting. I do not mist my uros. Actually, I haven't soaked them for over a year, and only one will drink. They do not show signs of dehydration. when they say to dethaw the frozen veggies, exactly how should i do that, just put them in the fridge or actually cook them and then cool them off? should i not feed frozen veggies? I wouldn't feed them frozen veggies but thawd veggies. For thawing, just put some in a glass with hot tap water, and that should sufficiently thaw them. It's worked for me. and should i feed her something different everyday or should i always make a mixture of things? Keep a steady diet until she acclimates. Make sure you're staying with the safe greens and not anything that may have a long term problem. Checl all the sites that you can to get a good picture of the good practices. A few below.
Good luck.
-Jim
www.kingsnake.com/uromastyx/
www.deerfernfarms.com/
www.anapsid.org/resources/preynutrients.html
www.greenigsociety.org/foodchart.htm
my site(though, it hasn't been worked on in some time)
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>>those are all i have for now. i know i should have been better prepared but i could not leave her there. thanks for any info and i am going to go read all the care sheets now also.
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>>vonnie
>>***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

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2.1 - Rocky, Runako, and RoxyIII

ok, so when i get excited i tend to ramble really fast. as a conversation in my head, that really long paragraph lasted about 10 seconds...ha ha

thanks for all the info
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

Glad to have you, and Helga your new girl

I know you are a kind soul, LOL from our talks on the collared forum as well as emails.

I also can say this girl lucked out. I'm sure she will have a very nice home with her NEW Mom, who will learn everything she needs to, to take the best care of her!

So.... welcome aboard !!

Theres a great bunch here to help you out ! Post some pics when you can!
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Eve

I did the same as you once, took in 2 uros that were near death from a neglectful pet store. However, I DID turn them in, testified against them, AND won my court case.v They got fined a pretty hefty amount (lets just say they prolly lost a ton of buying these creatures).

Anyhow, Jim covered most of what you need. Yes, a mixture of greens such a collard, kale, escarole, green beans, rapini, just no lettuces. Prefer to not use broccoli or too many peas (a few is ok) for it can bind up nutrients. You can use the frozen stuff (I thaw mine in the micro after adding water for about 20 seconds. Then dump the water out). depending how much your putting in will determine how much you need to thaw. You can also get a bowl with a lid and just put some in there and put in fridge to thaw overnight for the next day.

Water...most uros other than those few jim mentioned do not require a seperate water dish. However, in this case where you have a uro that potentially may have not been cared for properly, I would put a small dish in just till you are assured she is eating well and getting enough then. Or you can do soaks with her where she can drink from that as well. Uro's do not require water misting at all. Actually, too much humidity is NOT good for them.

Be sure to read those sites Jim gave you very well. THey are excellent!
Congrats on your new baby!
Renee

well i have reported them to three different things, the humane society, a herp rescue and my city's animal control but that guy was out of town so i have to call him again monday. exactly who did you testify for? did you put a suit against them or did you do it for someone like the aspca? and i think she may have MBD. is there anything that i can do to make them pay for it? or once it is confirmed should i call all these people over again. i sadly don't really know my rights or the animal's rights. if you have any suggestions i would greatly appreciate it. i mean i don't mind paying for all this stuff, i just really want them to know what harm they did by "not having" enough to give her a healthy life, although all that stuff was sitting there in the store.
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

I testified on behalf of the humane society. Whats hard is without proof (I took a million pics day by day of the progress and what they looked like when I brought them home, etc...altho a pic of them in the store would have been helpful)its hard to really win cases with reptiles. Unfortunately, there aren't many laws for reptiles, only dogs and cats etc.
But testifying on the animals behalf is what won our case.

I would be certain to keep bugging them until they get you the right person who can go and investigate and see if there is a case to even take to court. But it IS up to them to determine that whether you agree or not. I was lucky enough to have it work in my favor.

Good luck!
Renee

thanks for the info. i looked up california law and it protects any animal in a pet store, regardless if it is cuddly or not. i sent an email to this one guy since everything was closed over the weekend and it quoted state law and how this store was violating it. i just wish i had a camera phone so it would not look like i was in there photographing things.
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***