Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Please let me know of the food items your malis go the most crazy over.

Thanks
Jack

np

As a "treat" and not as a staple, try bee pollen granules. My geyri go nuts for it. Not to mention the mealworms.

Mealworms are my geryi's favorite treat! Doesn't matter how scared of you he his, if you got a mealie he'll walk right up to you.
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1.1 Eublepharis macularius
1.0 Uromastyx geryi
0.0.1 Phrynosoma platyrhinos
0.0.1 Kinosternon bauri

Ra doesn't seem to care for live stuff but he goes berserk for dandelion flowers! He tried to eat one through the glass once. Are such flowers available in your region?

np

I was wondering where you can purchase bee pollen granules. Can you get this from your local food market? Thanks

tara

A lot of health food stores carry bee pollen granules.

My maroccan loves dandelion flowers, but also geranium flowers, especially the red ones. I've read that they're safe to feed uros. Try that. And good luck! I got my little girl from a friend who thought that she was too nervous. She still is, but I found dandelion and geranium flowers were a good taming strategy. she'll eat the out of my hand anytime.
Sara

Some favorites of my Uros that stand out in my mind are:

Most of the Uros go nuts for cooked sweet potato. Get fresh, not canned, cut off a chunk and cook in the microwave. I like to use this as a "bonding moment" between my Uros and me and hand feed it to them. A lot of them will come running for it when they see it in my hands. Just make sure they get the potato and not your fingers

Hibiscus flowers are also a favorite. Especially red, if you really want to attract the picky eaters. But as with any other flower you'll want to make sure it wasn't treated with pesticides.

Dandelion flowers are a favorite if you can get ahold of them. Also, a few grocery stores around here sell the dandelion greens. Only a couple of the Malis seem to show interest in the greens but most of Benti really seem to love them.

Like somebody else already mentioned, I have also used bee pollen over the greens to attract them. Some of my Uros like it and some were pretty turned off by it; so putting it on half of the salad mixture is good to start off with. I get the whole natural bee pollen granules from GNC and grind them up in a coffee bean grinder and then sprinkle on the salad. I did this so that the Uros that were addicted to the stuff couldn't just pick out the granules and eat them only; they have no choice but to get greens with the tasty stuff.

Heated up frozen peas and mixed veggies also gets a pretty good reaction.

As an occasional treat I will mix some of the Pretty Bird brand finch pellets in with the dried seed mixture. I do this once in awhile to give them a little variety. The colors really attract them and they love the taste.

Hopefully one of these things sparks an interest in your Uro. There’s always something out there that will make even the pickiest of eaters go bonkers, it just takes a little time to find it.

my uros NEVER turn down a cricket. EVER. i usually dust them so there is at least some small redeemable bit of nutrition to them. quinn, my smallest mali, will actually try to hop all over my hand as soon as it comes into the cage if she thinks i have a cricket (she's blind in one eye, has aiming issues, it's so cute).
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3 Mali Uromastyx (Ricky, Quinn, Anna)
1 Yellow Ackies (Roxie)
1 Timor (Zealot)

Emily
www.egomantra.com/npoh

Hibiscus, bee pollen, frozen peas, crickets, mealworms, dandelions, dandelion greens.

I don't think anyone has mentioned hollyhock or clovers. Mine really like clovers, especially when they are hungry.
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Mark Martinez
University of Florida