Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a uro and as everyone who has a uro has probably wondered about the same thing SUBSTRATE. I have been leaning towards birdseed, however I don't like the fact that it can't be deep enough for my little buddy to dig and play around in so last night I thouhgt of crushing some of the seed to make it more dense and perhaps mixing it with uncrushed seed or placing it at the bottom and puttin the uncrushed on top and let him mix it himself. I'm wondering if the crushed seed might create too much dust. Also I know that sunflower seeds are not sposed to be in there, Does it make any difference if the seeds a hulled or are they generally bad for the Uros. Thanks for any input.
Greg & Baxter

>>I recently got a uro and as everyone who has a uro has probably wondered about the same thing SUBSTRATE. I have been leaning towards birdseed, however I don't like the fact that it can't be deep enough for my little buddy to dig and play around in so last night I thouhgt of crushing some of the seed to make it more dense and perhaps mixing it with uncrushed seed or placing it at the bottom and puttin the uncrushed on top and let him mix it himself. I'm wondering if the crushed seed might create too much dust. Also I know that sunflower seeds are not sposed to be in there, Does it make any difference if the seeds a hulled or are they generally bad for the Uros. Thanks for any input.
>>Greg & Baxter
>>

I can't think of anything off the top of my head that would make this dangerous.

But depending on what seed you crush and how you grind it or crush it you might be surprised on how it turns out. Most seeds contain quite a bit of oil and instead of getting a denser mix you might end up with something that looks more like peanut butter than a decent substrate. If you grind sesame seeds you end up with tahini which is a very liquid mixture. Sesame has a lot more oil than other seeds but it still could be a problem.

Also once you break a seed open it starts to go bad and the oils in them go rancid.

I doubt ground seeds would make a good substrate (not harmful but just not very good either). I would grind up a sample and give them a feel and let them sit at room temperature for a while to see if they go bad.

Nice outside the box thinking though.

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Mike Wilson
mwilson@fuu.net

Thanks for the feedback, I will try a sample but I think I am leaning towards washed playsand I'm guessing the finer grain the better. I'm also gonna get a flatter bigger food bowl to avoid him tossing it in the sand to eat. I have heard several people say they've had success with it. What do you think. I just want to get him off this calci-sand.
Thanks again
Greg

I have had my uros for about 2 years and had beardies before that. I always had my beardie on calci sand and got some advice about it clumping up and creating blockage problems. I did also get advise about washed playsand and alot of uro owners and herpers in general use it. There are some that also say it has a potential for blockage but only if its quarried sand since the quarrying process can create jagged edges. You can get natural sand that should be more rounded. I personally use a fine reptile sand that is not calcified and have had no problems with it other than I am very careful to remove my 'girls' before cleaning since it can get dusty. That's actually good advice no matter what substrate you use. I also moved to a flatter, much heavier bowl than I originally had (a little kitty bowl actually)and it has stopped a lot of the problems I had with sand getting into the bowl and the girls dragging it out into the sand (though I've now resolved they will never find it as much fun to eat food from the bowl than pick it from the sand and since I feed them bird food, it's not moist enough to pick up a bunch of sand if they do happen to eat it) In any case sorry for the length, best of luck and don't forget to hug your uro every day =)

Thanks Msmarie.
Where did you get the fine reptile sand that is not calcified? I really want to find a sand that won't harm him and that he can dig around in, unlike bird seed. Thanks for your help.

I actually get it in my local pet store. It's usually right next to the calci sand but not labeled as calcified and not as coarse looking as the calcified. If I remember correctly, it has a T-Rex skeleton on the front. I'm sure I can find the name if you need. I just can't remember it right now sorry =)

As for the other part of your question, it's the shells that are dangerous for uros to swallow. Hulled sunflower seeds should be fine.
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

I was talking to someone else about that and they were worried that he would eat them as part of his diet and they are too high in fat. I don't really know, for now I'm gonna look around for seed without. You have U. Geryi's as well correct? What do you have them on and do they like to dig around in it or no? Thanks for the input.
Greg

Probably true about the high fat content - don't want it as a main part of their diet. But a few here and there won't hurt if they're hulled.

I have three Malis and two Geyris. All are on millet seed. I used to use playsand originally, but decided it was too gunky and dusty. The seed isn't perfect, but it's better than the sand for me. The Malis definitely dig WAY more than the Geyris. Both species take full advantage of the hide boxes and tunnel provided (they like to hide in the tube), but the Malis dig in the dirt inside the hide, and the Geyris don't. The picture below is inside their box - you can see they don't disturb the dirt much.

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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)