Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Recently was given a Uro in real bad shape (2nd and 3rd degree burns across most of the back from heat lamp, wrong food, TINY cage, etc.) Got the burns healing nicely with minimal scarring, but now she's loosing weight. Vet out here doesn't think much of cold blooded and regular vet on extended vacation! I know the diet is similar to a chuckwalla (native reptiles are my specialty at work), but are there any suggestions to get more weight on her. What is the recommended protein content for their diet? I refuse to give up. She has been thru enough already and deserves a chance. She is a real sweety.

a good way to help your uro put on some weight is to offer some peas. the uros usually like them a lot and peas can help them put on some weight. i usually offer my uros a few peas with their usual greens just for variety. make sure you dust the peas with a vitamin supplement, though, since they have little nutrional value. i would recommend doing a salad of turnip greens with some peas and a vitamin supplement. you might offer some hibiscus, too. the occasional (!!) cricket may help as a treat and to promote a bit more weight gain, just make sure you aren't offering more than a couple a week. i recently had to put some pounds on my new mali who had recently laid, and this has been almost the exact diet i have offered her. i also give some mustard greens with the turnip greens, and offer some bird seed for dry food.

hope this helps! good luck with the uro
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1.2 Mali Uromastyx (Ricky, Quinn, Anna)
0.1 Yellow Ackies (Roxie)
1.0 Timor (Zealot)

Emily
www.egomantra.com/npoh

I know I've heard a lot of people recommend peas... but I was just curious, when you say peas.. what do you mean, canned, frozen, snap?

I use dry lentils and frozen mixed peas, rico seems to love them. especially the lentils. I keep them in there 24 hours 7 days a week and he just picks when he feels like it.

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Lauren
Rico-Saharan Uromastyx
New Jersey

If you use dried lentils dried split peas, dried yellow peas,finch seed (for birds) and sprigs of millet you will see the animal put on a lot of weight rather quickly. The lentils are very high in fat content and they love them. I do not use fresh veggies on any of my Uros as they prefer to let them dry out before they eat them anyway. Make sure you have a large enough water bowl in its enclosure. Most don't use water bowls at all but I have found in the years of my keeping the different species that they will ALL drink out bowls and will sometimes soak in them. Good luck on pulling that one around.
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Rob Trenor
RK Reptiles
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I've read that you're not supposed to use a water bowl in the enclosure because it would raise the humidity to much and could kill the Uro. I thought that they wouldn't really drink from a water bowl that much, because they get all their water from fresh veggies and greens. Can someone help me clarify this because I am really confused.

thanks
-Eric-

Well.. I can't answer you about the humidity thing.. because I've never heard that before. I was more worried about tail rot than anything. I figure that he has a water bowl in there because his staple diet that he feeds his uro is a dry diet and they still need water.

Do you use red or green lentils? I assume they're not cooked or sprouted. Am I right?

I use the water bowl because they do not get any moisture from the food as it is dried. I have been keeping Uromastyx species for years and kept them the same way and never had any problems with tail rot or high humidity. When I house them indoors their enclosure has a 250 watt heat bulb on for 12 hours a day. That ensures there is not too much humidity. All of the Uro's will readily drink from the water bowl and when my shipments arrive from Mali of them We always give them a nice soak in the bath tub to ensure they are hydrated. Every afternoon the animals will take turns going to the bowl and taking a drink and some even soak in the bowl for a short while.
The lentils I use are what ever I can find at the store at the time. As long as they are uncooked and dried they are what I use. Same goes for the split peas, split yellow peas and others. I sometimes will use black eye peas but those I have to split myself as the animals will not eat them full size.
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Rob Trenor
RK Reptiles
Your source for Quality Import and Captive Born
Chameleons from around the World

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http://www.rkreptiles.com

We accept online credit card payments through PAYPAL
Please click below to make a payment.
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I keep a small bowl of water in my Malis' cage. They do drink from it from time to time. I watch the humidity closely, and have never have a problem with it raising humidity. I have another cage of the exact size and design and the Mali cage, but it's home to a tegu hatchling (they require significant humidity). I noticed that it took a very large bowl of water one about 8x4 inches and two inches deep to raise the humidity in the cage. Of course, mileage will vary with cage design and climate, but I just thought it was kind of interesting. Also, as far as peas go, I have two bowls of food in the Mali cage, one of finch seed and dried lentils and dried split peas, the other of greens, including canned peas. My female Mali loves the canned peas above all other veggies and greens (except dandelion flowers). Naturally, her favorite is the most expensive brand of baby green peas. When I first got her, as others have noticed with their uros, it was all I could get her to eat.