Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I know my little guy is , well, little, so he's skittish. Ive been told that he will be hesitant to be handeled so Im keeping it to a minimum, I hold him and he sits there for maybe a min, then he jumps off my hand and tries to hide.

What can I do to help tame him? Are there any good fruits/veggies/anything that they are more prone to, that would make him WANT to climb into my hand, make him like being handeled so to say. Any suggestions always greatly appreciated.

Oh, and he is a yellow nigerian uromastyx. Not sure on age, maybe 1 year at most. He's about the size of my hand, I will be getting pictures soon.

well i have only ever owned two uros but neither one of them will actually just sit in my hand for more than a minute. they both usually want down to go explore, sometimes on bad days helga wants to run and hide.
when i first got helga and knew she was ok with living in her cage, i would hold her but let her hide on me. i would stick her under my shirt and let her sit on my stomach while on the computer or i would set her on my forearm and put my arm against my ribs and let her hide her head in the bend of my arm and then cover her with my other hand. i just wanted her to know that i was safe. a couple times while out, she has gotten scared and wedged herself between the wall and large furniture. once she realizes it is me trying to get her out, she will loosen up and quit whacking her tail at me.
helga is a big pea lover. if she comes out and hangs out with me she knows she will get a couple extra
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Just regular peas? Or were they the canned peas or what? Im looking for something that is tasty that will help them associate me with good food and thus enjoy my presence.

I use frozen green peas that I thaw in hot water right before using. Peas are a pretty good bet, but try lots of things. Spike will eat stuff that the other uros won't touch with a ten foot pole. Try green beans, lima beans, raisins, dates, grapes, fig, flowers of all edible kinds (including dandelion), etc. If you feed your uro any insect matter, you can try that, too, though don't go overboard. You're better off with a plant treat! Spike and Tank both come to me almost every time I reach in now, looking for goodies. They still don't like to be held, but I can feed them and pet them a little.

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

El_Toro,
How old are your uro's? And did it take quite a bit of time for them to become familiar with that? Just kind of gauging how long it will be before he stops running in fear of me

And I have given him a couple crickets once before. But am really looking to stick with plant materials.

Tank is a young adult - about 3 years give or take. Spike is fully mature and very dark in color, so I'm guessing several years old. Each uro is different in temperament regardless of age. Just be gentle and patient and he'll likely stop running eventually, though he may not ever be tame as a lapdog.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
0.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

Have you tried beans like the ones from a 15 bean soup. My mali Buddy LOVES his beans. When I take him out he is always flicking my hand for the beans. When I put them in my hand he goes wild by eating them up ( mostly the little white ones). He knows when he is out he gets a treat. He won't take anything else fro our hands.
debs

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The addiction can be dangerous. 1 Uro named Buddy aka Big Boy & 1 Ig named Tiny

My egyptian goes nuts for dandelion flowers. They're the only thing that get him to touch my hands. In fact, he prefers to be fed them out of my hand. If you've got some of those around, go for it. Just make sure they don't come from an area that has been treated with any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The other thing you can do is make sure your uro sees you bring the food. Eventually he'll associate you with food, and decide you're a good person, not a predator.

Have patience,
Craigo

I will try those. My general process is this, I wake up around 7am, get rdy for work, then I head to his cage turn the light on and pull his food dish, clean it, break up the lettuce put it in his bowl and take off. He doesnt even start coming out until around 8am or 9 am.

Do you think it wouldnt be a bad idea to start putting the food in there around noon when I come home on my lunch hour? That way he constantly sees me putting the food inside his cage?

One problem I have, when I open his doors and go in he usually hides, but do you think this will start to ease that? Maybe he will stop running?

I have all my heaters come on at 5:30AM and lights turn on at 6AM. Heat shuts off around 3:30 and then lights are out by 6. My geyri are up and moving around by 6 and will start scratching if there's no food available by 7. The hardwickiis take their time coming out and are visible around 9-11, while the macfads are somewhere in between, showing their faces by 7.
Between the geyris, for sure, one is more confident and doesn't automatically run, while the other scatters. They both have gotten MUCH better since I acquired them three months back, but sociability still isn't a strong point (which I can appreciate).
I either put food in the night before if the morning is going to be tight or I get to see them before work/school. I don't bother with a food dish as they don't respect it at all (especially the little hardwickiis) and just pile up torn greens on a "clean" piece of slate in the cool corner for them to disseminate as they do. Some of them do get a dish for birdseed/iguana feed, but the geyris have lost THAT priveledge.
I've sortof arranged things this way so that on the weekdays all of them get some chance to see me/be seen/run when I put the food in. The cages are in my office area, so I can do homework on the weekend and let them watch me.

The running away will decrease with time but they might always be a little jumpy. I'm still working on Isis's skittishness (I've had her since June). She's a little better now and will allow me to look right at her without running away. She does walk away when I put my hand in the tank (as opposed to running wildly away about 2 months ago).

To help your uros feel a little more at ease, try not to look directly at them when handling their food or walking past their cage. Staring at them makes them think they've been spotted and will run away in defense. Eventually, you'll be able to look at them and even talk to them and they will sit there and listen.
I know it seems frustrating now but give it time, it's very rewarding when they finally do make the connection that you are not a predator.
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1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra and Isis)

Yes, I think it would be perfectly fine for you to feed him during your lunch break. He will likely run when he sees you, so make sure you hold the food out in front of you so he sees it. Eventually with consistency he will make the connection. With any luck, you'll have him eating out of your hands in no time. I can usually feed my egyptian peas and dandelion flowers out of the palm of my hand. Even so, after 3 years sometimes he'll still run off for whatever reason.

See that's the weird thing, He's eaten from my hand twice and it's never happened again. Although, since then Ive had to grab him to take a look at what I earlier found out was just salt deposits on his nose . I thought it was an infection so I looked closely and had to hold him a little more firmly, I dont think he appreciated that one bit! Anyway, thanks for all the info. Im gonna start taking it a day at a atime and not look directly at him and such.

Waxworms are the treat I trained mine with. It started out with putting a waxworm on the palm of my hand and letting it wiggle. Their prey instinct drove them to explore. After awhile, when I put my hand in the cage they would run to it. Now I put my hand in the cage with nothing in it and they lick it (probably looking for worms.) I can reach down, pick them up and hold them. This has taken months. When I pick them up and hold them I always have a worm for them as a reward. Also, I don't hold them too long. Every session is a little longer.

generally speaking, my uros are pretty tame but as mentioned in an earlier post, they are definately NOT lapdogs. they'll chill in my hand when i'm carrying them or on my shoulder but most of the time they're trying to jump off and are very eager to explore. i therefore have to 'uro proof' my house. Dog loves to try and hide under the stove! i once got scared that he wasn't gonna come out! i put a couple of beans on the floor in front of the stove and he came out and I got him.
the only time they'll hang out is if they're basking in the natural sun. they'll relax on my lap or on my shoulder and flatten like pancakes (see a pic of Dog in my previous post) and close their eyes or look at the trees or the cars passing by. they're very curious creatures that love to explore! who are we to deny them?
i don't have a backyard yet.. just a patio. i can't wait to have a backyard... then i can build them a 'summer cage.'
try green beans though... my egyptians love them.
tristan
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Tristan
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Mars and Puffer)
1.2 Egyptian Uromastyx (Dog, Cleo, Slo Mo)
1.1 Suriname Red Tail Boas (Stoney and Browser)

I went out and bought some green beans for my uro, I also picked up some rasberries. Are these ok? Do you think he will like them?

i fed raspberries to helga twice. the first time she like teared into them and dyed her feet pink by standing on it and ripping it apart. (this is right after i rescued her and was happy whenever she would eat anything, she is very picky) the second time was the next day and i guess she got a sour or a tart one because when she bit into it, she quivered and then flung the berry across the cage and that was it. she has never touched them again. it was quite funny to watch
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Vonnie,
You make me laugh. I could see Helga doing that. I fed Buddy 2 crickets yesterday for a treat (once a month if not longer) and he was so funny chasing it, loosing it and then finally getting it. It is so funny even my kids start laughing.
debs

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The addiction can be dangerous. 1 Uro named Buddy aka Big Boy & 1 Ig named Tiny

ah yes, the "graceful" hunters. my collared lizards have such great accuracy and hugo isn't too bad but helga looks like someone running with their shoes on the wrong feet. i think the only reason she catches them is because the loud plodding noise paralyzes the crickets with fear
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

when i first fed green beans to my uros, i snapped one in half. put the side that was snapped in front of your uro's face. this way, when they lick it to taste it, they will taste the inside. right away my uros were hooked. good luck and keep us posted,
tristan
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Tristan
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Mars and Puffer)
1.2 Egyptian Uromastyx (Dog, Cleo, Slo Mo)
1.1 Suriname Red Tail Boas (Stoney and Browser)