Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a mali on sunday and I dont think it has eaten anything. Any suggestions????? Any foods that they cant refuse or tricks thatll help??

>>I just got a mali on sunday and I dont think it has eaten anything. Any suggestions????? Any foods that they cant refuse or tricks thatll help??

If you just got it 6 days ago it should be fine.

When I got my saharan uro's over the summer they didn't eat for 2 weeks which is normal because they needed to get used to their new surroundings and become familiar with me.

If you got it from a petstore or a person you can contact again, ask what food they were feeding it with what supplements also.

There's a chance that if it sees food it recognizes it will go eat it. Also if you could get a food bowl exactly like the one it used to have that might help.

Good luck, but with my experience, I think your litle guy will eat on its own. Just give him some time to adjust, also do not handle him for 2 weeks, that way he has plenty of time to adjust to his surroundings without having to also deal with the stress of being taken out of a new environment by a person he doesn't know.
-----
2 Mali Uromastyx-Ares & Apollo
2 Bearded Dragons- Draco & Hades
1 Saharan Uromastyx-Iris
1 Leopard Gecko-Kalypso
1 Tokay Gecko-Sid Vicious
1 Tarantula-Peter Parker
1 Amazon Red Head Parrot-Pancho
1 African Gray Parrot-Keya
1 Dog-Cheeka
3 Fish-no names
1 Beta Fish-also no name
1 Zebra Finch-Beeps

I agree with the first post. Also, though, if you feel like something else is wrong (very lethargic, sunken eyes, etc), you can get your new little guy to a vet for a check up. He should get a check up anyway, but normally you could wait until he's a little more settled before tossing him in a box and driving him to the vet.

Foods that are likely to help a reluctant uro eat might be dandelion flowers, any other pesticide free edible flowers (pansies, nasturtium, etc), thawed frozen geen peas, and bee pollen granules (from the health food store). You can also try the same foods, but in a different form - example: I've got a fussy one now that won't eat anything but green peas and whole leaves. If I tear up leaves, he won't eat them. And the peas have to be hand fed; he won't eat them from his dish.

Also, what have you been offering him to eat?

Congrats on your new Mali!
-----
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)

I've been feeding my uro romaine lettuce and some seeds. In response to the first post, I bought it from a petstore, but it had only been there for a few days. The seed is the same as they were feeding it there. He seems okay otherwise, and since this is my first uro, I was unfamiliar with their acclimation. Thanks for all your help.

Lettuce. That figures. So typical of a pet store. Lettuce has virtually no nutritional value for a uro. Check out some care sheets specific for uromastyx. Below is a link to an excellent care sheet. You can also get some great supplements and lights at this website, just follow the links. His prices are excellent.

Do as el toro suggested and get some frozen green peas. Thaw about a teaspoon full with warm to hot water, drain the water and offer them to your mali. Dandelion flowers are also a favorite. As he becomes acclimated, you can offer more choices as shown on the care sheet. I strongly recommend that you get some Miner-Al 1 dust from Deer Fern Farms also and lightly dust(like salting your food) all of the food you offer your mali. They need the D3 to avoid bone disease problems down the road.

Give your mali some time to get settled in with minimal to no handling for the first few weeks. It's good that you've come to this forum for help. You'll find a lot of caring people here willing to help you have a great experience with your mali.

good luck!
Craigo

You can run, but you can't hide... unless you're a uro
care sheet

Thanks for all your help everyone. I woke up this morning and my uro was eating some seed. Yay! I had thought that romaine lettuce was okay and that it was iceberg lettuce that was bad, but I now know that they are all bad. I have another question though. I'm thinking of building a larger cage and I was wondering about where melamine board can be purchased. Do they have it at hardware stores, or do you have to order it over the internet?

You should be able to find melamine at most any home improvement store, though I don't know about small hardware stores.

I'm glad your little guy was starting to nibble! I thought of one other thing, too - to get them started eating greens, sometimes you can mix in a little radicchio to the salad. The red leaves draw their attention.
-----
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)