Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We bought a persian uromastyx in Sept. It's just a juvie. Everything seemed to be fine until recently, when we noticed that he is having trouble moving his back end. We have him in a 30gal tank with newspaper, a UV lamp and a heat lamp. We feed him bag salad, worms, and the occassional frozen veggie mix. Lately we've noticed that he has been digging up and possibly eating the newspaper. He is shedding, especially on his tail. When I picked him up today to check him out, I noticed that his tail is a little stiff where it joins his body. It seems to be his right leg that is having the most difficulty. He literally lifts it up and around, and seems to have trouble moving it. I've also noticed that he seems a little sore.
Anyone know what this problem is, what causes it, and how to fix it
Please help.
Ronda.

First off, bagged salad is a big NO in the uro world. Bagged salad contains no nutritional value what so ever. Worms should only be given to adult uro's, the most uro friendly worm is the wax worm due to the fact it is very soft so it cannot hurt them like a super or meal worm could with its hard shell.

Juvi's need tons of nutrients and calcium in their diet. I suggest you give the little one a "salad" consisting of Escarole, endive, fresh or frozen green beans (thawed and nuked in the microwave for about 5 seconds and then a cool off of 30 seconds) fresh or frozen green peas.

Next if you think he's eating the newspaper, switch to an actual towel. He cannot chew through it, trust me on this.

You didn't list your basking temps so here is what they should be so check them: Bask spot 120*F cool area of tank 85*F. Never let the tank go below 85*F because this is the temp they'd experience in the wild, you could let it go to 80* but nothing below 80*f, it's bad for them.

Also if he has trouble shedding his spikes on his tail, use mineral oil, just take a cotton ball, pour mineral oil on it and dab it on the top of the spikes, don't let any get on the bottom of his tail, or else sand will get stuck to it. Do that and change his diet and he should be as good as new.
-----
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

Thank you for your advice. We've been using the bag salad because it is cost effective, and we have a hard time finding some of the other stuff. I try to use salads with carrots, radiccio, and endive, as I know plain lettuce is just water really. I will try to look in my grocery store for escarole and endive, but I'm pretty sure they do not sell it. I live in a small town in the north of Ontario Canada, and it's hard to find uncommon ingredients like that. As for the towel, I will make the switch right away. We have been feeding him mealworms occassionally as an alternative to crickets. I just don't have the time to take care of live crickets, and I thought juvies need the protein. As for temps, we have had difficulty since day one with the temp. We have it in the 100F range for the basking spot, I think. And the cool area is somewhere around 70-80F. We have a sunglo 150watt heat bulb from exo terra in, and that's the best we can get for temp. We've even tried a tight beam sun glo. I will try the mineral oil.
Again, thanks for your info. I will get back to you to let you know how he is doing.
Ronda.

Hello Rhonda-
I was wondering if you supplement your uros diet with calcium / vitamin supplements?
Also, I disagree with bag salads being avoided all together.
Variation is the key. Look at all the major Uro sites. Try to accumulate as many foods listed as possible. Balance the nutritionally poor food with those that are high in nutritional value.
I have seen MBD symptoms in juvenile water dragons that are fairly similar to the ones you desribe.
I am not familiar to the UVB output of the bulbs you describe but i would consider a Powersun or active UVb bulb asa staple for your Uro's basking area. Also a 30 gallon may start to get a little small depending on the size of your uro and it's ability to thermoregulate.
I wish you the best with your uro. Good luck.
Ed
>>Thank you for your advice. We've been using the bag salad because it is cost effective, and we have a hard time finding some of the other stuff. I try to use salads with carrots, radiccio, and endive, as I know plain lettuce is just water really. I will try to look in my grocery store for escarole and endive, but I'm pretty sure they do not sell it. I live in a small town in the north of Ontario Canada, and it's hard to find uncommon ingredients like that. As for the towel, I will make the switch right away. We have been feeding him mealworms occassionally as an alternative to crickets. I just don't have the time to take care of live crickets, and I thought juvies need the protein. As for temps, we have had difficulty since day one with the temp. We have it in the 100F range for the basking spot, I think. And the cool area is somewhere around 70-80F. We have a sunglo 150watt heat bulb from exo terra in, and that's the best we can get for temp. We've even tried a tight beam sun glo. I will try the mineral oil.
>>Again, thanks for your info. I will get back to you to let you know how he is doing.
>>Ronda.

Trust me, I know how hard it is to find Escarole and Endive, I too live in a small town, nearest big town to me is a 20 minute drive from my house.

Also mealworms-bad idea. They have a hard shell on them that contains cretein which is a chemical that makes it harder for them to digest. My bearded dragon won't even touch mealworms which are part of his diet and beardeds have a tougher lining than uromastyx.

You don't have to care for the crickets, just buy enough for a feeding once a week, I usually give ours about 12 one time every week and they're fine with just salads the rest of the week.
-----
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 was buying 1/2 dozen and giving him just one a week. He wasn't always interested in them. He really liked the worms, but that's a risk I won't take again.
Ronda.

What small town are you from? I was born and raised in northern Ontario. I come from Iroquois Falls.
-----
1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra and Isis)
1.1 Satanic Leaftail Geckos (Diablo and Samael)

I live in Kirkland Lake, actually. That's not too far from Iriquois. I'm originally from Hamilton though.
Ronda.

That's cool, I'm currently living in Brampton.
I really want to go back up north, I really miss the forests and wildlife.
-----
1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra and Isis)
1.1 Satanic Leaftail Geckos (Diablo and Samael)

First off, good for you to come to this site for advice. You'll get more than you thought possible. But it is good and well intended.

Here's my put. You're basking temp is not high enough to support proper digestion. You need to get it up to at least 105F, but ideally around 115F to 120F. Dump the lettuce. Don't even feed it to him, it's a waste and they don't need the extra water it provides. My uro loves dandelion flowers, and they're free if you got 'm and full of antioxidants. The dandelion greens are also good if he'll eat them. Try supplementing with peas and get some Mazuri Tortoise diet from Doug Dix (see link below). You just put a pellet or two in some hot water and let it soften up. Add some peas and mixed veggies, Uromastyx dust, Miner-All (for calcium D3 support) and you're good to go. Cut back on the proteins. They are hard to process and lead to kidney failure. Finally, read the care sheet at Deer Fern Farms, as well as the supply page, and you'll learn a great deal about how to keep your uromastyx healthy and happy!

Good luck!
Craigo

You can run, but you can't hide... unless you're a uro
Uromastyx must have supplies

there is always the possibility of impaction. here is a website that gives a good description of it. this says it is for bearded dragons but it is good for other reptiles too http://www.reptilerooms.com/Sections index-req-viewarticle-artid-87-page-1.html
has he pooped recently? you can try to help him with warm soaks but i would personally go to the vet. if his temps are not high enough then it could be part of the problem because he may not be digesting properly. i had my uros on paper towels and they love to dig so they would shred it, but never eat it. if you really think he is eating it, my vet told me once that pica (eating unedible things) can be a sign of parasites, which would also require a trip to the vet. bugs need to be an occasional treat for uros as too much protein can hurt their kidneys in the long run.
the kingsnake caresheet page has many sheets on uros and there is a good one at deerfernfarms.com
what type of greens were in the bagged salad?
-----
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 ***

Think seriously about seeing a vet. Raise your temperature up to approx 120-125 degrees and get rid of the prepackaged salad immediately. A warm water bath may or may not help, but your uros thrive in a very hot arid climate.
There are very good care sheets you can down load, please read them.

Ok. Thank you all for the great information. I started treating him for impaction yesterday evening, and I think he may be getting better. I did however notice that he has been pooping just fine. In fact he made a large poop while I was soaking him this morning. The movement of his back legs seems to be better today though. Before he would lift and swing his right leg around, and now it's more of a smooth normal movement. His tail has also finished shedding. If it was impaction, how would I know he has passed it. If it was metabolic could it have gotten better on it's own. I'd like to know for future reference. I'll be keeping an eye on him, and hopefully find some of the items you all described for his diet. Thank you again. I'll keep you posted.
Ronda.

If he seems to be pooping fine and you don't think it's MBD related, but the back legs still seem to have problems, you might try adding in some extra thiamine to the diet. Hypothiaminosis can resemble MBD in symptoms, but it's a deficiency in vitamin B-1; frozen veggies (if you use them) lose B-1 in the freezer. You can get B-1 capsules to open up and sprinkle on salads.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx geyri (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Uromastyx dispar maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and Spike)
1.0 Uromastyx ornata (Scuttlebutt)
1.2 Anolis carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
0.1 African dwarf frog (Sheila)
1.0 Betta splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)