Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I'm new here. I'm getting my first Uromastyx in a few weeks for my 37th birthday (mostly a gift to myself). I am curious what the expected lifespan for an Ornate Uro is? Also, the wild bird seed around here all has sunflower seeds mixed in. If I go with birdseed substrate, could I use parakeet seed instead? I am going to do a dry substrate (seed or aspen) and then use a good sized container filled with dirt for digging. That seems to be a good compromise and he can choose for himself where he wants to be. I am good on heat and food, that information was easy to find and pretty much the same on every site I visited. I've been looking at this Uro for a long time (he's actually been at the pet store for about a year now). I got to hold him for the first time today and he is Oh So Sweet! He's very alert and active. I just love him and can't wait to get him home.

Here are two photos I took at the store. Those aren't my hands, the sales girl was kind enought to hold him for me to get the pictures.

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Lyns Lair
WNY Herpetological Society

0.1 Cat (Mia)
4.2 Ferrets (Wolf, Shadow, Verdell, Sullivan, Boo, Peach)
8.0 Rats (Inky, Oy, Ben, Pinky, Templeton, Cotton, Bilbo, Carlo)
1.0 Carpet Python (Bear)
1.0 Malagasy Blonde Hognose (Wilbur)
1.0 Yellow/Everglades Rat Snake (Pumpkin)
1.0 Russian Sand Boa (Fang)
0.1 California King Snake (Boo)
0.1 Normal Corn Snake (Mysty)
1.0 Anery Corn Snake (Suezo)
1.1 Normal Corn Snakes het Pewter and Snow (Romeo & Juliet)
2.1.1 Eastern Milk Snakes (Uno, Dos, Tres, Snoopy)
1.0 Ball Python (Slytherin)
2.0 Smooth Green Snakes (Fred & George)
1.0 Banded Water Snake (Bubbles)
0.1 Golden Greek Tortoise (Sunshine)
0.2 Mississippi Mud Turtles (Squirt & Shyanne)
1.0 Green Iguana (Norbert)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Moose & Tipsy)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Dragon (Tiramisu)
1.0 Ornate Uromastyx coming mid April
0.0.1 American Toad (Bump)
0.0.1 Fowlers Toad (no name yet)
0.0.3 Mystery Toads (no names yet)
1.0 AFT Gecko (Cocoa)
5.4 Leopard Geckos (Trouble, Scooter, Simba, Firenze, Teddy, Mystique, Freckles, Zipper, Twister)

Hi- welcome to the forum!

That's a spectacular uro! You're both lucky to have found each other.

As far as I know, pretty much any seed is fine as long as there are no sunflower seeds with shell or dried corn, so depending on what's in the parakeet seed, it's probably OK.

I've heard radically varied reports of expected captive lifespan, from 15 years to 50. Be prepared for a long-term buddy!

Please feel free to post as many photos as you have time to take!!
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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)
2.1 Anolis carolinensis (Bowser, Sprocket, and Leeloo)
0.1 African dwarf frog (Sheila)
1.0 Betta splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

Since your question was answered ,

I just wanted to say glad your here, and that guy is super INCREDIBLE, you sure got yourself A NICE 39th birthday gift (GOOD FOR YOU)

Hes SPECTACULAR, just love his bluessssssssssssss,

Stick around, and holler if ya need anything, awesome people here.

Keep posting, we love pics
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PHEve / Eve

he is beautiful! i love those colors and he looks nice and chubby. happy birthday! you couldn't get a better reptile present
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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 ***

Your ornate is BEAUTIFUL!! Congrats!! You can pickup white millet at most feed store. The kind of store that sells livestock feed. Thats where I found mine. Good Luck and post more pictures when you get that beauty home!
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Jackie, Limey,Grog and Bacardi (ornate uros)

WOW!!! What a beauty!!!
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150-200 tropical fish

3 African Clawed Frogs (1 olive and 2 albino)

and Luca will be here soon... male Ornate Uromastyx

- Mike
Morris Cty, NJ

- in memory of Magnus (male Uromastyx Macfadyeni)
he will always be my little boy

I put the deposit down on him today so it's official. I can't wait to get him home. Not this Saturday, but the following one. I visited with him for a bit and it was hard as heck to leave without him. But I don't have his setup ready so I can't bring him home yet. He has soooo much personality. He was solid turquoise with bright yellow spots as a baby, but the turquoise has faded quite a bit as you can see in the one picture that I posted. But he still has a lot of pretty color around his face. Hopefully he's done "fading", but even if he fades more he'll still be my sweet boy and it won't decrease my feelings. The nice thing is that I have the whole week off of work following the Saturday that I'm getting him. I know I need to let him acclimate and I won't fuss too much with him. But I'll be able to keep good tabs on him and be sure he's adjusting OK. I'll get him to my vet that week too. And of Course I'll post lots of pics of him and his enclosure.

Here are some of my other Lizard friends...

"Tiramisu" Baby Mountain Horned Dragon

"Tipsy" Baby 'rescue' Beardie who lost a leg, almost all of her toes, and part of her tail to her siblings. She's active and alert and she climbs & runs very fast (if not a little wobbly)

"Moose" my other Beardie, all body parts in tact, getting dried off after a bath...

"Norbert" rescued Green Iggy... don't worry, he doesn't live on that small branch, he has a whole shelf up above (out of the shot) and his own special custom made pillow too.

"Scooter", one of my Leos, I won't post them all...

Well, those are a handful of my "kids". The rest are on my website (link below in my sig) if you want to see them. They all have their own distinct personalities (I'm sure I don't need to tell you guys that). My 'non reptile' friends don't believe me that reptiles have personality. I pity them not having the joy to experience it first hand.

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Lyns Lair
WNY Herpetological Society

0.1 Cat (Mia)
4.2 Ferrets (Wolf, Shadow, Verdell, Sullivan, Boo, Peach)
8.0 Rats (Inky, Oy, Ben, Pinky, Templeton, Cotton, Bilbo, Carlo)
1.0 Carpet Python (Bear)
1.0 Malagasy Blonde Hognose (Wilbur)
1.0 Yellow/Everglades Rat Snake (Pumpkin)
1.0 Russian Sand Boa (Fang)
0.1 California King Snake (Boo)
0.1 Normal Corn Snake (Mysty)
1.0 Anery Corn Snake (Suezo)
1.1 Normal Corn Snakes het Pewter and Snow (Romeo & Juliet)
2.1.1 Eastern Milk Snakes (Uno, Dos, Tres, Snoopy)
1.0 Ball Python (Slytherin)
2.0 Smooth Green Snakes (Fred & George)
1.0 Banded Water Snake (Bubbles)
0.1 Golden Greek Tortoise (Sunshine)
0.2 Mississippi Mud Turtles (Squirt & Shyanne)
1.0 Green Iguana (Norbert)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Moose & Tipsy)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Dragon (Tiramisu)
1.0 Ornate Uromastyx coming mid April
0.0.1 American Toad (Bump)
0.0.1 Fowlers Toad (no name yet)
0.0.3 Mystery Toads (no names yet)
1.0 AFT Gecko (Cocoa)
5.4 Leopard Geckos (Trouble, Scooter, Simba, Firenze, Teddy, Mystique, Freckles, Zipper, Twister)

that is quite a collection! thanks for posting the pics. they are all very cute animals and yes reptiles definitely have personalities and likes and dislikes. helga, one of my malis, will only eat bok choy and only the green and purple pellets from the iguana food and peas of course! (and yes she can differentiate among the different greens i mix together, so spoiled!)
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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 ***

Wow!

I looked through your site, you have a zoo! It must take ages to feed and care for all your children. They are beautiful though, and well worth it I am sure.

Welcome to the forum!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin

Thanks for looking. Yes, it does suck up quite a lot of my time, but I absolutely love caring for them all. I still get excited when I buy a bag of waxworms and can run around hand feeding them all (well, the ones who eat waxies at least). I see by your sig that you are into some Big critters! A Sulcatta and Iggys and a Newfie!!! You have your hands full too. It always amazes me when people have more than one Iggy. I wish I had the space and money to rescue more. But they take up so much room and eat soooo much! And what comes in must come out, so that leads to cleaning a big cage once or twice a day. My Iggy takes more of my time in one week than all my snakes combined for a whole month. I love Newfies. They are like big fluffy bears. My friend had two of them. Thanks again for looking at my site!
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Lyns Lair
WNY Herpetological Society

0.1 Cat (Mia)
4.2 Ferrets (Wolf, Shadow, Verdell, Sullivan, Boo, Peach)
8.0 Rats (Inky, Oy, Ben, Pinky, Templeton, Cotton, Bilbo, Carlo)
1.0 Carpet Python (Bear)
1.0 Malagasy Blonde Hognose (Wilbur)
1.0 Yellow/Everglades Rat Snake (Pumpkin)
1.0 Russian Sand Boa (Fang)
0.1 California King Snake (Boo)
0.1 Normal Corn Snake (Mysty)
1.0 Anery Corn Snake (Suezo)
1.1 Normal Corn Snakes het Pewter and Snow (Romeo & Juliet)
2.1.1 Eastern Milk Snakes (Uno, Dos, Tres, Snoopy)
1.0 Ball Python (Slytherin)
2.0 Smooth Green Snakes (Fred & George)
1.0 Banded Water Snake (Bubbles)
0.1 Golden Greek Tortoise (Sunshine)
0.2 Mississippi Mud Turtles (Squirt & Shyanne)
1.0 Green Iguana (Norbert)
1.1 Bearded Dragons (Moose & Tipsy)
0.0.1 Mountain Horned Dragon (Tiramisu)
1.0 Ornate Uromastyx coming mid April
0.0.1 American Toad (Bump)
0.0.1 Fowlers Toad (no name yet)
0.0.3 Mystery Toads (no names yet)
1.0 AFT Gecko (Cocoa)
5.4 Leopard Geckos (Trouble, Scooter, Simba, Firenze, Teddy, Mystique, Freckles, Zipper, Twister)