Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Dear all:

I have a CB male uromastyx ornatus, ca 2 years old and with a body length of 4 inches except the head. It has a half a pea sized (or slightly larger) hard bump on its spine an inch below the neck. I first noticed a slight elevated point in the fall and it has grown since then. What could it be? He is fed the same as my other Uros: collared greens, mustard greens, dandelions, occasional peas and corn. He gets a calcium supplement and uv light. He does not seem to suffer from the growth, which does not seem to be causing pain when I touch it. If anyone could give some advice about what it could be and what to do about it would be greatly appreciated.

Tom Hakansson

Keep in mind that none of us on this board are qualified vets so anything is merely speculation and should be verified by a good herp vet. It sounds like the bump might be caused by too much calcium in the uro's diet. There shouldn't be any need to supplement with extra calcium if UV light is in constant supply. I've heard of bumps forming as a way to store excess calcium until it can be broken down and used up but I forget what it's called. This is just my opinion, but you might want to consider taking your little buddy to the vet to get checked out and make sure it's not anything serious.

Good luck and happy herping
-----
1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra and Isis)
1.1 Satanic Leaftail Geckos (Diablo and Samael)

Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I will mention these to the vet. I have given this particular Uro the same amount of calcium as the others. I may be unconciously overdosing because of the horrible consequences of calcium deficiency that I have seen (not in my own animals) in maltreated lizards ove rthe years.

Tom