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Uromastyx Lizards

TheFrogman

TheFrogman

Im just old
Nancy, I saw in another post that you have a Uromastyx (Uro), I didn't want to hijack that other thread.

I think Uro's are such amazing animal, absolutely so prehistoric looking. I have done research on them as I want a Red Uro so bad, but other than one other person who claims his is very temperamental and sometimes mean, I have not gotten anyone else's opinion on them yet.

Do they make great pets? Do they let you handle them? High maintenance?
 
Super-low maintenance once set up. Mine HATES me, and is like a wild animal. Maybe if you get one as a baby. A bearded dragon, OTOH, is higher maintenance, and as friendly and cool and interactive as a dog or cat.

I can handle him, but I can tell it's torture for him, so I don't.
 
I always wanted a chuckwalla, though. I'm sure Ares will live to be 100...

He was found roaming a beach in Florida, and that person gave him to Joe Novak, who gave him to me. I've had him quite a few years.
 
I have heard that Beardies love to be held and handled, but I hate to say this, everyone has a Bearded Dragon and as cool as they are, Uro's look so cool.

I have a friend on another forum that has one that claims his can be very mean depending on his mood as well.
 
A bearded dragon is like a cool, fun, best friend. Part of the family. My daughter has one- I call her my granddaughter.

I think larger lizards like tegus and monitors can be like that, too, but ooooh the caging requirements...

A cool website for uros is Deer Fern Farms. If I was going to buy one, that's who I'd go to.

I've met one of the giant ones, can't think of the species now, and he was super-cool.
 
Another lizard I had for a while that was an extreme disappointment was a gargoyle gecko. Handleable, but it took her FOREVER to learn to feed herself. I called her the ball and chain. Only active while I was sleeping...
 
Pft not EVERYONE has a bearded dragon. For instance, me! I have the much more complicated and rude frilled dragon. The only Uro I ever met lives at the zoo, and he is freaking awesome. His name is Ug, and he is target trained to do "tricks". And he loves to be held. But he also needs surgery all the time because he fills up with water o.o
 
Blue Tongue Skinks (BTS) are a neat lizard that get to a good size. They are easy to care for and they are not super common like Bearded Dragons are.
 
Oooh, I forgot about those! That's actually the next lizard I want, after Ares is gone. IF Ares is ever gone! He loves flowers from outside- I guess that's one thing he cares about.
 
Uros are awesome :)

Another awesome pet lizard is a blue tongue skink. They are really easy going, kind of lazy and eat everything. This is Edgar. I don't have him anymore because I'm more of a snake person than a lizard person.

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I have Blue Tongues, Beardies, Frilleds, Nigerian Uros, Chuckwallas, Horned Toads (Thanks to Graham!) and a mess of other critters. I love them all for different reasons. The Eros I have encountered are very sweet IF they are captive born/bred. The wild caught guys have a tendency to be far more defensive and full of parasites. I adore baby Uros! Those beady little black eyes and chubby bellies are to die for. I have to clean their enclosure last because I get stuck playing with them and lose track of time. They are much easier to care for than baby Beardies, Frilleds, Chuckwallas or BTS's. I never worry about legs and tails going missing when they are housed as a hatchling mob. Whereas Beardies and Frills are so mean to one another at that age and need to be fed multiple times a day to ensure their safety. Of course Uros are also less active and like to stay under a rock or in a underground burrow and snooze when they aren't chowing down. Heat is really the only caveat I have encountered in my northern climate. A daytime temp of 120F in the basking area is tough to maintain in the cold winter months. The veggie based diet makes up for that. My guys will happily sit on my lap or perch on a shoulder much like my Beardies. They move around less than the Beardies and sometimes I forget they are there.
My avatar is of my most favorite Uro, Bart. It was taken at an Expo I was vending in Indianapolis. He was there for demo purposes and to show off the sire of the babies I had for sale. You can't see it in the picture but he is surrounded by baby Uros. One was even standing on his head for awhile, hence the look on his face! He's a great dad and an awesome pet.

Terri
 
Terri, if you had to pick _one_ lizard species, to be a companionable pet, which would you choose?

As Terri observes- my uro is in a 24 x 48" Showcase cage. He comes out in the morning, basks for a moment, goes off to his pooping area, eats all his greens which are served at 5AM, then may bask for a little while, but usually goes into his cave and naps the rest of the day.

He's probably the easiest lizard to leave unattended, because he will happily eat his substrate (millet) and his ground-up 15 bean soup mix. He doesn't have water. A friend can come in every couple days and give him a pre-measured bag of greens, with no worries that he will escape. His lights are on a timer.

Maybe he's just "wild" because he spent time on his own in the wilds of Florida.
 
I had a friend with a Uro, and he was pretty tame, a captive bred one i'm guessing. lol
but yes he was much like a beardie, just cuter IMO.

if you don't mind making them a fresh salad each day, id say go for it! :)
 
Nanci said:
Terri, if you had to pick _one_ lizard species, to be a companionable pet, which would you choose?
Click to expand...

Nanci, that is a "Sophie's Choice" kind of question for me.LOL Your description of A Day in the Life of a Uro is dead on (I keep mine on millet too). My husband always picks the Beardies when asked that question (with reference to the reptile pets) because they are more interactive. When he is playing guitar them seem to come closer to actively listen and he likes that. If you could eliminate their juvenile period, adult beardies and BTS's are as easy as uros with the added perk of more activity.
Have I skirted answering your question well enough?:p

Terri
 
Ha ha, you guys are funny. I am not going to make a decision until after Repticon Baltimore on Feb 2nd. But you are not being helpful in helping me make my decision...LOL
 
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