Keeping Uromastyx on bird seeds?

[SamanthaMarikian]

I saw someone on reddit keeping one on a substrate of seemingly only bird seeds. Is that ok for them? They said that it eats from it but they spot clean it every day and i just thought that didnt seem right to have food as substrate lol

 

[viper69]

I saw someone on reddit keeping one on a substrate of seemingly only bird seeds. Is that ok for them? They said that it eats from it but they spot clean it every day and i just thought that didnt seem right to have food as substrate lol

Edit— should be sand/soil mix based on notes from a breeder.

You can keep them on millet I’ve read.

But things like crushed walnut shells can lead to impaction.

They shouldn’t be eating seeds as food, should be diverse veggies

 

[SamanthaMarikian]

Lol t

What’s wrong with sand hahah

You can keep them on millet I’ve read.

But things like crushed walnut shells can lead to impaction.

They shouldn’t be eating seeds as food, should be diverse veggies

Thats what i was thinking lol. They said it was switched from sand 2 months ago n theyd switch the seeds in 2 more months. I thought it was weird lol. If theres no issues w the sand why switch

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

I have a friend who rescued a uromastyx years ago and keeps it with seeds as substrate. It makes sense to me since they are strictly vegan/vegetarian so they are already equipped to digest seeds. Makes for easy cleanup of waste and temperature regulation. Their food (veggies and occasionally fruits) should be served to them in a dish of course, but my understanding is that sand or cocofiber could lead to impaction if they eat their food off it.
@viper69 , do you have any of these? I know that for these reasons it's not recommended to keep bearded dragons on the sand that you see them kept on in pet stores, it makes sense to me that uromastyx would be same. I know you keep herps, I also know my friends uro is thriving living like this.
I'm genuinely curious, I don't have one but I'd like to someday.

 

[viper69]

I have a friend who rescued a uromastyx years ago and keeps it with seeds as substrate. It makes sense to me since they are strictly vegan/vegetarian so they are already equipped to digest seeds. Makes for easy cleanup of waste and temperature regulation. Their food (veggies and occasionally fruits) should be served to them in a dish of course, but my understanding is that sand or cocofiber could lead to impaction if they eat their food off it.
@viper69 , do you have any of these? I know that for these reasons it's not recommended to keep bearded dragons on the sand that you see them kept on in pet stores, it makes sense to me that uromastyx would be same. I know you keep herps, I also know my friends uro is thriving living like this.
I'm genuinely curious, I don't have one but I'd like to someday.

I don’t own one, I talked to a breeder at one point as I’m always interested in getting one.

Breeder—correction- breeder did a sand/soil mix, no issues, the person served up dinner on a plate of course.

I had to check my notes!

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

don’t own one, I talked to a breeder at one point as I’m always interested in getting one.

Breeder—correction- breeder did a sand/soil mix, no issues, the person served up dinner on a plate of course.

I had to check my notes!

It'd be nice to compare notes with you in the future I have almost zero reptile or herp experience thus far, but always thinking of somewhere to start. We would have snakes if we had a bigger space. Snake poop stinks like nothing else though, not something I want to deal with in our tiny home, lol!

 

[viper69]

It'd be nice to compare notes with you in the future I have almost zero reptile or herp experience thus far, but always thinking of somewhere to start. We would have snakes if we had a bigger space. Snake poop stinks like nothing else though, not something I want to deal with in our tiny home, lol!

Varies from species to species

You don’t need a lot of space for some species. There is a species of python that max out at 2ft! And they are docile- great beginner snakes

Don’t have space for that?

Kenyan Sand Boas are smaller if I recall.

Ts are just a side hobby of mine. Herps are so much easier to care IME.

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

You don’t need a lot of space for some species. There is a species of python that max out at 2ft! And they are docile- great beginner snakes

Don’t have space for that?

Ok, maybe I could make some space for something like that What is that species? My Google search turned up way too much info to sift through. Docile is a must, I don't want a snake I can't trust. Also, do you feed live food or f/t?

Ts are just a side hobby of mine. Herps are so much easier to care IME.

Really? I'm very interested in knowing how they are easier. My 4 tarantulas are the easiest things I've ever had the pleasure of caring for, after getting over the initial shock of how much info on care there is, I've found them (the ones I have anyway) to be pretty straight forward. In my experience so far I've found their feeders take more maintenance, care, and knowledge than the actual Ts.

A couple years ago my son's friend brought us a garter snake he found nearby. I was terrified of all snakes at that point but that same day I was holding her in my hand while watching tv and totally fell asleep, woke up an hour later with the snake in the exact same place. My fear completely disappeared after that. Unfortunately though, she didn't seem to be doing well, she had one baby that only lived a few hours and she was constantly rubbing her face on the glass. We were concerned she would develop mouth rot and since she wouldn't eat for us, we released her in the same spot she was found after only 2 weeks. I believe it was the right thing to do.

 

[Reezelbeezelbug]

<snip>
Ts are just a side hobby of mine. Herps are so much easier to care IME.

By herps you must mean snakes because no way are any lizard easier to care for than Ts ha ha. Maybe a crestie, but I have no experience with them. IMO one beardie is about the equivalent of 30-50 tarantulas care

 

[Reezelbeezelbug]

Ok, maybe I could make some space for something like that What is that species? My Google search turned up way too much info to sift through. Docile is a must, I don't want a snake I can't trust. Also, do you feed live food or f/t?


Really? I'm very interested in knowing how they are easier. My 4 tarantulas are the easiest things I've ever had the pleasure of caring for, after getting over the initial shock of how much info on care there is, I've found them (the ones I have anyway) to be pretty straight forward. In my experience so far I've found their feeders take more maintenance, care, and knowledge than the actual Ts.

A couple years ago my son's friend brought us a garter snake he found nearby. I was terrified of all snakes at that point but that same day I was holding her in my hand while watching tv and totally fell asleep, woke up an hour later with the snake in the exact same place. My fear completely disappeared after that. Unfortunately though, she didn't seem to be doing well, she had one baby that only lived a few hours and she was constantly rubbing her face on the glass. We were concerned she would develop mouth rot and since she wouldn't eat for us, we released her in the same spot she was found after only 2 weeks. I believe it was the right thing to do.

Apologies if I'm jumping in where I shouldn't, but the smallest pythons are in the Antaresia genus and include the Anthill python, Childrens python, Stimsons Python, and Spotted python. I really want to get a snake and spotted pythons are on my list ha ha.

Other small snakes include:
Kenyan sand boas like viper said
Nuevo Leon Kingsnake, scientific name Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri. Also called the Thayer's kingsnake or variable kingsnake.
Western hognose snake. These are rear-fanged "venomous" and have restrictions in certain states and cities. Their little shovel noses are adorable

 

[viper69]

By herps you must mean snakes because no way are any lizard easier to care for than Ts ha ha. Maybe a crestie, but I have no experience with them. IMO one beardie is about the equivalent of 30-50 tarantulas care

No, I mean herps in GENERAL. Don't waste your time whipping out an exception- there's exceptions to all things. Even my chameleons and frogs were easier to take care of.

I've been doing this for a very long time, I find herps far easier.

 

[viper69]

Ok, maybe I could make some space for something like that What is that species? My Google search turned up way too much info to sift through. Docile is a must, I don't want a snake I can't trust. Also, do you feed live food or f/t?


Really? I'm very interested in knowing how they are easier. My 4 tarantulas are the easiest things I've ever had the pleasure of caring for, after getting over the initial shock of how much info on care there is, I've found them (the ones I have anyway) to be pretty straight forward. In my experience so far I've found their feeders take more maintenance, care, and knowledge than the actual Ts.

A couple years ago my son's friend brought us a garter snake he found nearby. I was terrified of all snakes at that point but that same day I was holding her in my hand while watching tv and totally fell asleep, woke up an hour later with the snake in the exact same place. My fear completely disappeared after that. Unfortunately though, she didn't seem to be doing well, she had one baby that only lived a few hours and she was constantly rubbing her face on the glass. We were concerned she would develop mouth rot and since she wouldn't eat for us, we released her in the same spot she was found after only 2 weeks. I believe it was the right thing to do.

Children's Python - I was off by 1 ft. 3 feet is their length. Kenyan Sand Boas are just a bit over 2 ft, and can live in a 10 gallon tank

I NEVER feed live, that's for idiots. If you aren't sure why, let me know.

Ts are easy in certain ways. But let's face it, when my herps shed, I'm not worried they are going to die, lose teeth etc. Nor am I worried that my herps or frogs might not come out of their skin properly, nor need I be concerned about adding water droplets to little herps for water etc etc.

There's a lot of tedious activity and concern with Ts that isn't present with herps and frogs IME.

 

[aprilmayjunebugs]

Apologies if I'm jumping in where I shouldn't, but the smallest pythons are in the Antaresia genus and include the Anthill python, Childrens python, Stimsons Python, and Spotted python. I really want to get a snake and spotted pythons are on my list ha ha.

Other small snakes include:
Kenyan sand boas like viper said
Nuevo Leon Kingsnake, scientific name Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri. Also called the Thayer's kingsnake or variable kingsnake.
Western hognose snake. These are rear-fanged "venomous" and have restrictions in certain states and cities. Their little shovel noses are adorable

Ummm, yeah, how dare you. Jk, you are just as welcome to jump in wherever you like, just like anyone here is. Thanks for your detailed reply, I didn't know that bit about western hognose, they are super cute but I live one of those states unfortunately.

I NEVER feed live, that's for idiots. If you aren't sure why, let me know.

I know quite well, but upon light chit chat about the matter, it seems my other half is not of the same belief. For that reason, and that watching snakes hunt their food is not my cup of tea, I don't think I'll be advocating for snake ownership in this house anytime soon sadly.

Ts are easy in certain ways. But let's face it, when my herps shed, I'm not worried they are going to die, lose teeth etc. Nor am I worried that my herps or frogs might not come out of their skin properly, nor need I be concerned about adding water droplets to little herps for water etc etc.

There's a lot of tedious activity and concern with Ts that isn't present with herps and frogs IME.

I appreciate you taking the time to answer that question, I totally understand where you are coming from. I guess it's the tedious activities that I enjoy the most with tarantulas.

 

[viper69]

Ummm, yeah, how dare you. Jk, you are just as welcome to jump in wherever you like, just like anyone here is. Thanks for your detailed reply, I didn't know that bit about western hognose, they are super cute but I live one of those states unfortunately.



I know quite well, but upon light chit chat about the matter, it seems my other half is not of the same belief. For that reason, and that watching snakes hunt their food is not my cup of tea, I don't think I'll be advocating for snake ownership in this house anytime soon sadly.



I appreciate you taking the time to answer that question, I totally understand where you are coming from. I guess it's the tedious activities that I enjoy the most with tarantulas.

When you have predator prey interactions in the wild, each can escape perhaps. In a container etc, that snake has no where to run. An early mentor of mine showed me a gorgeous snake he owned, but he fed it live once. Result - big fat vet bill, the rodent did a huge number on his snake, it was serious. AND he had to force feed her (they love that ),because she was scared to eat.