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Bambichik39   Kelso reptiles   Winkpw   Leopaedgecko   Vers   Leopaedgecko   Wild_life10

Member	Message
#2261049 Bambichik39 View Profile	Friendly? I have a beardie and was wondering, are Uro’s easily handled? I understand they aren’t exactly bearded dragons, but can they be handled at all?
04/01/12  08:31pm
#2261072 Kelso reptiles View Profile	Message To: Bambichik39   In reference to Message Id: 2261049  Friendly? onistly, no they are more of a aww and ohhh lizard rather then a hold and cudle lizard they tend to get more stressed then other lizards and require higher temps and arnt suposed to be away from them for long periods of time wait till onother person come an asnerws more complete like vers or urokeeper
04/01/12  10:50pm
#2261080 Winkpw View Profile	Message To: Kelso reptiles   In reference to Message Id: 2261072  Friendly? They are more like show case lizards. They don’t like to be handled. They’re not sociable either.
04/01/12  11:31pm
#2261118 Leopaedgecko View Profile	Message To: Bambichik39   In reference to Message Id: 2261049  Friendly? I have two one is more sociable the other I will go a while month without seeing him once very easily. The social one will run up to my hand for food but if I pet him or puck him up he will go into hiding for a week or so... so honestly I do not ever handle them unless necessary. All the others I have dealt with are usually fairly similar in this trait.
04/02/12  11:03am
#2261121 Vers View Profile	Message To: Kelso reptiles   In reference to Message Id: 2261072  Friendly? Well, I wouldn’t put myself in the same category as Urokeeper, who has far more experience with this genus of lizard than I, but I will say that generally speaking Uromastyx are not the best lizards in regards to handling but that’s not to say they cannot be held and or interacted with. They should be treated as a showcase animal first and foremost and if worked with enough (no force handling) they may end up allowing you to more freely interact with them. My Ornates, for example, used to interact with me more when they were younger, now they are more skittish and wary of my presence (though it could be a result of brumation). One of the two tolerates me more than the other, but only up until a certain point. My philbyi are very much the same way, with the smaller of the two jolting into a hide more often than not when I enter the room. The larger of the two is better and during sheds even rubs up against my finger like a cat. Still, it’s very cautious...the slightest misstep will cause him/her to seek shelter. That said, if I took more time to gain their trust they might be more apt to drop their guard/flight response a little. Like most other wild/non-domesticated animals, the more you work with them the better chance you have acclimating them to your presence--some may end up warming up to you, while others will remain constantly guarded. From what I understand it often depends on the species as well as the individual. This, of course, all hinges on the methods you choose to implement. If you drop by youtube (I cringe when I say that) you will see plenty of videos of uromastyx openly and freely interacting with their handlers (as well as many that display the opposite of that), so it’s pretty obvious that some can acclimate to a life in captivity past the point of basic survival under certain circumstances, though I feel those that do are in the minority. In the end I would not recommend any species of uromastyx to someone who intends to treat the animal like, say, a bearded dragon or leopard gecko unless they understand all of the above. I’ve seen this many times with many different types of animals and it frustrates me to no end when someone gets into a situation they know may not work out the way they planned in which case the animal usually ends up suffering because of it. I will commend the OP on doing their research ahead of time though--more people should start doing that.
04/02/12  12:37pm
#2261122 Leopaedgecko View Profile	Message To: Vers   In reference to Message Id: 2261121  Friendly? The enclosure and surrounding area will also impact how social they may become... if their cage offers them plenty of space and ample areas to hide from you/dogs and cats view they will be more comfortable and feel safer. A scared animal won’t make much progress usually.
04/02/12  01:39pm
#2261569 Wild_life10 View Profile	Message To: Bambichik39   In reference to Message Id: 2261049  Friendly? Can uros be held? ------- yes. should you hold them? ----- no I interact with mine all the time..... from afar. Mine are used to me by now but when i feed them or clean there tank they will come up to me and bump me, climb on my hands, etc. You should not really ever take them out of there tanks. I consider uros more like fish...... observational animals. now, that being said..... i have a few mali’s that would probley let me hold them all the time if i wanted. Very tame and calm. I have one large male saharan that is the same. My occellates are skittish as heck and ive never held them. Most of my saharans will investigate but keep there distance. My ornates love to be pet but hate being picked up. I believe each uro has there own personalities..... but alot depends on the species. My favourite overall uromastyx species is U. Geyri......... Cheers
04/05/12  09:34am

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