Knowing what to feed your uromastyx is one of the most important things to keep your pet happy and healthy. In this post, you will learn everything that you need to know about uromastyx diet – what and how often to feed your uromastyx. You will also find a food list and a chart, best food to feed, which supplements to choose and how much to use.
What do uromastyx eat?
In the wild and captivity, uromastyx eat mainly vegetation – vegetables, greens, as well as some seeds, legumes and fruits/berries. Feeder bugs and other high protein foods should be extremely limited or eliminated due to harm to internal organs over time.
How often do uromastyx eat?
Feed your baby to adult uromastyx (0-24 months) daily. Once your uromastyx becomes an adult – 3 years and older – it can eat 5-7 days a week.
What is the best time to feed a uromastyx?
The best time to put the dish with food is 1-2 hours after the lights turn on. Your uromastyx will probably take time to wake up and come out of its hide. Leave the dish in the tank for the rest of the day, as your uromastyx might eat a little bit every few hours. Remove the food dish at the end of the day, 2-3 hours before the lights turn off.
Goitrogenic, oxalic and high phosphorus foods in uromastyx diet
Not all foods are equally nutritious for your uromastyx. So, it’s important to know which ones should be limited in the diet to prevent any health issues later in its life.
First of all, you should limit oxalic foods in the diet of your uromastyx. High oxalate foods bind calcium and remove it from the body. Consumption of too many oxalic foods can lead to decrease of calcium levels in the body. High oxalic vegetables and greens include:
- Okra
- Parsley
- Spinach – very oxalic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Swiss chard
- Radicchio
- Yucca (also called cassava)
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Kiwis
- Raspberries
Secondly, you should limit goitrogenic foods in the diet of your uromastyx. Goitrogenic foods can cause thyroid issues because they bind iodine and remove it from the body. Goitrogenic foods include:
- Kohlrabi
- Cauliflower
- Green cabbage
- Brussel sprouts
- Bok Choy (Pak Choy)
- Beet greens and beetroot
- Radishes
- Turnips
- Rapini
- Broccoli
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears (Conference, Asian)
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Plums
High phosphorus foods should also be limited, because they also bind calcium and can cause deficiency over time. Foods high in phosphorus include corn and bananas (it’s also too high in sugar and potassium!). High phosphorus foods include:
- Kidney and Lima beans (boiled) – 1:3.2 and 1:3.5 respectively
- Zucchini (courgettes) – 1:4.4
- Corn – avoid altogether – Ca:P ratio is 1:13!
- Nectarines – 1:4.3
- Pomegranate – 1:3.5
- Peaches – 1:3.3
Importance of Ca:P ratio in the diet
Calcium to Phosphorus ratio in the diet is very important. Specifically, the ratio of Ca:P in the diet should be at least 2:1, preferably higher. While you should still supplement foods with calcium on most days, make sure to pick a calcium supplement without phosphorus.
In the food list table below, you will see foods that you should only offer few time a week, and foods to offer less than once a week. In reality, always try to have at least 1-3 staple greens, mixed with some other occasional foods (1-2 types in small quantities).
What do uromastyx like to eat?
Believe it or not, each uromastyx pet will have its own preferences. Also, those preferences can change in different seasons, or even within the same season.
A good rule would be to offer various greens and veggies, and rotate them to see what your uromastyx likes. It will often pick out the ones that it likes. Offer 2-3 types of staples, and small amounts of 1-2 types of occasionals. Also, offer fresh edible staple flowers whenever you have them.
Often the favorite foods of uromastyx are lentils, sprouts, fresh flowers and bee pollen. However, offer lentils, sprouts and bee pollen in moderation as they are low in moisture and high in protein.
Uromastyx food chart
- Fresh vegetables and greens – with every feeding
- Fruits – 5-10% of the diet – once a week
- Fresh flowers – whenever you have them. Must not have been sprayed with any pesticides or similar.
- Seeds – offer 4-5 times a week in small amounts
- Lentils – 1-2 times a week (feed to babies of over 3 months old only, grind large lentils even for adults and sprinkle on food. Split lentils are fine without grinding). Lentils can be sprouted too.
- Beans – 2-3 times a week in small quantities. Offer cooked/canned or grind to make into dust and sprinkle on food.
- Bee pollen – once a week – small amounts due to high protein
- Feeder bugs (live or dried) – none
Seeds, lentils and beans will provide important protein to your uromastyx, but make sure to limit how much and how often you offer them. This is because they are rather high in phosphorus and need calcium dusting.
Make sure your uromastyx is eating salad first before you also offer dry seeds/lentils. If your uromastyx is eating both, you can leave them in a tank. Offer smaller amounts compared to vegetables/greens. If your uromastyx is ignoring veggies/greens, only offer lentils/seeds after your uromastyx has eaten some greens.
You can also make sprouted lentils at home, and most uromastyx love eating them! To sprout lentils, soak them in water overnight. The next day, drain the water and rinse lentils thoroughly. Then, put them in a jar and place sideways or cover the top with the mesh to allow good air circulation. Keep draining and rinsing them once a day. Do this for 3-4 days, and the sprouted lentils will be ready.
Bee pollen is also a very good addition to the diet. It is rich is vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and is also an appetite stimulant. However, it’s also very high in protein. So, to benefit from it, don’t offer to your uromastyx more than once a week.
Uromastyx vegetable and greens list
| Staple vegetables and greens to feed daily | Vegetables & greens that you can feed every other day | Green & vegetables you can feed few times a week | Vegetables and greens to feed once in 10-14 days | Vegetables and greens to feed rarely or never |
| Escarole | Yellow/summer squash | Artichoke hearts | Beetroot | Tomatoes – avoid as acidic |
| Endive | Scallop squash | Asparagus | Bok Choy (Pak Choi) | Oranges Tangerines, clementines, grapefruit – avoid – acidic |
| Chicory | Hubbard squash | Chayote | Green cabbage | Lemons and limes – avoid – acidic |
| Turnip greens | Acorn squash | Kale | Snap peas | Spinach – offer rarely as in |
| Mustard greens | Basil | Pumpkin | Broccoli | Parsley – oxalic |
| Dandelion greens and flowers | Coriander (cilantro) | Parsnips | Kohlrabi | Corn – avoid completely – too high in phosphorus |
| Arugula (Rocket) | Peppermint, spearmint | Beans (garbanzo, green, pinto) | Celery | Lettuce (any kind) – high water content, low nutrition |
| Collard greens (Spring greens in the UK) | Rosemary | Red cabbage | Cucumber | Beet greens – goitrogenic, offer once a month or less |
| Hibiscus flowers and leaves | Watercress | Bell peppers (red ones are higher in vitamin C) | Okra | Brussel sprouts – goitrogenic – offer once a month or less |
| Prickly pear (cactus) – pads and fruit | Other herbs – sage, lemon balm, marjoram | Peas | Rapini | Swiss chard – very oxalic |
| Butternut squash | Radishes | Rutabaga (swede) – very high in goitrogens | ||
| Thyme herb (fresh) | Radicchio | Potatoes – avoid, high starch, needs cooking | ||
| Spaghetti squash | Turnips | Any soybeans, such as Edamame, can mimic hormones | ||
| Nasturtium | Yam | |||
| Alfalfa (fresh only) | Yucca (cassava) | |||
| Mulberry leaves | Zucchini (courgettes) | |||
| Carrots | ||||
| Beans (Lima, Kidney) | ||||
| Cauliflower | ||||
| Wheatgrass |
Uromastyx fruit and berries list
| Staple fruits (can offer every time within a 10% allowance) | Occasional fruits and berries (offer once in 2 weeks or less) | Toxic or bad fruits or berries – avoid |
| Papaya – the best fruit | Cherries | Bananas – too high in sugar, phosphorus and potassium |
| Cantaloupe melon | Strawberries | Any citrus, including lemons, oranges, kumquats, navel etc. |
| Apples | Peaches | Kiwis – high in oxalates |
| Mango | Pears | Any dried fruits – high in sugar and low in water |
| Blackberries | Star fruit (Carambola) – high in oxalates, avoid altogether | |
| Blueberries | Pineapple – too acidic, will cause diarrhea | |
| Guava | Grapes and raisins – believed to cause internal organ damage over time | |
| Nectarines (very rarely) | Watermelon – too much water, low nutrition | |
| Plums | Fruit seeds (apple, cherry, peach, apricot etc.) – toxic | |
| Raspberries (rarely – high in goitrogens and oxalates) | ||
| Cranberries |
| Edible flowers for uromastyx |
| Chrysanthemum – petals only |
| Geranium |
| Dandelions |
| Hibiscus |
| Hollyhock |
| Marigold |
| Nasturtium |
| Rose – petals only |
| Mulberry leaves |
| Chamomile |
| Lavender |
Toxic vegetables/greens/plants for uromastyx
- Leeks
- Chives
- Rhubarb
- Avocado
- Eggplants (aubergines) – plants and vegetables
- Garlic
- Potato or tomato leaves
- Mushrooms
- Daffodils
- Buttercup
- Rhododendron
- Bracken fern
- Juniper
- Azalea
- Castor bean
- Unidentified berries
The list of toxic plants and flowers is much longer. If you are not sure whether the plant is safe to eat, don’t give it to your uromastyx.
Commercial food for uromastyx
From time to time, you might offer your uromastyx some commercial food on top of main diet. High quality commercial food for vegetarian lizards will contain various vitamins and minerals, and can help growth and to entice your uromastyx to eat.
Don’t buy any omnivorous mixes – they contain unnecessary protein/dried bugs. Please don’t feed only commercial foods to your uromastyx, as fresh vegetables and greens have much more moisture and are irreplaceable. Only offer on top of the main diet to diversify it.
The best type of food you can get for occasional feeding is iguana food. Depending on the age of your uromastyx, you can pick juvenile (for uromastyx of up to 3 years old) or adult iguana food (3+ years old). You will also find soft pellets or dry foods that you can get. For example:
- Soft pellets for juvenile iguanas like this – there is also one for adults
- Dry adult iguana food like this
Uromastyx supplements
Supplementing the food is also very important for the health of your uromastyx. First of all, make sure to get a separate pure calcium supplement and multivitamin supplement. Make sure pure calcium doesn’t contain any phosphorus. If a multivitamin contains phosphorus, look for the Ca:P ratio of 2:1 and higher (for calcium).
You can also get a separate calcium with vitamin D3, but this is not mandatory. There must be a high output UVB tube in the tank, so that your uromastyx can produce vitamin D in the skin naturally. If you get calcium with vitamin D3, only use it once a week, and use pure calcium on other days.
The best types of supplements for uromastyx are:
- Zoo Med ReptiCalcium like this – pure calcium without D3.
- Zoo Med ReptiCalcium with vitamin D3 like this
- Rep-Cal multivitamins like this – a complex of vitamins and minerals
- Repashy multivitamins like this
- Nutrobal calcium/vitamins
When choosing vitamins, make sure that they don’t contain too much vitamin D3, as it can lead to toxicity over time. Don’t get supplements which contain more than 45,00-50,000 IU/kg of D3.
How often to supplement uromastyx food and how much to use?
Only use a pinch of vitamins/mineral to lightly cover vegetables/greens. How often you need to supplement the food will depend on the age and life stage of your uromastyx.
- For hatchling and baby uromastyx (0-10 months old) – add calcium supplement to food daily. Add multivitamin 1-2 times a week. Same schedule for gravid or sick uromastyx.
- For sub-adult and adult uromastyx (10-36 months old) – add calcium 5 times a week, and multivitamin – once a week.
- Adult uromastyx over 3 years old – add calcium 3-4 times a week, multivitamin – once in 10-14 days.
Do uromastyx need drinking water?
No, uromastyx don’t need drinking water. They get all the water from veggies and greens they consume, so make sure to always offer them along with dried legumes and seeds. Never mist or bathe your uromastyx as water will cause respiratory infections and scale rot.
However, in general, you can place a small dish with water in the tank for babies under 4 months old once a week. If you see that your uromastyx is pooping normally and its poop is not overly dry, then it’s hydrated. Normal poop and urates (white part) should be uniform and soft. You might also see some pee – that would mean your uromastyx is hydrated.
If you would like to learn more about uromastyx care, please visit this resource page. You can also find a full list of best vegetables and greens as well their Ca:P ratios in this post.