help my mali uro wont eat :(

[Pedy9970]

I disagree. The cave is a mere decoration, which serves nothing other than esthetic. Deep substrate acts as a insulator against water loss. Its one of the reasons burrowing desert species dig down and stay down. They are conserving their water by retreating to cooler, damp levels. A glass cage really isn't proper reptile container, while a custom cage built to the reptiles needs would be best. If I was keeping Uros, beardies, or savannah monitors I would build a solid, water proofed base, with 150F basking area, cool side ambients no lower than 78F. Substrate would be damp sandy dirt (a foot or more deep) to allow deep digging and tunneling (its what Uros are built for). Minimal ventilation, in fact, zero vents at top of cage, and feed it daily. Its the difference between a lizard living a few months to a life measured in years.

About burns: if the cage is sub proper in temperature, the lizard will bask incessantly to stay within levels for digestion, or to meet daily internal needs. Your lizard should bask no more than a few minutes at a time, not lay under it for hours. Thats where burns occur. Little has to do with the high basking temps, instead its all about the ambient meeting the lizards needs.

Do some basic searches for your lizards natural habitat and temperatures and you'll see what I am trying to explain. Good luck, John

what humidity does an uro needs?

 

[Johnantny]

Dampen 50lb bag of playsand from HD and compress it into the cage. If the Uro begins to burrow, its a sign the animal is accepting the substrate. If its always climbing to get out, it hates it. I bet it begins burrowing right away. You can take one of your flat sones and stick it out of the sand so it looks like the entrance to a burrow. The Uro might pick that place to begin digging. The drawback is you shouldn't do this in a glass tank, and most readily available reptile cages stink to no end, so custom building is best. Good luck and happy 4th.

John

 

[Pedy9970]

Dampen 50lb bag of playsand from HD and compress it into the cage. If the Uro begins to burrow, its a sign the animal is accepting the substrate. If its always climbing to get out, it hates it. I bet it begins burrowing right away. You can take one of your flat sones and stick it out of the sand so it looks like the entrance to a burrow. The Uro might pick that place to begin digging. The drawback is you shouldn't do this in a glass tank, and most readily available reptile cages stink to no end, so custom building is best. Good luck and happy 4th.

John

thnx

 

[DoubleZ]

I disagree. The cave is a mere decoration, which serves nothing other than esthetic. Deep substrate acts as a insulator against water loss. Its one of the reasons burrowing desert species dig down and stay down. They are conserving their water by retreating to cooler, damp levels. A glass cage really isn't proper reptile container, while a custom cage built to the reptiles needs would be best. If I was keeping Uros, beardies, or savannah monitors I would build a solid, water proofed base, with 150F basking area, cool side ambients no lower than 78F. Substrate would be damp sandy dirt (a foot or more deep) to allow deep digging and tunneling (its what Uros are built for). Minimal ventilation, in fact, zero vents at top of cage, and feed it daily. Its the difference between a lizard living a few months to a life measured in years.

As for living a few months, these guys are at least 9 years old and in great health, yes they have been looked at by an exotic vet. While having a few feet of damp substrate to dig in would be great, it's really not practical. How would you clean inside the burrow? Uros are not like leos, they will defecate pretty much anywhere. Also, the enclosure would have to be very tall as well as the usual 3-4 feet long to enable a 14inch lizard to dig a sufficient burrow like it would have in the wild. While eventually I'd love to build a custom enclosure I am a college student and the critters live at my parents in the summer and break and with friends during the school year. There is no way I could move a tank of that size and my parents wouldn't allow it in the house.

My guys do have a 120 degree basking spot and it's about 80 on the cooler side. They get a variety of fresh veg every day and have had no issues with dehydration.

About burns: if the cage is sub proper in temperature, the lizard will bask incessantly to stay within levels for digestion, or to meet daily internal needs. Your lizard should bask no more than a few minutes at a time, not lay under it for hours. Thats where burns occur. Little has to do with the high basking temps, instead its all about the ambient meeting the lizards needs.

The lamp is close enough for the uro to reach up and touch it, that's why I am concerned about burns. My female will stand up and scrabble on the glass occasionally when she wants to come out, and when she uses her tail she's pretty darn tail. I don't want to see his critter end up with a burnt nose. It wouldn't take hours for a burn to occur if it came in direct contact with the lamp.

Do some basic searches for your lizards natural habitat and temperatures and you'll see what I am trying to explain. Good luck, John

A perfect habitat, exactly like the natural environment, would be great. But honestly, it's pretty darn near impossible. Think about how different a paper-towel lined plastic tub is from Pakistan, yet we advocate that as proper leo housing. Different doesn't mean bad.

 

[DoubleZ]

Dampen 50lb bag of playsand from HD and compress it into the cage. If the Uro begins to burrow, its a sign the animal is accepting the substrate. If its always climbing to get out, it hates it. I bet it begins burrowing right away. You can take one of your flat sones and stick it out of the sand so it looks like the entrance to a burrow. The Uro might pick that place to begin digging. The drawback is you shouldn't do this in a glass tank, and most readily available reptile cages stink to no end, so custom building is best. Good luck and happy 4th.

John

I'd be worried about the rock falling on the uro once it begins to burrow underneath it.

 

[DoubleZ]

Here's a helpful link.

http://deerfernfarms.com/Uromastyx_Care.htm

 

[Johnantny]

You guys worry too much. If the lizard was kept properly, burns, disease and all the little things you worry about are nonsense. Proper thermal regulation prohibits burns, as I mentioned above.

You don't clean dirt... it cleans itself. Bacteria in the soil will break down wastes... its less back breaking than replacing paper towels or spot cleaning. It will take care of its self. Maybe your not ready for this.

These are digging machines! Built to move earth! A measily foot of dirt isn't going to kill a Uro and maybe it wouldn't be trying to escape since it would have its basic needs fulfilled. They climb glass because they HATE what you've offered.

Cheers,

John

 

[DoubleZ]

How does proper thermoregulation stop the lizard from standing up and burning it's nose on the lamp? I'm not seeing the correlation.

Also, if my animals were not having their needs fulfilled how would they have stayed healthy for the two years I've had them, and not just stayed healthy but grown a few inches each?

These critters look real neglected don't they?

 

[Johnantny]

"How does proper thermoregulation stop the lizard from standing up and burning it's nose on the lamp? I'm not seeing the correlation."

Temperatures to both extremes, 150F basking (or higher) and 78F coolest ( or lower) gives your lizard the options to properly thermoregulate. If your ambients are off, the lizard will bask excessively, to the point its burning itself to achieve proper internal temps. 100F basking is a joke... that's not even close to what these lizards need and use. I know you have your basking higher, kudos to you. I am a monitor keeper. Up in the north east its been 100F day time temps. My lizard room is same temp as outside yet they were basking and breeding under 150F flood lamps. Crazy stuff! If they want to escape this, they have the option to do so in the depths of the substrate.

Even if your lizards are "healthy" why not offer them what they were meant to? I firmly believe captives fail far too often from the lack of options needed to live a long and enriched life. Paper towels, astro turf, and other things keepers use are geared towards ease for keeper, nothing useful to the lizard.

Lizards that sit all day waiting for something to do wake up in a hurry when offered things it recognizes... even after years of captivity.

Good luck,

John

 

[Quantumhigh]

very nice setup!

 

[Pedy9970]

updated pic