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Qamarnahaar   Sahells Mom   Qamarnahaar  
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 #1713147


Qamarnahaar
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 Found Florida Uro

I live in Southwest Florida, and I seem to have just adopted a Mali Uromastyx that was found outside in the landscaping of a neighboring Mosque. I’ve been going through the care sheets, he seems to be healthy (and a he) active and alert, and I’m doing my best to create a good home. We have a terrible problem here with feral monitors and iguanas, and I don’t want to add this little guy to the list of unwelcome invasive species.

From everything I’ve read, it doesn’t seem like the rain and humidity of SW Florida would be very conducive to the survival of uromastyx, so my question is does anyone know what their survival rate might be in this climate, and has anyone else found any uros living off the land?



04/23/08  03:29am

 #1713207


Sahells Mom
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   Message To: Qamarnahaar   In reference to Message Id: 1713147


 Found Florida Uro

If it actually is a Mali, he would have little chance of survival in Florida, due to the rain & humidity. Someone probably "let him free" just like the original iguana’s. Iguana’s thrive well in the Florida climate, so they over populated since they have no real natural predators there. Most monitors also live well in hot, humid temps. Uromastyx, however, need even hotter, and dryer. I guess it might be possible for them to survive in parts of Arizona and parts of the desert west.

Do you have him in a very large enclosure? He is going to need lots of lights, UVB & low humidity. Watch him very carefully for any signs of upper respiratory distress. He easily could have problems after being outside for any amount of time. Make sure his enclosure is very dry. Get him on a good diet of endive, escarole, dandelion greens & edible flowers, squash & a bit of fruit. Hopefully he wasn’t "in the wild" too awfully long and will be a healthy friend for you!

Good Luck!! Post a picture when you can!
04/23/08  07:19am

 #1716664


Qamarnahaar
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   Message To: Sahells Mom   In reference to Message Id: 1713207


 Found Florida Uro

Thanks for your feedback. This little guy is costing me way more than I can really afford to spend, but I think we’re getting there now...

The first day or two, he was hiding out and not eating much, but this morning he got active! I had him temporarily in a 20 gal tank, and he promptly climbed out and landed right in the empty garbage can next to the table his tank was on! So, I blocked off the doors to the office I was keeping him in, put the basking light close to the ground, and let him run around until I could find something better.

I ended up with a 75 gal tank (48"x18"18") which was the best size I could find on short notice. I now have a 150w basking light, a 10.0 UVB lamp, and an 150w IR light. The temp and humidity seems to be stabilizing. So far, I haven’t been able to find the foods you mentioned locally. I’ve been feeding him collar greens, bok choi, carrots (which he devours), and a little small bird seed. From what I can see, he seems healthy, but I may need to get him checked for parasites.

I’ll post a picture as soon as I have the opportunity.
04/26/08  01:41am


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