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#2262100 Angelicaxo View Profile	She’s sleeping a lot! Hey guys, So I bought myself a Uromastyx about two days ago. She was in the pet store for over a month and almost everyday after work I’d go and visited her. It became so often that they’d allow me to handle her, hand feed her and clean her cage. I finally got permission to get her and I was so excited. For some general information : I bought her as a yellow niger uro but i’m pretty sure she’s a female Mali because of her coloring. I named her Molly. She’s about 6.5" long so she’s still small. I bought a Bearded Dragon starter kit which is bout 30"x18"x18" (L W H) I know I’m going to have to get a bigger one soon but it looks like enough space for her for now until she gets a bit bigger and I can save up the money to get a 4ftx2ft. I’m currently using 150W bulbs for her basking light and the infared light is 150W aswell. My room gets fairly cold so I didn’t want her freezing out. I also bought a undertank heating bad that went under her hide (where she sleeps most of the time) to keep her warmer at night. She’s currently eating chopped up mixed veggies which includes, peas, green beans, yellow beans, carrots. Spring Mix, chopped up Zucchini and some red bell peppers in a mixture. I’m also using a juvinile calcium supliment. When I bought her on Saturday she was extremely active and sunday she was really active as well. Last night she went into her hide to sleep around 8pm and around 10pm I turned her lights off and left her red one on. My concern is.. she hasn’t even left her hide yet today to touch her food. It’s making me really nervous. I want to pick her out of her hide and check on her but I not going to because I know how bad that is. Does anyone know what could be wrong because as of this time it’s 1:30pm in Ontario which means she should be out and playing, eating and socializing with me. Maybe it’s just the newbie jitters but any opinions would be great! I’ve included a video of her so you guys can see how she has been... and she’s been the complete opposite today.! Link Thanks for your help! Angelica
04/09/12  01:04pm
#2262117 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262100  She’s sleeping a lot! Welcome. At 6.5" there is a good chance the uro may not show any yellow coloration at all and to the untrained eye a mali can often look like a geryi and vice versa, especially as juvies and hatchlings. If you could post a few images (specifically dorsal and lateral views) of the uro all warmed up there is a good chance someone here can provide you with verification. Aside from that, there are a few things I’d like to help you with straight away. It’s important to note that these lizards require very specific dietary and basic husbandry needs. As you know the minimum enclosure dimensions are 4x2 for most species. One of the primary reasons for this is in order to establish a proper thermal or temperature gradient. Basking temps should be in the 120f range while warm end temps should remain in the mid to upper 90’s with the cool end in the mid 80’s. The enclosure should also provide the animal with plenty of enclosed spaces, at least two hides, one on the cool end and one on the warm end. Providing your uro with these accommodations will allow it to control its body temperature via thermoregulation. This is absolutely crucial. Nighttime temps should not drop below 65f and ideally should be in the low to mid 70’s. If your room cannot sustain these temperatures are night I would recommend using a ceramic heat emitter for supplemental heat instead of using the heatpad. One of the most important aspects in regards to heating is being able to accurately measure said temperatures. You should have at the very least two digital forms available to do so, a reliable digital thermometer and an IR temp gun with at least a 6:1 ratio (harbor freight or amazon will carry them). A 150w basking bulb (unless it’s a mercury vapor UVB bulb, if it is please specify the brand) is overkill. An outdoor halogen flood lamp should create as much heat for around half the wattage. That said if the bulb is a mercury vapor bulb that could be a good thing, assuming it’s a quality bulb. Speaking of mercury vapor bulbs, uromastyx require a good source of UVB in order to properly render vitamin D3. As mentioned mercury vapor bulbs (MVB), like ZooMed’s PowerSun MVB, are a good way to provide UVB. Another way is via UVB fluorescent bulbs, like Arcadia or ZooMed’s ReptiSun (not compact fluorescent), but take note that fluorescent bulbs are generally less powerful than MVBs and must be used within 8-12" of the animal in order for decent UVB exposure. Most MVBs can be used efficiently at or around 15-20" and also produce heat, unlike fluorescent lighting. You should also discontinue the use of the IR lamp and swap it out with a standard 23-27w compact fluorescent with a daylight rating (6500K). IR or any other colored lamps are by no means ideal lighting choices--you’re goal should be to replicate natural sunlight as best as possible. So, in short, your enclosure should offer a basking bulb (MVB and or outdoor halogen), a UVB source (MVB or 10.0/12% UVB fluorescent) and a cool end ambient light source (23/26/27w daylight rated CFL). Like heating, diet also requires great attention. Instead of listing everything out I’ll recommend swinging by UroWiki and looking into the food items page. Based off the information provided there you should be able to establish a balanced dietary regimen for your uro. I would also recommend taking it easy with the dietary supplement, which can actually be detrimental to your uro’s health if used improperly. While you’re there (UroWiki) I’d suggest reading through every other section as well. Doing so will put you on the right track. Other than that... -What type of substrate are you currently using? If calci-sand, do your self and your uro a huge favor and replace it ASAP with either washed playsand (home depot/lowes for ~$5 a bag), paper towel or non coated 18" ceramic tiles (which can be cut to fit at home depot/lowes for free). -Could you post a few images of the tank and the lighting setup? -Put a visit to the vet, or at least a scheduled fecal sample, on your to do list--a lot of animals come home packed with internal parasites. It’s best to knock them out as soon as you can to avoid more serious issues down the road. I hope that helps and I’ll be looking forward to updates :)
04/09/12  03:39pm
#2262120 Angelicaxo View Profile	Message To: Vers   In reference to Message Id: 2262117  She’s sleeping a lot! She has two hides in her tank. One is a half log on the hot side with a piece of drift wood over lapping it to give her another shady spot. She likes to sleep in that half log and it has a heating pad under it to help during the night. The other used to be a smaller half log which I switched to a rock cave on the cooler side. She’s using washed play sand for substrate. Since I changed her bulbs she’s actually been more active and woke up instead of just sleeping her day away! I have a digital no touch thermometer that I have been using and her temperatures are regulated. The hot end is about 120 F where she likes to bask, the middle is about 90 and the cooler side is 80. She also has a piece of slate that she likes to lay on in the middle of her tank. She’s just so friendly and likes to make faces at me! I have a vet appointment set up for next week with an exam for her. I found a vet in Ottawa who specializes in reptiles so I’ll be taking her there. As for the pictures, there is a link at the bottom of my last post with an 8 minute video of her and me rambling on.. it was supposed to be for my grandmother who’s in a different province but i uploaded it so i could post it on here. You might want to put your computer on mute if you watch it :p I’m just so happy she’s not hiding and sleeping all day. It worried me. She likes to dig on the inside of her hide and i thought one of her limbs got stuck or something. So I sat and watched her until I saw her move a bit. She seems much happier now that its hotter in her tank. She has the 150W intense basking spotlight and the infa-red one for exo-terra. She also have the UVB/UVA long lamp across part of her tank as well. I’ll for sure take some more pictures thou and upload them to the site. She’s so darn cute. I’m so happy I have her. I just want to give her the best life possible!
04/09/12  04:15pm
#2262130 Angelicaxo View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262120  She’s sleeping a lot! This is my Molly <3
04/09/12  04:56pm
#2262147 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262130  She’s sleeping a lot! Apologies, I just noticed the link now. Your uro is definitely a geryi. You will want to keep a warm end and a cool end, so moving the basking bulbs into the middle of the tank isn’t a good idea. You’re also gotng to want to get that uvb source a lot closer (think 8-10" from the uro) and right over the basking area. Again, I would suggest swapping out those bulbs with a lower wattage outdoor halogen flood on a dimmer. It will be far more efficient in terms of heat production and will end up saving you money in electric. Also, since you should shift that uvb source over the basking area, you will want to add a 23/26/27w daylight rated compact fluorescent on the cool end (where the uvb is now). On another note, are you positive that sand is washed play sand?
04/09/12  06:39pm
#2262148 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262130  She’s sleeping a lot! Also, what uvb fluorescent are you using?
04/09/12  06:42pm
#2262184 Leopaedgecko View Profile	Message To: Vers   In reference to Message Id: 2262148  She’s sleeping a lot! Are you leaving the infra red light on at night? As well uros and under tank heating pads is not always the best idea they have thermal sensors in their backs not on their bellies
04/10/12  03:16am
#2262185 Leopaedgecko View Profile	Message To: Leopaedgecko   In reference to Message Id: 2262184  She’s sleeping a lot! A heads up with those slide top cages.... don’t ever leave the lid pulled put with the light on.... the plastic in the edges of the cage will melt to the plastic I have done this and no joke it is probably the most obvious thing ever but it apparently happens a lot (used to work in a pet store and heard all kinds of stories) but the fumes from the melting plasticcan be fatal as well as the risk if fires
04/10/12  03:26am
#2262265 Angelicaxo View Profile	Message To: Vers   In reference to Message Id: 2262147  She’s sleeping a lot! I switched the bulbs back for a few hours to the 100W bulbs but the temp. dropped about 10 degrees. The 150W is keeping my tank at a steady 121F the middle at 94F and the cool end dabbles anywhere between 77F - 83 F. My UVB sorce is the Reptisun 5.0 bulb that came with the tank and the UVA is mixed in with the basking light bulb all from Zoo Med. My mother bought the sand and I told her not to get calcium sand.. when I came home she hand the sand in the tank. So I asked her again if it was just to double check and she ’accidently’ bought calcium sand so I switched that to play washed sand right away and gave her a little lecture :p I got more veggies for her which included Endive (Enchive) however you spell it, Alfalfa sprouts, Butter squash and zucchini squash. On another note. I took her out of her tank to change the sand and give it a wipe down. She was constantly handled at the pet store and was fine with being handled once she came home with me. I make it a habit of hand feeding her a piece of lettuce or something a few times a day and petting her just so she’s used to having hands around her. I have a 3 year old sister and I dont want Molly to freak out if a hands coming near her... anyways, so I took her out and put her in a box but she freaked out. When I tried to pick her back out of the box I went slow and she kept whipping her tail at me. I have to get on long gloves so she wouldnt hurt me with her tail when I had to put her back in. Is this normal? I know Uro’s dont like being handled much but I really dont want her to get aggressive as she was never like that in the pet store. She’d let me hold her and turn her on her back and everything.. is it because she’s still getting used to the new enviroment? Any tips on how to make her more used to being handled so she doesnt try to whip me next time I clean her tank? bahaha.
04/10/12  07:57pm
#2262268 Angelicaxo View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262265  She’s sleeping a lot! OH. Because her sleeping schedule is weird.. She’s been going to be really late and waking up and out of her hide by 1:30pm.. she’s been lazy during the after noon and evening but as soon as 8pm hits she’s running back and forth in her cage like a mad man. Do you still recommend that I turn her lights out at 9pm is and just let her rest or keep them on until I go to sleep? I turned them off last night for almost 2 hours at 9 and when I came back in my room at 11 to get ready for bed she was still running around her tank in the dark not wanting to sleep... do I just her do her and keep the lights out at these times or keep them on longer?
04/10/12  08:24pm
#2262270 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262265  She’s sleeping a lot! Quote: I switched the bulbs back for a few hours to the 100W bulbs but the temp. dropped about 10 degrees. The 150W is keeping my tank at a steady 121F the middle at 94F and the cool end dabbles anywhere between 77F - 83 F. OK, I think you’re missing what I’ve been trying to get at. I recommended replacing the 150w lamps with outdoor halogen lamps--they are a different type of bulb than the one you’re using. These bulbs can be found at your local hardware or home improvement store. Replacing the less efficient bulbs with more efficient outdoor halogen lamps will allow you to use less energy and create more heat per watt. A 65w outdoor halogen will create as much heat at a 150w ’heat’ lamp. If you go this route I would pick up a cord or wall wart with a built in rheostat/dimmer. Quote: My UVB sorce is the Reptisun 5.0 bulb that came with the tank and the UVA is mixed in with the basking light bulb all from Zoo Med. This bulb isn’t going to be powerful enough--you should be using, at bare minimum, a 10.0 fluorescent. Again, this bulb must be within 8-12" of the animal in order for it to serve any purpose. Quote: My mother bought the sand and I told her not to get calcium sand.. when I came home she hand the sand in the tank. So I asked her again if it was just to double check and she ’accidently’ bought calcium sand so I switched that to play washed sand right away and gave her a little lecture :p Good--calci sand is truly awful stuff...makes me wonder how the heck it’s still available. Check out your local lowes/home depot/walmart-type store for washed play sand, the stuff is dirt cheap (pardon the pun). Quote: I got more veggies for her which included Endive (Enchive) however you spell it, Alfalfa sprouts, Butter squash and zucchini squash. Good stuff. Take careful note of what to and what not to feed using UroWiki as a guideline. Your uro should be getting a steady diet of curly endive and or escarole (both of which have a good calcium to phosphorus ratio) with various other food items mixed in every so often. Quote: On another note. I took her out of her tank to change the sand and give it a wipe down. She was constantly handled at the pet store and was fine with being handled once she came home with me. I make it a habit of hand feeding her a piece of lettuce or something a few times a day and petting her just so she’s used to having hands around her. I have a 3 year old sister and I dont want Molly to freak out if a hands coming near her... anyways, so I took her out and put her in a box but she freaked out. When I tried to pick her back out of the box I went slow and she kept whipping her tail at me. I have to get on long gloves so she wouldnt hurt me with her tail when I had to put her back in. Is this normal? I know Uro’s dont like being handled much but I really dont want her to get aggressive as she was never like that in the pet store. She’d let me hold her and turn her on her back and everything.. is it because she’s still getting used to the new enviroment? Any tips on how to make her more used to being handled so she doesnt try to whip me next time I clean her tank? bahaha. What you heard is true--uromastyx are not the best lizards to handle and if they show any defensive behavior (tail slapping, body wiggling, clicking and or puffing) then they should be left alone. Continuing handling while the animal is exhibiting any of these behaviors is causing high stress, high stress can lead to more serious issues.
04/10/12  08:26pm
#2262272 Angelicaxo View Profile	Message To: Leopaedgecko   In reference to Message Id: 2262185  She’s sleeping a lot! I took your advice Leopaedgecko and went to Lowe’s right away and not the heating lights are hung over the cage to prevent anything from burning and melting Thanks so much :)
04/10/12  08:28pm
#2262274 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262265  She’s sleeping a lot! Quote: I switched the bulbs back for a few hours to the 100W bulbs but the temp. dropped about 10 degrees. The 150W is keeping my tank at a steady 121F the middle at 94F and the cool end dabbles anywhere between 77F - 83 F. OK, I think you’re missing what I’ve been trying to get at. I recommended replacing the 150w lamps with outdoor halogen lamps--they are a different type of bulb than the one you’re using. These bulbs can be found at your local hardware or home improvement store. Replacing the less efficient bulbs with more efficient outdoor halogen lamps will allow you to use less energy and create more heat per watt. A 65w outdoor halogen will create as much heat at a 150w ’heat’ lamp. If you go this route I would pick up a cord or wall wart with a built in rheostat/dimmer. Quote: My UVB sorce is the Reptisun 5.0 bulb that came with the tank and the UVA is mixed in with the basking light bulb all from Zoo Med. This bulb isn’t going to be powerful enough--you should be using, at bare minimum, a 10.0 fluorescent. Again, this bulb must be within 8-12" of the animal in order for it to serve any purpose. Get yourself on Amazon.com and order a ZooMed ReptiSun 10.0 OR, better yet, a 160w ZooMed PowerSun MVB which will be a better source of UVB and doubles as a basking bulb. You should be able to find them for around $35. Quote: My mother bought the sand and I told her not to get calcium sand.. when I came home she hand the sand in the tank. So I asked her again if it was just to double check and she ’accidently’ bought calcium sand so I switched that to play washed sand right away and gave her a little lecture :p Good--calci sand is truly awful stuff...makes me wonder how the heck it’s still available. Check out your local lowes/home depot/walmart-type store for washed play sand, the stuff is dirt cheap (pardon the pun). Quote: I got more veggies for her which included Endive (Enchive) however you spell it, Alfalfa sprouts, Butter squash and zucchini squash. Good stuff. Take careful note of what to and what not to feed using UroWiki as a guideline. Your uro should be getting a steady diet of curly endive and or escarole (both of which have a good calcium to phosphorus ratio) with various other food items mixed in every so often. Quote: On another note. I took her out of her tank to change the sand and give it a wipe down. She was constantly handled at the pet store and was fine with being handled once she came home with me. I make it a habit of hand feeding her a piece of lettuce or something a few times a day and petting her just so she’s used to having hands around her. I have a 3 year old sister and I dont want Molly to freak out if a hands coming near her... anyways, so I took her out and put her in a box but she freaked out. When I tried to pick her back out of the box I went slow and she kept whipping her tail at me. I have to get on long gloves so she wouldnt hurt me with her tail when I had to put her back in. Is this normal? I know Uro’s dont like being handled much but I really dont want her to get aggressive as she was never like that in the pet store. She’d let me hold her and turn her on her back and everything.. is it because she’s still getting used to the new enviroment? Any tips on how to make her more used to being handled so she doesnt try to whip me next time I clean her tank? bahaha. What you heard is true--uromastyx are not the best lizards to handle and if they show any defensive behavior (tail slapping, body wiggling, clicking and or puffing) then they should be left alone. Continuing handling while the animal is exhibiting any of these behaviors is causing high stress, high stress can lead to more serious issues.
04/10/12  08:30pm
#2262301 Leopaedgecko View Profile	Message To: Vers   In reference to Message Id: 2262274  She’s sleeping a lot! A couple of my reptiles hate being handled so if I need yo remove them from their cages I will guide them into a carrier seal it and set it somewhere quiet and dark. Once done all I for is set the container/carrier back in their tank and let them come out when they are ready. So if you ever have issues handling her in a small confined space setting it up so that she can just come out at her own pace makes it much less frightening and or threatening
04/10/12  11:17pm
#2262308 Angelicaxo View Profile	Message To: Leopaedgecko   In reference to Message Id: 2262301  She’s sleeping a lot! That’s actually really smart! I will definitely start doing that with her especially since she’s still getting used to her environment. I’m just going to leave her be and not even hand feed her for a few weeks and only stick my hand in there when I really need to like when I clean her cage or give her fresh food. I love just sitting infront of the tank and watching her. She’s just so cute. I cant wait to watch her grow. I wonder how old she is though. The pet store I got her from didn’t know how old she was which kinda sucks. I want to see if she’ll ever get colorful like the other Yellow Nigers I have seen!
04/11/12  12:22am
#2262310 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262308  She’s sleeping a lot! Hand feeding is fine assuming its willing...its the act of grabbing, especially from above, that initiates a defensive reaction. If I need to pick any of mine up I either let them walk on to my hand or just slowly scoop them up, often offering treats while or just prior to doing so.
04/11/12  12:43am
#2262332 Leopaedgecko View Profile	Message To: Vers   In reference to Message Id: 2262310  She’s sleeping a lot! They are a prey animal so the combination of being trapped/confined in a holding box and being in a new place its not used to would stress most animals out which always try to not hover over or lean over them it is less threatening ti the animal that way.
04/11/12  10:04am
#2262375 Vers View Profile	Message To: Angelicaxo   In reference to Message Id: 2262268  She’s sleeping a lot! Quote: OH. Because her sleeping schedule is weird.. She’s been going to be really late and waking up and out of her hide by 1:30pm.. she’s been lazy during the after noon and evening but as soon as 8pm hits she’s running back and forth in her cage like a mad man. Do you still recommend that I turn her lights out at 9pm is and just let her rest or keep them on until I go to sleep? I turned them off last night for almost 2 hours at 9 and when I came back in my room at 11 to get ready for bed she was still running around her tank in the dark not wanting to sleep... do I just her do her and keep the lights out at these times or keep them on longer? No lights should be on at all during the night cycle--this includes IR and other colored heat lamps. Using such lights will affect the animals natural sleep cycle. If you’re having trouble keeping nighttime ambient temps above 65f at night you should be using a ceramic heat emitter to provide supplemental heat. You should be providing lighting somewhere in the 10-14 hour range during the day (sunrise to sunset). Keeping things consistent is pretty important, this is why having a timer set to turn your lighting on and off would be a good idea. Again, if you haven’t already, please read through UroWiki; There you will find the answers to most of the questions you have been asking here :)
04/11/12  02:57pm

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