Posted by:
el_toro
at Mon May 20 12:36:19 2013 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by el_toro ]
On to temps!
Basking surface temp should be 120F or even a little higher. At least half of the cage's ambient temps should be around 100F. About a third of the cage should be around 85F. Overhead heat is preferred to undertank heating, and definitely no hot rocks (as you probably know). The trick is that these temps are very hard to maintain safely in a cage as small as 20L. That's why the 40 breeder is the minimum recommended, even for such a small uro.
Food!
Spring mix is ok - endive, escarole, and dandelions are better. But you definitely want to add in more things. Vary the greens a little - add in some collards and kale sometimes or nappa cabbage or radicchio. Avoid chard, spinach, and cabbage.
Shred and mix in some vegetables, too: green beans, parsnip, and hard and soft squashes like butternut, acorn, zucchini, and yellow squash. They LOVE green peas, which can be an excellent treat - don't overdo them, though. Avoid cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.
Once he's eating his greens/veggies regularly, you can add in dry foods, too. Dried grasses like orchard or timothy hay are great - I dust it in a coffee grinder and mix it into shredded squash. They love dry lentils, seeds (pumpkin/flax/sunflower, etc), wheat or rye berries, crushed beans, etc. For such a small guy, grind it in that same coffee grinder. Adults generally have no trouble crunching through very hard lentils and things, but most beans are still too large. NO KIDNEY BEANS - they're toxic raw.
Added treats/goodies include fresh bee pollen granules (in the refrigerated section of health food store) and edible flowers like nasturtiums, violas, dandelion flowers, pansies, and squash blossoms. I also sprinkle on some quality juvie iguana food, finch pellets, and/or mixed seeds for color and texture.
Calcium and vitamin powders are a good idea - just don't overuse them. I like Minerall and Herptivite. Get appropriate ones for the level of UVB you're using (i.e. does it contain D3 or not?).
Good luck with him. I'm sure he'll do fine once he's settled in. ----- Torey Eugene, Oregon, USA 1.2 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, and Hitch) 3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank) 1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot) 1.2 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, and Riboflavin) 1.1 Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

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