Posted by:
jts1
at Thu Nov 20 16:24:49 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by jts1 ]
I'll take the bait 
I always hear "in nature this or that happens" ... Although we as keepers can learn much about husbandry by studying an animals native habitats and wild behavior we cannot deny the fact that they ARE no longer in nature. I can give many many examples of how animal behavior (sometimes for the better sometimes not) changes drastically in captivity. As hard as one may try we cannot duplicate nature .... We can however simulate certain conditions that an animal needs to survive and reproduce.
I would also have to assume that most uros do not find themselves submersed into a water bath in nature so thats probably why blow dryers are so rarely found in uro burrows in the wild. 
Having bathed many uros and having never used a blow dryer on one I would also have to agree somewhat that tail rot is indeed more or less of a husbandry problem then just caused from not drying a tail completely. I certainly don't see the harm in using one however and recommending the total drying of the tail after bathing could also be seen as good prophylactic advise .... especially to those new to keeping uros and grappling with their somewhat unique husbandry successfully.
Joe
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