Posted by:
robyn@ProExotics
at Mon Dec 15 14:22:51 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by robyn@ProExotics ]
thanks for your posts and feedback Ingo. i had meant to reply to some of yours before, but got distracted, and never got back to it, sorry. i appreciate the feedback though!
it sounds like your setup is working pretty well for you. i am glad to hear it : )
to specifically address how to manage and care for an animal at the end of a 3ft long burrow, it isn't really hard at all.
that is because the Uros are SMARTER than we are. they instinctively know about soil and burrows, temperatures and humidity, much more than we are able to learn, even with years of study and experience.
i have seen the same results in our short time with Uros, but let me relate it in monitor experience...
very simply, they don't burrow in bad spots. that is why it is so important to use a RECOGNIZABLE soil, and a proper temp gradient. it isn't about whether you (the keeper) thinks the substrate is good, the URO must think so! 
if the soil is at a poor moisture level, either too high or too low, the animals either won't burrow, or will put little effort into it. they know that it is wasted effort. so we have to learn to maintain the moisture levels at a point that works well for the lizard, one that it recognizes as useful and healthy.
same with temps. if the soil is either too hot or too cold, there is simply no point in burrowing into it, because the end result is unusable.
in our setups, the soil temperature covers a nice range. right near the heat tape, the soil is well into the 90's (F). as you move away from the heat tape, it drops in temperature, typically into the 70's.
now the amazing part is that the animals will burrow to the temperature they are looking for! there is no instance where they are hiding in a burrow that is entirely too hot for them! that is because as the heat increases, they simply burrow away from it to a more acceptable zone.
this is best illustrated by placement of eggs. Ackie monitor eggs incubate at 86 degrees. Ackies never lay the eggs in spots that are too cold or too hot, always right at 85-87.
Blackthroat monitor eggs, on the other hand, need to incubate at a cooler temp in the lower 80's, and sure enough, that is where they lay their eggs as well.
the lizards are able to read the temps of the soil with great precision, and the make their burrows to fit their needs, most specifically, temperature wise.
i am very interested to see the temp that Uros lay at. i have read a number of different reports that say incubation is anywhere from mid 80's to mid 90's. i expect the Uros themselves to really tell us the correct temperature, and that will be by temping out the spot where they lay the eggs
as for digging up the eggs, it is challenging the first couple of times, because the animals back fill the burrow, so the eggs are literally buried. but once you understand what is happening, it is pretty easy to follow the former burrow down to the eggs. a lot of the Ackies lay in the same spot again and again as well, and i believe that is because that is a great temperature and humidity balance for the clutch. realize that as far as the animals are concerned, the spot they lay the eggs is the spot the eggs will hatch, they are not relying on some goofy human to come in and steal the eggs away for incubation.
and that is where many keepers fail with eggs. because without the proper nesting environment, the lizards will not develop the eggs properly (what's the use?) or they will hang on to them too long (waiting for the proper conditions to come up) and by the time they dump them, it is too late, and all the eggs are bad, or a good portion of the clutch is bad. but that is a whole nother topic
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robyn@proexotics.com
Pro Exotics Reptiles
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thanks Ingo : ) - robyn@ProExotics, Mon Dec 15 14:22:51 2003