Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If my Mali goes to sleep at night on the cold side of his tank, he is EXTREMELY slow to wake up in the morning. So slow in fact, that I always end up moving him to the warm side eventually because I'm afraid he'll never wake up.

Daytime temp on the hot end runs around 90-100 degrees F, and the cool end 80-90 degrees F. Nightime falls to around 70 all the way around. I did install a ceramic heater on the cold end that kicks on around 3 hours before his lights come on to give some supplemental heat and hopefully rouse him by morning. This doesn't really seem to help though.

Any suggestions? Animal is healthy, has no problems when he goes to bed on the hot end (which is fortunately most of the time). My biggest concern is what will happen if I go away for the weekend and he ends up sleeping away on the cold end clear through the weekend. If that did happen, would it cause any health problems, or would he just be well rested when I got back?

Thanks for your help in advance!

JR

Have you met Bruce? www.brucelizard.com
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JR, maybe you're getting a little to worked up. Bruce just might not be on the same schedule as you is all. Try leaving him alone in the morning and see if he has moved by the end of the day. I would guess that he is just on a different schedule but that's just my opinion. He seems like a very healthy lizard who is in good hands otherwise.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

I just wanted to add. I have yet to see my baby Egyptian out basking or walking around or eating for that matter and I have had him for a month. I have chelked on him at all hours of the day and have never seen him but he is never sleeping in the same place and his food gets messed up and he has pooped on everything. I only see him when I take him out to weigh him and this has been for a month now.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

Just an update here...I just got home (around 6pm), went to check on Bruce and sure enough, he is still sound asleep on the cold end of the tank right where I left him this morning. I truly want to believe it's just a sleeping schedule issue, but this is 6 hours longer than he has ever slept on hot end of the tank. I would think that would definitely indicate the temperature being the factor...but then again, it could be as already said. Maybe I'm just stressing over nothing. Opinions still welcomed....

JR

if i have a uro that seems to be having several lazy days, i will take him or her out and place them under the basking spot, just to make sure everything is ok.

here is an odd question, what is the weather like where you live? i swear that despite the artifical weather we create for these little boogers, they can still tell what is going on outside. my guys are much lazier on cloudy or rainy days and in the winter, even though i don't change anything, some of them sort of self-brumate

but one more question, are you sure he never came out today? just because he was sleeping in the same area doesn't mean he didn't go for a stroll
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vonnie
***The first law of dietetics seems to be: if it tastes good, it's bad for you. — Issac Asimov ***

My wife finally moved him without my knowing yesterday over to the warm side and he was fine. I am certain he had not moved all day because I snapped a quick digital pic before I left in the morning anticipating just that and he was in the exact identical position in the exact spot. Weather right now is mixed clouds and sun in the low 40s. Been about the same all week. It's not quite the same situation that you had described-- a few lazy days-- because once he's awake, OR if he goes to sleep on the warm end he's very active and "normal". I think that responds to all of the points in the last reply. He actually went to sleep on the cold side again last night, so I guess I'll see if he wakes up on his own today.

JR

Try double checking your temps on the cold side, maybe it's a little to cold is all. See if you can get a good reading on where it is he is actually sleeping and try and get that temp up or block that specific cold area off somehow.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

our little guy usually sleeps under his pile of rocks on the hot side, so this always wakes him up. but, if we have woken him up or if he's feeling like it, he will wedge himself in the pile of rocks on the cooler side, and he never wakes up from that. usually after two days we'll wake him up. if they sleep through a night or two while in the cold side, it doesn't mess them up. don't worry if they rarely sleep under the rock, just keep it in moderation.

good luck with yours

Your "hot side" is what we call our "cool side" for daytime temps. I'm really surprised this hasn't been brought out by anyone. If your guys aren't being heated up enough during the day & are then being left cool at night, you'll have a problem ever getting them active. Raise the daytime high to 130 or even more on the hot side, 85-90 on the other end. Let things drop to low 70's at night, a bit lower won't hurt.

Thanks for the temp info. Just curious as to what the reference is for 130 degrees as a background hot side temperature. I've never heard of that high of a temperature for the hot end. Basking spot, yes, but not as the background temp. Deer Fern Farms (which I think most will agree is a reputable source) recommends around 100 on the hot and mid 80's on the cool (source: http://deerfernfarms.com/Uromastyx_Care.htm -- Lighting and Heat) Most other care sheets I see are fairly similar, and mine are right in that range. What do you run your basking site temp at if the background is 130?

I guess in re-reading my original post, I may not have explicitly stated that the hot side temp was ambient and not basking spot. He also has a basking spot that runs around 120 -130. Sorry if that made it a little confusing.

JR

Sorry for the confusion. I was referring to basking temp as 130, not ambient at the hot end. I'd say 100-110 should be hot side temps during day, works for us. We let night temps drop to 65-70. I think where some of the conflicts arise is, are the basking temps taken from an elevated spot under the light or from the substrate level. That kinda determines everything else.