Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My wife's uro jumped over our patio ledge our backyard yesterday into a sea of bushes and ground cover (only needed a few seconds of not being watched). We looked for hours on our hands and knees to no avail. It has now been nearly 24 hours with no site of him. Our backyard is very wooded and fenced (although that would not deter him from escaping and being long gone). Anyone have any advice or suggestions of how he may be found? We're hoping that he may come out to seek sunlight. I'm not very optimistic and she certainly will be devastated (her previous uro passed away last year)...

Thanks,
cracker

The only thing I would suggest is to setup a couple basking lights near where he got away. See if maybe a really warm area would get him out to be seen. Just a thought.

Maybe put a dish of greens and flowers or what ever he really likes out by where he was last and sit hidden and watch for him to come to eat.I don't know if it will work but it has a chance.Good luck and hope you get him back.
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Cajit

URO'S RULE ALL!!!

1.0 Mali Uromastyx (OZ) DOUG DIX

Unfortunately it has started to drizzle and thunderstorm here. I think the moisture and rain makes his recovery more remote and also puts him at high risk for an infection if we even find him. We'll try the food and heat lamp once the rain subsides...

I would try the lights and food and go door to door asking the neighbors to look out for him .Most people love animals and will be willing to help . I lost an iguana once .Good luck

I seriously doubt you'll benefit from setting out heat lights & food dishes & sitting in your lawnchair waiting for it to come along! Your best hope is to search every square inch of area, looking behind & underneath everything. What were the temps outside when it escaped? That may give you some idea how far it might travel.

Outdoor temp today was in the mid 80's and mostly cloudy with an hour or so of light drizzle/rain (Philly suburbs). We searched practically every single inch within 10 ft of where he last was seen. The difficulty is that the area is covered with several bushes (3ft high or so) and therefore mainly shaded. There are many potential little holes to crawl into (not too many rocks). The area is a haven for chipmunks. At this point, I think our only hope is for a hot sunny day and for him to crawl out towards to patio or pool area to seek sun.

Thanks all for your support and advice.

Every single inch with "ten feet"??? Better go for a hundred feet or more. The mid 80 temps will work greatly in your favor, as will the drizzle. However, if those chipmonks dig holes in the ground ( I don't know, they don't live down here ), you can probably color him gone.
Best of luck for your lizard. I'll refrain from what I really think.

Here are two pictures of him...

I really hope you find the little guy!I wouldn't toss out the leaving some flowers out for him it's worth a shot cause you have nothing to lose at this point.I would also look everywhere you can and in every nook and cranny.You could take a small hand held mirror with you while your searching to look up into bushes and also down holes and other places that you can't bend down to see.Good luck again and let us know how you did.
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Cajit

URO'S RULE ALL!!!

1.0 Mali Uromastyx (OZ) DOUG DIX

Well, how goes the search? Hopefully, your luck exceeds mine. My female ornate passed 3 eggs out of 16 & then died.
You cannot take your eyes off their needs for even a moment or you'll face an empty cage.

Arredondo,
I'm so sorry for your loss.Is this the one you posted a pic of on july 9th.?I guess it would have been from complications of laying eggs.Again I'm sorry for your loss.
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Cajit

URO'S RULE ALL!!!

1.0 Mali Uromastyx (OZ) DOUG DIX

Yeah, it was that female. She managed to lay 3 eggs & then died. I c-sectioned another 15 but they don't look good. I think the "lessons learned" point towards really bulking up pregnant animals before they go off-feed during gestation. Even though she was in "excellent shape" exteriorly, I suspect she may have needed more "reserves" to see her thru the process. I could be completely off base but, it's my best guess. Oddly enough, under exact same conditions, she had absolutely no problems last year.

Just wanted to say sorry for your loss again.
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Cajit

URO'S RULE ALL!!!

1.0 Mali Uromastyx (OZ) DOUG DIX

Sorry for your loss too. My wife has had uros for 9 years and I know from her how attached people get to these beautiful reptiles. Unfortunately it looks like we lost the guy (she only had him for a little over 1 yr...he is around 2 yrs old now). No sign of him since he disappeared 2 days ago (only sounds of birds, insects, frogs, squirrels and chipmunks in our dense wooded backyard). At this point, we can only hope he is happy somehow or at peace...

Never lose hope. Listen to this story. March 10 I left for Florida. My daughter had a leopard gecko and changed his cage before we left. The old cage was higher, so she didn't think to put a cover on the new one, so lo and behold, my son calls me the evening of the 10th to tell me the lizard is gone. He searched everywhere, put out food and lights and never found him. We went to Florida again in May, and my son called me a few days later to tell me he found the gecko, alive and well. He opened a kitchen drawer and it was sitting in the drawer looking at him, he said it scared the s$#% out of him. Now I ask myself how this gecko survived without food, water, heat or humidity for two months. It has put on weight and is fine. Soooooooo, don't give up too quickly. I wish you the best of luck, maybe yours will turn up.

Pam
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1.1 varanus acanthurus brachyurus (Dorado & Dora)
1.1 u. macfadyeni (Amani & Abeba)
1.2 u. ornata (Husani, Zari, & Bintu)
1.1 u. ocellata (Zuhri & Ashai)
0.0.1 u. aegypticus (Halima)
1.1 hyla chrysoscelis (Pudge & Squirt)
Herps Are Awesome!

Sorry about the escapee, shame, hope you guys get him back quick and in one piece. I would be ripping those bushes apart in hopes he may run out. Bushes grow back

Let us know how ya make out, be nice to read a post saying you found him
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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

Like the gecko story above, don't give up hope. My friend's uro was actually "wild caught". Wild caught, in this case means it was actually found in their yard. He's missing his tail (hence, his name -- Stumpy), but otherwise is fine. He must have escaped or was abandoned at some point, but made it on his own.
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