Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got my first uro a couple of weeks ago. I have experience with beardies, geckos, and chameleons. I saw him sitting alone in the pet store and had to get him. The problem is that he seems pretty skinny. Is there a healthy way of fattening him up? He is a mali and I have no idea of his age. I would be thrilled to recieve any tips. He is in a 40 gallon breeder tank. I am having problems with keeping his tank above 105. I have a powersun uv bulb for him. Thank you!

you guy needs at least 120. i use halogen flood lights from the home depot to get hot basking spots. it really is trial and error though.

try reading deerfernfarms.com and some of the kingsnake caresheets. when i got helga it was recommended to me to feed her fresh soy beans or roasted nonsalted soybeans until she got a little fatter. she loved them and i just give them to her as treats now.
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vonnie

***I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers. Kahlil Gibran***

Also, he may be thin from parasites. Take a fecal sample (or the whole lizard) to the vet for a check. Then you'll be starting on the right foot.

FYI, the powersun has a lousy reputation for both frequent early burnout and putting out very little UVB. If you like the self ballasted bulbs, I would recommend the SB Mega Ray from www.reptileuv.com for your next bulb. Excellent UVB output and very good life. You'll *probably* still need additional heat sources, though, especially in the winter.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

You do not want the cage at 105. You need a temp gradient. Basking spot of 120 , hot end air temp around 95-100. cool end air temp around 80-85. Making the basking spot elevated helps bringing up the basking spot temp but if the other temps aren't right it won't matter what the basking spot is.
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1.1 Ornates (Lindsay Pike)(Doug Dix)
0.0.1 Mali
0.0.1 Egyptian
0.1 Weimaraner

Thanks for the advice! I have now been able to maintain temps in the cage at 126 degrees. Meatball seems happier and is even coming out of his hide now. I am not sure how much he's actually eating though. How often do they poop?