Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently upgraded my egyptian uros living space using a 55 gallon tank. He seems to like it a lot but I have a few concerns. First of all, he never goes into his hides (I have one on each end) and he will bask a bit then run around. He will take naps throughout the day but doesn't use his hides until the lights go out, if then. He is 8 inches long and 65-70 grams, he looks rather lanky (?spelling) body wise, in my opinion. He still eats the same but doesn't look as plump since the move. Temps are at 120-125, humidity is around 35%. I am just a bit worried, maybe for nothing.. but hey, I'm his mum, I just want to make sure he is ok and growing nicely.

What're you using for hides?
JG

Before the switch, he used a cardboard flat like the pet food cans come in, it has cut-outs in the sides and a circle cut into the top, he loves that one and basically lived in it, I still have it on the cool side. On the hot side I made a hide out of two pieces of 2x4 with plywood on top, its nice and low and he fits inside nicely. It's under the slate piece that you see on the pic. I still keep him on newspaper and paper towels, because I like that best. Any suggestions?

Maybe you like it best but I bet he doesn't. Egyptians LOVE to dig! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't believe me? Set up a nesting Box like Deer Fern Farms and see! Or give it soil but as a beginner I recommend the box first.

I love Deer Fern Farms website, they have been very helpful. I will use a substrate in the future, but I haven't had him long and I am still learning how to care for him, properly. I worry that he will burrow down and I might miss something if he was ill. So I guess I need to get more complex with my hides until then or use something like Care Fresh or Desert Snow. Any suggestions? I am thinking about building a retes stack for both sides and see if that will help.

I would say the Rete Stack is most useful BURIED IN SUBSTRATE.
The whole point of using soil etc. is to burrow in it and HYDRATE.
Desert Snow and whatever that other "stuff" is will do the opposite(dehydrate).
The box will give you the best of both worlds as they will hide/hydrate in there, and this will not raise the overall humidity of the cage and you can open up the box to check on him.(he will most likely be covered in dirt and very pissed you are checking). See the care sheet(deerfernfarms.com) for how to setup the box and soil. TRY IT!!!! You will notice a difference. Hopefully, then you can make a more educated decision regarding substrate. Filling the whole cage with soil may or may not cause other problems, but certainly requires a level of "attention" I don't think you can give at this time if you are already experiencing difficulties. SET UP A BOX at least for now.He will feel more secure and it will be good for him physically. The other hides he can use during the day.Then while he hides you can tweak the rest of the cage. When you get him going back and forth regularly, eating well,etc. then try to improve on that. Moisten the box periodically to the point you can squeeze a "ball" w/o water dripping out, and don't let it get too cool or too hot. This is my RECCOMENDATION, a similar setup is working very well for my aegyptius.Good Luck.

Also,

A Retes stack works well both ways, buried or not. I have tried both and I usally only burrow one stack under the soil, leaving about 6-8 diferent stacks open for basking/hiding. It works well.

Also I don't mean to come off sounding like a pollitition here trying to get a bill passed, but ask yourself this, do uros have a "nest box," in the wild or do they live on a deep loamly clay like soil in which they burrow into? If you have high temps and many thermo gradients...like I mentioned in the last post/s, your fear of to much hydration or moisture or whatever you would like to call it, won't be a problem . By the way I don't want to sound like a expert here, because I am not. I am just another reptile enthusiast with a great passion for reptiles, expecially uros . Haha, I actually would like to start a breeding program with uros this summer. I've been saving my $ and I finally have enouph to buy a couple of babys in pairs of trios. I have been keeping reptiles for about 10 years now and alot of my information is based of observations, books, breeders philosopies, and my own experience, but I wouldn't be preaching this "tactic," if I hadn't tried it for myself. I have indeed tried these "tactics," and from what I have seen I will continue to sapport this way of husbandry with uros .

I wouldn't be saying this if I hadn't tried it for myself, but all in all you have to stop saying that your worried about this and that with using a soil. If properly cared for and given the right temps and diet, a soil will not only allow for a digger by nature to do what he/she does best, but to utilize his resources in captivity and have a stress free phisological state of mind. My uros carved out some pretty deep burrows and they still manage to come up out of them every day.

By the way you don't have to be an expert to start with a soil , I am by no means a expert with soils...I just read alittle, did some research, and then put it to the test one day. For me, being the person that I am, I am at peace seeing reptiles actually THRIVE in captivity instead of just being stuck in close quarters all the time without any resources to do what they do naturally.

Happy Herping
-Paul

Thanks for the responses. I am concerned about the soil idea for other reasons, I have allergies and can't even have living plants in the house. Sand is fine, I have used it with my beardies, frilled dragon, aussie water dragons and rankins without the allergies really being a problem. How can I make this work without the soil? Do I need to sell my uro so that he will be happy?

You don't need to sell your uro . Use the sand and remember there are many diferent philosopies on keeping uros. Mine and maybe a few other folks just go by the soil idea, wait thats a lie...we live by it, haha. Your uro should be completly happy as long as you have many diferent hide spots and proper temperatures, and of cource a healthy diet . I've used sand in the past and have had success, just so you know .

Happy Herping,
-Paul

Pro Exotics has switched to decomposed granite.Check their site, it looks pretty nice.It sounds to me it wouldn't cause allergies. You can find a landscape supply company and "test" different "soils" for allergic reaction. I imagine if you search it will be easier to find a suitable substrate than it would be to find someone who cares as much about Ankh as you do.Ankh is his name right? Get on the computer and search-you don't want to sell him! You can do it-get yourself together-and just do it. Years from now you will never have to imagine, "what if?"

Decomposed granite or any other type of good old soil works well, as long as it burrows well and thats for you to find out. Not everyone is going to have axcess to decomposed granite, especially here in CT. I wish I could use it, but the topsoil mixture has been working well for me . Also I e-mailed Robyn at Proexotics awile back speaking alittle about soils and he mentioned that they no longer are using just decomposed granite, but a mixture consisting of decomposed granite and soil/sand.

Happy Herping,

-Paul