Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been eyeing a CB Mali Uro for about 8 weeks at my friends pet store. Well, they are going out of business and he sold him to me for $20. I have him in a temporary 55 gallon rubbermaid container. He's on newspaper, 2 hides, basking spot of 120f, cool side about 80f. I had his cage setup for 2 days before I brought him home to make sure I had temps in the right range. At the store he's always been very perky, head up when someone looks at him, exploring his cage etc. I brought him home last night and he is just laying, head flat on ground, same spot I put him in. I placed him on warm side of tank, but not directly under basking light. My question is, Is this normal? I haven't left any food in the tank, but he ate at 3 pm yesterday when I picked him up. I tried to place my hand in the tank to see if his body was warm and he started weaving back & forth, kind of like a snake (sorry, can't describe very well) Is this a sign of fear? I took it as such, and have left him alone. Any help would be appreciated. He has always looked great at the store and now he's just lifeless.

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. As far as the PS.... I personally know the breeder of this mali-I'm a vet tech and was with our vet when they brought the clutch in for vet checks for fecals. They have one breeding pair and it's their 1st clutch with them, so they wanted to make sure everything was ok and also to get several wild caught geckos dewormed. They breed chams a lot and are GREAT with them. They sold the clutch of mali's to 3 different local pet stores-one of them was a good friend of mines for $60 a piece(wholesale price). Matt (petstore owner) has had him for awhile and sold the others for $99.00 (going rate for mali's in my area at Petsmart etc) He has to be out of the storefront by May 1st, so he sold me my Mali for $20 and I'm adopting a breeding pair of sandfire beardies for free from him as well. He doesn't have time to sell online, so if I decide to sell them, I made a deal to give him half the profits. Only reason I've got such a good deal is he knows they'll be taken care of, and I've given him many vet freebies.
No offense taken from your post,just thought I'd explain my situation. I'm 100% percent sure of a CB mali, I've personally dewormed him at the vets (even though I didn't realize he'd be mine) and I've watched him grow every week, healthy & happy at Matt's when I go in for my weekly crickets.
I'm VERY thankful you put my mind at ease- where do you suggest the ambient temp of the cage should be? It's different on almost every caresheet I read. THANKS!!!

Hot hot side should be about 100F with a cool side around 85F. The basking spot about 125F (adult).

If the mali is in a rubbermaid, they get scared from everything coming at them from above. They are much better when things come from the front where they can better see it coming. I have a front sliding cage.

It is also a big transition for them to go to a new place. It could take quite a while for them to adjust.

Kim

I didn't even think of that! Thanks! His previous tank was actually above eye level, so he was looking at everyone from above, and happy as a clam. I've handled him SO much at the petstore and he just loved it, he'd eat greens out of my hand, so when he looked so stressed here-it really worried me. Started building his cage tonight. Melamine sides w/sliding glass front and haven't decided if top is going to be solid or screen. If solid it will have vents on all sides of tank.

Just out of curiosity I was wondering what type/s of worm/s your cb mali had? You mentioned that you dewormed him your self.

Happy Herping,
-Paul

Sure, the breeders brought a clutch of uros in along w/some various geckos. The uros had runny stool, which we thought they might just be regulating their digestive tract. The fecal didn't show any parasites or eggs (we did both a fecal smear and fecal float) but the breeders wanted to go ahead and deworm since they were there, because sometimes the parasites won't shed their eggs in EVERY stool.
Long story short, no parasites found, but dewormed w/panacur at the vet, then gave breeders enough for 2 more doses.
With panacur being so safe, they wanted to be sure.
Boy, you should have seen the geckos fecals!! Coccidia everywhere!

If the S-dance is in response to your hand coming into the enclosure, then it's his way of telling you to buzz off. You did the right thing by leaving him alone.

If he's just lying there, not moving, AND not hiding, you might double check the temps - what kind of thermometer are you using?

Otherwise, it's probably just him getting used to the changes and he'll be just fine after a few weeks, maybe sooner.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
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)

When we purchased a new mali, he behaved in much the same way. We called his dance the "hula" and it was definitely a defensive move accompanied by harsh tail whipping. He settled down within a week or two and now seems quite happy. I'd like to deworm mine (have the Panacur, have the doasge), but have never worked with uros before and am trying to figure out how to give them an oral dose of anything! When ours was adjusting, he gave an angry bite out of a grape or something and I thought, "Ouch...personal note...do not get bit by this lizard."

Laura R (FL)

If you have the dosage, draw it up in a oral syringe (can get at a vet or at the pharmacy for baby medicine), sometimes you get lucky and they'll clamp on the end of it and you can squirt it in, otherwise you can try to pry their mouth open with a credit card. Just put it between jaws on side of mouth and try to wiggle it in, once you get the jaws open you can squirt the medicine in. Just be careful not to damage the mouth tissue around the jaws.
Hope that helps! I wouldn't do anything you are not comfortable with, many vets will dose him for you for a nominal charge.