Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Got my Mali (Jake) yesterday... He's retaining skin from a shed on his tail really bad though, and the previous owner says he's been in an almost continuous shed since Christmas and she doesn't know why... My guess is its a combination of stress from them moving into a new place and them having a baby and not payin as much attention to his care about the same time he started shedding... So hopefully he'll calm down soon and get better, since I cleaned his cage out and gave him some birdseed bedding...
any suggestions as to what might make him more comfortable in his home and help him to relax would be appreciated...
As soon as my camera starts working, I'll get pictures posted...
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"Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious."
1.1 Cal Kings
0.1 Mali Uromastyx

Does that birdseed substrate have whole sunflower seeds in it? If so, they have to be removed. Whole sunflower seeds and Uros don't go together; if they're ingested, the shells could cause damage their insides. Hulled sunflower seeds are okay in their diet (one of my Malis LOVES them!). Looking forward to pics!

how likely is it that the sunflower seeds could hurt him? theres lots of them in it... I tried to get all millet, but no one around here sells that... he seems the be happy with his romaine and iguana diet, and thats all put in a dish so it doesnt come in contact with the bedding... but I dont want to hurt him... should I try to sift the sunflower seed out?
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"Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious."
1.1 Cal Kings
0.1 Mali Uromastyx

In a word, yes, sift them out. It's a real pain, but needs to be done. I get my red or white millet from a feed mill. If you can find one around your house, call them. Sometimes the places that sell seed for wild birds will special order the plain millet for you if you either pay in advance or put down a deposit. Good luck.

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)
0.0.1 geochelone carbonaria (Rojo)
0.0.1 cyclura hybrid lewisi x caymanensis x nubila (Sweetpea)
1.1 hyla chrysoscelis (Pudge & Squirt)
Herps Are Awesome!

Better yet... Sift out ALL the seeds & go with a more natural substrate. I know there's always contraversy about substrate & always will be but, jeez, what's more un-natural than trying to walk around on a bunch of slippery seeds? And my experience with them seems to show that they aren't digestable & take up too much of the Uro's diet.
Deep soil substrate is great if you can do it. But, it's not practical if you maintain more than a few animals. Sand, while not the greatest, does work well. We've had good success over the years with sand but I believe it's largely due to providing multiple low roof hides. As long as they can wedge tightly under a flat rock they seem to be quite content.
I know Dr.Doug started the millet substrate idea & I respect his well experienced opinion but I have to challenge him on this method. What say you, Doug? BTW, looking forward to see
ing you in Daytona. The green guy is paired & doing awesome.
D&L

Bizkit, it seems like there may be some issues with your animals diet, is romaine and iguana diet all you feed it? If so I think some dietary changes may be in order for the sake of your animal.

That's all he had been gettin fed because that seems to be the only thing he'll eat... I've been offering him a variety of plants from my moms garden to see what else he'll eat, but so far he hasnt touched anything else...
I'm goin to try giving him some dandelion greens tonight and see if he eats those...
His first owner fed him fruity pebbles, and his second owner was feeding him the romaine and iguana stuff... I just got him Wedesday, so I'm not sure what all he'll eat if offered...
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"Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious."
1.1 Cal Kings
0.1 Mali Uromastyx