My New Saharan Uro Girl, Kindle. She's 12 inches long and about 173 grams. She's HUGE compared to my others. Anyway, from the moment I put her into her new house, She's been digging! None stop! She digs in the morning, at night, IN HER SLEEP! She'll stop all the sudden in the middle of her house and start digging! I don't know why! I have about an inch and a half layer of Wheat Bran as substrate. Her Favorite place to dig is under her hot rock (It's raised a little so she can get under it). She's dug so much under there that She's hit bare floor! Nothing left to dig in! I couldn't feel any eggs in her belly... Don't think She's nesting... My others dig too but no where NEAR as much as she does.... What's the deal? Any idea what I can put in her house for her to dig in? She's only in a 50 gal rubbermaid bin (Temporary House... Saving up to build a LARGE house for all of them to live in...) so whatever I put in there has to be small.... Is this digging just a uro thing?? Like I said, My others do it but not nearly as Much as her.... She's MUCH calmer then all My others, Very sweet! What made me get Her is the fact that She came up to the glass and looked at me like "I know You're taking me Home. So Come on, Let's go. Get me out of here." She's too cute! But why id she Digging so much????? What can I change the substrate to? I have friends From Nigeria who said the soil there is "Sandy and Moist, Some very rich red like we found in South Carolina." I'm in NY. Where could I find this type of soil???? Sorry to babble so long....
-----
2.0 Iguanas, 2.4 Beardies, 1.2.1 Saharan/Nigerian Uromastyx, 0.0.2 Leos, 0.0.1 African Fat Tail, 1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa, 0.0.1 Fla Garter Snake, 0.1 eastern garter, 0.0.1 Banded California King Snake (M.I.A.), 0.0.1 Corn Snake, 0.0.3 Fire Belly Toads, 1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle, 0.0.1 African Sideneck, 2 Horses (soon to be three {Baby next May!!!}), 4 cats, 1 dog, and I'm still not done.....
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
She won't quit digging!! (Long, Bunch of Questions)
Replies (8)
personally i have never had my uros dig ALL day, but Rico and his girlfriend 
, do rearrange the tank sometimes, by taking all the sand from one side and putting it on the other. I also have a similar basking spot that you discribed, my two love digging under that, it might be to build a 'cave' or a secure spot to live in. I wouldn't worry about it just give them alot of substrate with the new house you are making, and alot of hides. Look at Robyn's post below from proexotics, she has some cool soil. I might have to try that next year!
Good luck , don't stress about it, at least she is getting a workout!
-----
Lauren 
Leos and Uros
1.1 Saharan Uromastyx
0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx
1.1 Jungle Albino Leopard Gecko
1.1 Hypo/Baldy Leopard Gecko
1.1 Tremper Alibno Leopard Gecko
your Uro is trying to tell you something, your job is to read and react appropriately.
why not provide a substrate that allows for digging and burrowing? the animal desperately wants to dig, burrow, find safety, and less stress, so why not provide? these animals live in soil, they dig and use burrows, not birdseed, not corn cob, not astro turf, not newspaper, and not care fresh.
getting a good burrowing soil can be a tricky thing, not all dirt is the same, but it is infinitely better than any of the above mentioned substrates. you would be amazed at how much "happier" your animal would be with just a few inches, or a few feet, of diggable soil. figure out a way, and give it a try : )
-----
robyn@proexotics.com
Plan on it. But I don't even know where to begin! I looked at Home depot But all they had was potting soils... I'm gonna make the wheat bran deeper so at least she can bury herself. Ugh.... Have to get a couple checks behind me then I'll investigate landscaping places... If they're even still open.....
-----
2.0 Iguanas, 2.4 Beardies, 1.2.1 Saharan/Nigerian Uromastyx, 0.0.2 Leos, 0.0.1 African Fat Tail, 1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa, 0.0.1 Fla Garter Snake, 0.1 eastern garter, 0.0.1 Banded California King Snake (M.I.A.), 0.0.1 Corn Snake, 0.0.3 Fire Belly Toads, 1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle, 0.0.1 African Sideneck, 2 Horses (soon to be three {Baby next May!!!}), 4 cats, 1 dog, and I'm still not done.....
Uros are just lizards, like monitors, Gilas, and others. what you can learn and dig up (so to speak) on those animals can typically be applied to Uros just as well.
check out the FAQ and monitor sections of our site, there is info there on soils, burrowing, etc, and it would all apply to the Uros as well.
for our Uro setups, i just take what i have learned with the other lizards, and adapt and apply it for the Uros, and everything is going just great at this point.
keep in mind that there is a significant difference between making a usable burrow and "shimmying" under some loose material in a last ditch effort to hide : )
a good burrow will last for weeks (and months) if it is not disturbed by some other outside force (mainly you), assuming you have got all the pieces to the soil puzzle in place. it took us a number of years to understand soils, burrows, and use to the extent that we do, and we still push for a better understanding, so you might as well get started sooner than later! : )
best of luck!
-----
robyn@proexotics.com
Can you send me ten pounds of that dirt!!???!??! LOL I've got potting soil (no chemicals)That I got for My beardies to nest in... I'm gonna try mixing that with washed play sand... 50/50.... And give that to my uro as a substrate instead of the wheat bran.... I am trying I just don't know which direction to go in.... Do you think the soil/sand will be good???
-----
2.0 Iguanas, 2.4 Beardies, 1.2.1 Saharan/Nigerian Uromastyx, 0.0.2 Leos, 0.0.1 African Fat Tail, 1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa, 0.0.1 Fla Garter Snake, 0.1 eastern garter, 0.0.1 Banded California King Snake (M.I.A.), 0.0.1 Corn Snake, 0.0.3 Fire Belly Toads, 1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle, 0.0.1 African Sideneck, 2 Horses (soon to be three {Baby next May!!!}), 4 cats, 1 dog, and I'm still not done.....
I've found that pool filtration sand works pretty well for this too. They love to watch it fly around as they kick it, but it's not as... well... dirty as dirt heh. I have provided my uros with tons of hiding spots that are generally just a bit below the sand level so that they can dig into the sand to get into the hides.
-----
1.3 Uromastyx Maliensis (Ricky, Quinn, Anna, Drusilla)
0.2 Varanus Timorensis (Zealot, Willow)
1.1 Varanus Acanthurus (Eddie, Roxie)
0.0.2 Uromastyx Aegypticus (Kronk, Yzma)
0.0.2 Ceratophrys Ornata (Mojo, Jabba)
0.1 Geochelone Carbonaria (Turtle)
1.0 Rhacodactylus Ciliatus (Smeagol)
Emily
www.egomantra.com/npoh
Ok In the original post I read the words (hot rock) now you don't mean a hot rock as in the kind they use for snakes do you? If you do please get it outta your tank! You can seriously burn your uro with a heat rock and if you meant hot rock as in a piece of slate well then wtg and never mind! lol
Sorry I just panic at the thought of a hurt animal just wanted to be sure .
-----
1 Mali Uromastyx named Drake Owner named Kirsten
No no no, not a "Hot Rock". By That I meant the piece of slate that My heat lamp is focused on. Making the rock "hot". I call it the hot rock. But it's not one of the ones you plug in. I know about those and wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole.
-----
2.0 Iguanas, 2.4 Beardies, 1.2.1 Saharan/Nigerian Uromastyx, 0.0.2 Leos, 0.0.1 African Fat Tail, 1.0 Columbian Rainbow Boa, 0.0.1 Fla Garter Snake, 0.1 eastern garter, 0.0.1 Banded California King Snake (M.I.A.), 0.0.1 Corn Snake, 0.0.3 Fire Belly Toads, 1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle, 0.0.1 African Sideneck, 2 Horses (soon to be three {Baby next May!!!}), 4 cats, 1 dog, and I'm still not done.....
