Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello All!

I have been pondering something for a while and thought I would pose it to the group. I have a 6 year old Uro (I have had him for about 5 years), and he lives in a breeder tank, so it has glass on all 4 sides. He is well adjusted and spends most of his time (when I am home anyway) watching me move around my apartment. His favorite cage location was when I had him by the sofa so that he could be part of the activity of the living room. Now that I have him a little further away (and further up) he sits at the front of his cage and watches me. I am not kidding, if I switch rooms he moves so that he can still see me. I am sure it has more to do with movement than with me! Kind of like Uro TV maybe. I have been debating putting his terrarium in such a way that he could see out of the window on one side, so that he could watch the birds, trees, etc., while I am at work. Other than needing to be very careul to control the temperature, what do you guys think about this idea?

Awaiting your opinions,

Elizabeth

I'm not sure what to advise. All I know is that my malis have loved to watch tv. I know that they're obviously not engrossed in the story, but they do sit up and watch the screen. I take it that they like the stimulation.

The only thing I've ever been concerned about, was if they were watching it because they were terrified that those sounds and sights could be predators.

Somehow I don't believe that's true, though, because they would also wander the tank, have some food, bask, nap, etc while the tv was on, but they did also sometimes show definite interest in what was going on.

Anyways, that's my experience. I'd definitely be concerned about making sure the tank doesn't get direct sunlight, which could overheat the enclosure, and that there are no drafts coming in.

Perhaps if those things aren't an issue, you could try it out, while keeping a close eye on your uro to be sure he's not getting stressed out or anything.

Hope this helps...
Nicki

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Nicki and...

0.0.2 Uromastyx geyri (Saharan Uromastyx) - New babies!
1.1.0 Uromastyx dispar maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) - Spike and Lizzy
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri (Variable (Thayer’s) Kingsnake) - Kavi
0.0.1 Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli (Pueblan Milksnake) - Callia
0.2.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Red-Sided Garter Snakes) - Spot and Fluffy

Ontario, Canada

since birds are natural predators, your uro will probably freak out and get really stressed out. However, you could try it and see how he does and then deal with it from there.