Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Everyone

I have been wondering why my Mali is always climbing the walls of his tank. He tends to "run" around trying to get up the walls and then he will "stand" there, usually propped up by his tail, and just looks around. Is this a normal thing for Mali's to do? Any help would be appreciated!!!

Thanks and Good Day

Bob

Rumor has it (see: this board - glass dancing) that they are bored and don't have anything to do. If I catch my Mali doing it, I put him in the middle. I believe they can do some tail/spine damage by using it as a tripod.

I'm not sure what the 'real' answer is, but mine will even try to climb the tv cabinet glass even though he has oodles of floor space.

>>Rumor has it (see: this board - glass dancing) that they are bored and don't have anything to do. If I catch my Mali doing it, I put him in the middle. I believe they can do some tail/spine damage by using it as a tripod.
>>
>>I'm not sure what the 'real' answer is, but mine will even try to climb the tv cabinet glass even though he has oodles of floor space.

After moving my Saharan to a larger enclosure with better lighting and heat gradient there is a lot less 'glass dancing' but he still does it some.

Almost all of the walls of my enclosure are climbable and he will climb straight up those and hang on to the wall looking like a Gecko. There are two places that are smooth and that he can't climb and as he makes his rounds and encounters these he will scrabble at them a bit until he realizes he can't climb them. Then he will move about two inches to the left or right and zip straight up a place he can climb.

I just think they cannot understand boundaries and want to keep moving. I wish there was more field research on these guys so we new more about the habitats and how they interacted with them.

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Mike Wilson
mwilson@fuu.net

mine doesn't do any glass dancing unless she sees me coming with food for her...I should be saying "him", because now that he's healthy he's pretty clearly a guy lizard, but we're just so used to saying "she" and "her".

Anyways, I was wondering if maybe it had something to do with substrate, cage furnishings, or length of time being in captivity. From the information we could obtain, my uro is about 6-8 years old now, and I hope she/he has many more good years to go. What's your setup like? Mine is fairly simple, with dirt substrate (a thin layer) and a nice hiding "burrow" (it's made to sort of mimic a small burrow) that doubles as a basking site. The fake burrow is fairly big, so he/she has the ability to thermoregulate inside of it. Also, the tank is small compared to what he/she should be in (it's only 48"x13"x13"...hopefully next week I can get going on my 4'x2'x2' stacking cages), and I would have assumed she...he....it...would be glass dancing all of the time, but he only did it the day I put soil in, and only for a minute or two.

Funny that you posted this because I was just telling my son and husband that Buddy my mali (who is feeling better) is trying to climb his tank. I have a back drop that has rocks and caves and I thought that maybe he was trying to go into the cave. I guess not since others are doing it too. I take him out and he roams around.
I also take him outside and he goes for a LONG walk down the street. I'm not use to this since he has been real sick for 5 weeks.
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The addiction can be dangerous

all of my lizards live in the softscreen reptariums and they all climb the walls literally. helga is an amazing climber for having only three back toes. my collared lizards like to run upside down across the ceiling. it may not be something that they would do in their natural environment but it is that much more space for them to exercise on and it always looks like they are having fun to me
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

my uros do the same thing. mostly when they see me comming. i think it means they want to come out. so i let them out to walk around abit and then they are fine. also about the no boundries thing that is a very good observation, my uros will be up on a table or my bed or somwhere high and just walk right of like they can walk on air or something. i have to catch them or they will splat on the ground. you would think they would learn after falling a few times. but noooooo.
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brandy

>>"my uros will be up on a table or my bed or somwhere high and just walk right of like they can walk on air or something. i have to catch them or they will splat on the ground. you would think they would learn after falling a few times. but noooooo."

They are funny. When mine is on the bed, I don't think he has any concept that he is 3 feet off of the floor. He would keep bowling forward off the edge if I let him.

Mine and my brothers both do those. We'll catch them in two different corners going at it at the same time. So we take them out and let them sit on our stomachs and they calm down. Or I'll take mine to my room and sit him on my bed. Then he'll go under my blanket and cuddle next to a pillow and sleep until I wake him.

My bearded dragon, leopard gecko and my saharan uro also do it until I pick them up and give them kisses. I think that maybe they just want more attention.