Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I just got my first uro this last Saturday from deer fern farm and he is so cute I felt I had to share. He seems to have settled in quite well and is eating. Originaly it was my fiance` that wanted one but now I've fallen in love. I never imagined they could have so much personality! Since he's such a little heat lover we named him Toast.

very nice looking uro

what a cutie! i was first intoduced to uros because i own collared lizards and a guy told me if i liked lizards with silly personalities then i would like uros too. the one that i held kept digging into my hand and then he would take his little head and push it into my hand like he was moving the dirt out of the way. my sister also loves uros now and once she gets settled into her nursing career, wants to buy one because she liked madam helga turtlehead (my uro) so much. congrats and give us updated photos often
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vonnie
***Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. Mae West ***

Toast is a digger too. Yesterday we laid down to watch some tv together and he tried to wedge himself under my leg. I was worried about squishing him so I moved my leg a little but when I did he looked at me and cocked his head to the side as if to say "Hey! Put that back!" Then he promtly scuttled over the other leg and re-wedged himself. Do you think I should give him a hide box?

safe and secure. He was trying to wedge in under your leg to feel secure.

Takes a bit of time before these guys completely trust and want to stay in the open. Without a place to feel safe, they can become stressed.

I have noticed in life everything needs a place to go and feel safe, from preditors, or potential threats of danger including us.

Good luck with your little fellow!
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Eve / PHEve

yes i second the hide spot for him. you will see that they hang out there alot. and it is not that they don't love you, but it just makes them feel better. it does not have to be a big or a tall hide spot, just so they can walk in and they can turn around. they actually like wedging themselves in there because in nature it would make it harder for something to grab them and eat them. i like it when helga has everything but her head under the hide spot. it really makes her look like a turtle then
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vonnie
***Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. Mae West ***

So glad to have you on the uromastyx forum !

Toast sure is a pretty little guy, with a very cute face,
And Deer farms sure comes highly recommented, so seems you made an excellent choice.

Feel free to post Toasty pics anytime, we love pics. Also any questions you may have , just holler. Many super nice, helpful people ! Glad your here,

Enjoy
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Eve / PHEve

Wow Toast and my brother's mali Apollo look almost exactly alike only your's is a tad bit longer than his.

Uro's are addictive. Once you get one you just want to get another, then another and it just doesn't stop. They are really nice and docile animals. Give Toast some time, then hold him for 5 minutes at a time. I did this with mine and now he loves being cuddled on my shirt. Sometimes I put him in his Mali Mate and he just loves it.

They do have some nice personalities. I think Mali's are my favorite out of all uromastyx.

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!
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GUY: You know I have a tendency to grow on people.
GAL: Yeah, so does fungus.

"Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches."

What seems to make the best uro hide box for you guys? Would a half log work or maybe a tupperwear container? I apreciate all your help and info. Up until Toast I've only kept ball pythons and a frilly so I'm really new to these hot and dry little uros. Thanks guys!

Half logs tend to be too tall for them to feel safe. A tupperware thing could work, or a slate slab with "lifts" cemented to it to give about an inch clearance. I haven't found any commercially made hides that seem to work well, though there were some "Mesa Huts" that aren't so domed and worked OK.
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Torey
Salem, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.1 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser and Leeloo)
1.1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

yeah it is easier to make them a hide spot. i bought a commercially made flat topped rock once for helga and i had to give it to the collareds because the entrance was not big enough for her. right now she has a dome shaped one but she always lays right against the side so i know i need to make her a better one soon. if only grad school allowed more time for lizard creativity.
i love to show her off
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vonnie
***Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. Mae West ***

i hit the wrong button. here she is

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vonnie
***Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. Mae West ***

From what I've read about uro's making your own hides usualy works best cause of how they like to wedge under things. I've read it's good for them to have like a triangle shape (getting shorter towards the back) so they can wedge them selves in good if they want. I know you can use slate like was mentioned but I haven't heard anything about other rocks?

The uro's like it low enough that when entering they can feel the top on their back,(still in a standing position) it makes then feel secure.

They do not like a tall hide.

I also use a slab of slate on bricks.
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Eve / PHEve

Yeah, the tighter, the better. Right now, Ra and Isis are sharing the basking stack, sleeping under it together. It's a good arrangement because it's a snug fit for Isis and Ra sleeps under her body so he feels snug too. It's so cute.
I wish I could get a good pic of those two in the hide but they always come out too dark.

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1.1 Mali Uromastyx (Ra and Isis)

Just as a point, since I am not sure how long you may have "lurked" on the board. Uros LOVE to burrow under things, so though stacked rocks and the like do make wonderful hides for them, it is very important to cement them together, or otherwise affix them so that they cannot collapse. Also it is important that any heavy cage furniture be placed on the floor of the cage so the Uros cannot burrow under them. I just wanted to make sure this was added to the thread since it is an easily made mistake, that can be fatal to our beloved pets.

Welcome to the forum, and I love your Uros name, Toast!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Uro Archimedes
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin