Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok my mali hasn't eaten for two days but the thing is hes in shed so I dunno if thats normal or not.Yesterday he basked for a little while ( he always has his eyes closed) cleared his nostrils and went to the bathroom then the rest of the day he laid under his hide.He hasn't lost any weight visibly either.He has been shedding for a LOONG time I have given him baths but they don't seem to help probably for like 4-5 months is that normal?

thanks

Forgot to tell other info.He is 9 inches long and hes in a 40 breeder with a 125 degree basking spot and I supplement his food with t-rex uro dust.

thanks

compared to my collared lizards, it takes uros FOREVER to peel. collareds pretty much walk out of their skin and uros peel a little here, peel a little there and so on. helga has been peeling for like 2 months now and is no where near done. just make sure things like toes, spike tips etc are fully peeling so they do not become problems later on. helga was a wild caught and not taken care of properly before i got her and she is now missing several toes from improper sheds, but you are taking care of your uro, so that should not be a problem.
shyness and grumpyness can occur while they are shedding (who likes to be seen with skin flaking off them? ). it is also wintertime and even without brumation lizards can just slow down. do you have any reason to think that your lizard would be sick? from your description, i don't think you do but i am not there to fully assess the situation
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

when you say clear his nose, do you mean the snalt?
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Yea I meant the salt excrete.But what about not eating for two days?Is that normal his poop isn't runny and it doesn't have anything in it so I am guessing theres no parasites but I still wanted to ask to make sure.

helga will not eat everyday or she will eat like a piece of greens or something. she likes to hide alot. once i got her healthy, she finally had the energy to show she was afraid of everything and spends alot of time under her hidespot, but she still poops regularly and has gained weight regularly so although she hides alot, she is still taking care of herself.
perhaps your guy knows he is feeling insecure and wanting to hide and he knows it would be silly to stuff himself. i don't think not eating for two days is a problem. keep an eye on him, though. if you are really paranoid, you could count how many pieces of food you put in the cage and from there see if he has consumed any of them. don't you just love the way our lizards drive us nuts?
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

(Cough) I already did that.

lol, well hopefully he will get hungry in a couple days and let your paranoia rest. don't feel bad. ihave counted helga's food plenty of times
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

He ate a full bowl of food yesterday.

WooHooo!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin

It's getting colder, too, and the days are shorter. My uros are definitely slowing down with the season - only one of them is eating regularly right now. They're still healthy and fat and moving around, they're just not hungry right now.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
And several miscellaneous community fish

>>it takes uros FOREVER to peel.

Why does it take them so long to peel? (Not meaning to offend pacman 101 by squating on topic).

Also, if there is a build up of previous shed on the tail (like say 1 tail spike hasn't shed for the past 3 sheds and there's a build up of old skin or whatever) what can you do to get it off?
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1.1 mali uro's-Ares and Apollo
1.saharan uro- Iris
1.2 bearded dragon-Hades and Draco
0.2 leo gecko-Kalypso
0.3 tokaye gecko-Sid Vicious
1.0 tarantula-Peter Parker
0.2 dog-cheeka
0.2 zebra finch-beeps
0.2 african gray parrot-keya
1.0 red headed parrot-pancho
0.3 Fish (sorry no names for them)

For questions, comments or updates email is: uromastyx101@yahoo.com

as for why it takes so long, i have no idea. perhaps it gives them a reason to remain moody longer
on anapsid.org, melissa kaplan has some steps to take for a stuck shed but it is along the lines of wrapping them in a hot/warm towel for 5-10 minutes and then rubbing mineral oil on the part that is being difficult. the oil will trap the moisture on the skin so it will become soft and able to peel off.
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I've heard that mineral oil will help, also plenty of rough edges to rub up against will probably help alot. My older Mali (Zilla) takes awhile to shed and is very skittish, hides alot, and eats less also during the shed.
J-G