Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got my new enclosure, now i'm working on getting correct temps before i purchase the Uro. Do most people use a spot light for the basking area or just flood lights? How about ceramic heat emitters? I've got a 3 1/2'x2'x2' galvanized water trough as the enclosure. It's open top right now, if i have problems i may make some kind of lid for it out of plexiglass and screen. But right now i'm gonna tyr and do it without. I'm just wondering if the flood type heating lights don't give enough of a concentrated heat to be effective. I've got it setup so i have 3 fixures and i raise and lower them if i need to.

I've moved my cages over to ceramic heat emitters and fluo UV tubes wherever it's been practical. This way I can program my timers to cut back the actual heated hours once summertime rolls around (the bulk of the operating cost). You'll be able to fit a full 3' tube in there with no problems at all. Digital timers are $20 a shot at Home Depot and I've got two running four cages right now. May not make as much sense if you're driving a single container.

I had a single UV basking bulb black out while I was at work one day and that group of animals had no light or heat for the entire day (they don't like me anyhow). After that I was pretty tweaked about the whole "all in one" devices phenomenean. I haven't formally done the math, but most of the cost savings calculations for the different devices seem to be based on fictitious MSRP which nobody follows, particularly if you're buying bulk, so they're inadvertently deceptive on first read.

For a basking light I recommend a flood light. I use two types with good results. One is a standard 100watt halogen flood light (with bumpy glass lens). The other is a 125watt bathroom heat light. They both generate about the same amount of heat. I have mine mounted so the lens is about 1 foot from the basking rocks to attain a temp of about 115F. You can buy both types at any Home Depot or Lowes hardware store.

For UVB I just started using an Arcadia bulb I purchased from Doug Dix at Deer Fern Farms (see link below). He's done extensive testing of UVB bulbs (which you can read about at his site) and determined that the Arcadia bulb is one of the best.

You should read about the other supplies that Doug carries. I just started supplementing my uro's diet with Mazuri Tortoise diet and Uromastyx dust and he's been eating it when mixed with peas, which is surprising because he's quite finicky. Remember to supplement with Miner All as well. A light dusting of the food is all that's necessary.

Craigo

You can run, but you can't hide... unless you're a uro
Uromastyx supplies

Since my enclosure is so big (2' tall) do you think i should get a 120 watt halogen flood instead of the 100? I just want to get these temps right without having to buy a ton of bulbs that i will end up not using. Do these halogens get hotter than a regular "reptile" heating bulb, like a 150 watt or something? I can get the "reptile" bulbs pretty cheap. I've seen exo terra makes a "neodium" bulb that looks like a regular flood light. I have no idea what that really means. This stuff is so confusing. My snakes are so much easier, just use some ceramic heat emitters and i'm set. If i had an extra $130 or so i would get the Helix digital thermostat and just get a 250 watt ceramic heat bulb. Maybe some other time.

I've checked out deer fern farms a lot and i plan on getting the vitamins and other suplements they recomend. As far as the Tortois food, how often do you feed your animals that opposed to regular veggies mixes?

Here's the thing about heat emitters vs light bulbs. Uromastyx like sunlight, so light bulbs really do double-duty by providing both heat and light. The thing I like about the flood vs spot is that you don't have to aim it so accurately, and it provides a more evenly disbursed heat. In other words, your cage will remain somewhat warmer over a broader area to give you that 90F to 120F daytime gradient that is ideal. One caveat, you may need a higher wattage flood to get the same temp. as a spot would provide for your basking zone.

I think you mean neodimium. Those are nice because they create a light that's much more visibly like sunlight. I've used neodimium bulbs in my enclosure for secondary light with good results, however they were a bit more money and I had to mail order them. The 100watt neodimium flood that I used didn't provide enough heat for the main basking site. But my uro seemed to be more active in the cage when I had a couple of them in there. I hope I haven't made it even more confusing for you. I included a link below to view my enclosure. Once you get to that page go to the "Other Photos" page 3. You can't see all the bulbs, but I have 3 different zones for him to use. I recently changed my UVB emmitter from a 4' flourescent to one of the Arcadias from Doug. Gus was using it today. I just took those pics today, and he ran off after the second flash. I need to work on the exposure.

Here's another idea for you since you have a 2' tall enclosure, why not take advantage of it. Make a stacked basking area. In other words create a terrace so that your uro can get closer or further to the heat as needed. Just make sure your stack is secured together (with adhesive), since uros tend to dig and could get crushed.

I don't use the Mazuri as a substitute for the veggies. Rather I mix it in with the warmed veggies. I just got it myself in January, and Gus has only recently come out of brumation, so I haven't used much of it yet. I just know that he's been eating it with the peas and other mixed veggies in it. When you soak the Mazuri pellets in warm water, they soften up and grow quite a bit. You don't want to smash the veggies, just kind of peanut butter the Mazuri around them. I offer 2 or 3 pellets every day. Doug told me that he usually feeds that kind of mix in the morning, and then leafy stuff in the afternoon. My Gus has never been a morning eater, so I only do one meal a day.

Hope this helped,
Craig

You can run, but you can't hide... unless you're a uro
my enclosure

Thanks for all the info Craig. I really appreciate it. I've thought about making that stacked basking area. Not sure if i'll have one right at the start but perhaps in a month or so. I've got all types of ideas that i've thought about adding, but first i want to get the basics set up and of course get the animal. By the time i've got my Uro i'll probably be broke .

I picked up a two pack of 100 watt halogen bulbs and i'm getting some decent temps. I was using some slate for the main basking site and it actually got too hot. The surface temp was over 130 F in the center. If i were to leave my hand on it would have caused burns in a matter of seconds. So i tried some lighter colored bricks and the temps were much better. I've yet to add substrate and extra rocks and hiding spaces so i've got plenty of work to do. Anyway, just letting you know your advice has helped. Thanks again.

>>The surface temp was over 130 F in the center. If i were to leave my hand on it would have caused burns in a matter of seconds.

My macfadyeni have a setup with hotspot temps like that. They move in and out of it, often sitting outside of the center. They won't bake themselves unless they are sick from what I can tell. High-sun in lots of areas could conceivably provide similar environments in the wild and they are able to deal with it.
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2.1.0 uromastyx geyri (Saharan/Nigerian)
0.0.4 uromastyx hardwickii (Indian)
2.1.0 uromastyx macfadyeni (Somalian)
1.1.0 uromastyx ocellata (Sudanese)

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