Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my lttle guy just arrived and i put him under his new basking spot. i had a question. besides the fact that he seems to be doing very well and no signs of stress. he seems to gap frequently is that normal? is there something i should do for him? first time uro husbandry.

thnx for replies in advance

well a lizard gapes to release some heat without having to move from the basking spot, if he is gaping all the time, perhaps it is too hot in there? do you know what the temps are?
also gaping can be a sign of respiratory problems. he doesn't sound wheezy or have snot coming out of his nose, does he?
i know my uros gape more than my collareds but i don't know what means alot of gaping to you
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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 ***

well he does only do it under his basking spot. i dont have a digital thermonitor atm so i cant say how hot is is. but it is just on 160 watt MVB 10.5 inches above surface. and its probly high 60's (room temp) in the room hes in. i have a heat bulb set up but not for the same surface. and also he has a lower (2 inches) rock he can bask on next to if it is too hot on the top one. anyhow digital thermonitor should be arriving from pro-exotic within the week. also no signs of weezing or snot. well.. he did have some kind of dried substance around his nose (kinda looked like salt?) then again i did get him from doug so im to believe he doesnt have respiratory problems otherwise i think he would had caught it and not had sent him. i dont know. maybe its just my amagination?

well i forgot you said it was from doug so i doubt it has a respiratory infection and if he is only doing it under the basking spot then i would say it is normal. they do release salt through their noses and it is affectionately called snalt, part salt, part snot
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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 ***

thnx i feel alot more at ease!

if he's dehydrated how can i deal with it? when i recieved him i was so anxious to put him in his new home and didnt read the letter i was sent with him stating to soak him in some warm water for 15 min.. then when i finally read it i didnt want to disturb him by having to take him out when he was already getting used to his new home. any ideas on what i should do as far as him maybe being dehydrated?

this may just be me, but if a lizard is dehydrated that is more dangerous to me than upsetting him by moving him around. i would say you can still give him a soak, just be sure to dry his tail when you are done because if too much moisture gets trapped it could lead to tail rot. you sound like a good uro parent
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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 ***

>>my lttle guy just arrived and i put him under his new basking spot. i had a question. besides the fact that he seems to be doing very well and no signs of stress. he seems to gap frequently is that normal? is there something i should do for him? first time uro husbandry.
>>
>>thnx for replies in advance

Well I've gotten mine from a breeder (same guy, doug dix right?). Although saharans have a tiny little parasite in their blood, and it's only in saharans, and no one can seem to find out why it doesn't affect other uros, just them(An acquaintance of mine was looking into a blood
parasite that was not being detected in the Saharans
called microfilarie, so it's just in them, testing costs upwards of $10,000 to find the parasite, it mimics pneumonia, if treated for pneumonia it can be lethal)

All of them have died. I didn't notice them gapping but I suggest you keep an eye of the little guy for a couple of weeks.

Hopefully he is not sick at all. But I suggest if you want to be EXTRA careful to go ahead and monitor him for the next 2 weeks. Popping sounds=emergency vet visit asap.

Good Luck with your little fellow and don't forget to post pics.
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2 Mali Uromastyx-Ares & Apollo
2 Bearded Dragons- Draco & Hades
0.1.1 Leopard Gecko's-Kalypso & Phoenix
1 Tokay Gecko-Sid Vicious
1 Tarantula-Peter Parker
1 Amazon Red Head Parrot-Pancho
1 African Gray Parrot-Keya
1 Dog-Cheeka
1 Zebra Finch-Beeps

Microfilarie is the scientific name for heartworms. It is very unlikely that it affects any kind of uromastyx.