Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted earlier how I was making plans on a larger cage for my uro. I have a couple more questions. Is a screen top ok for it? Or should I do the glass front that slides? I plan on making it 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet tall...Is that good for a single mali? I want to make sure he/she never outgrows it.

And just an update on Spike...If you remember, when I first got him in March from a petstore (yes I know...) he was in pretty bad condition and I had posted one of those Not Eating!!!! posts. Well now hes eating like a pig, and although I dont have a scale, I can easily tell hes gained a lot of weight. Hes also doubled in length from 4 to 8 inches.
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-Ryan

"Are you feeling stupid? I know I sure am."
-Homer Simpson

I have had both a screen top and a swing up glass front. Personally I prefer the glass front. The enclosure is vented on the back wall near the top. It is easier to keep the temps up and constant. Also it got to drop down from a 150 watt basking bulb to a 100 watt basking. The size is great (119.7 gallon), it will give you a good thermal gradient.
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Jon

Uromastyx Mali - Female
Uromastyx Red Saharan - Male
House Gecko - ?
Green Anole - Male

http://www.geocities.com/jonneighbors/Uromastyx_Photos.html?1118390559062

I agree, a screen top equals wasted energy. You will be spending energy heating your room instead of heating the cage.

>>I agree, a screen top equals wasted energy. You will be
>>spending energy heating your room instead of heating the cage.

This depends on the circumstances. If with your lighting/heating aparatus you're able to hit your hotspot temperatures and the ambient temperature doesn't get too hot over the course of a day (when sealed), then an open top is a waste. If your cage continually builds up heat such that the ambient temperatures are too hot, ventilation is ideal to the extent that the buildup doesn't occur with youtr other option being reducing heat input which will then alter your hotspot. Some bulbs won't necessarily take well to "tuning" their output. Venting the ambient side and maintaining a covered hot side is a realistic solution.
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2.3.0 uromastyx geyri (Saharan/Nigerian)
0.0.4 uromastyx hardwickii (Indian)
3.6.0 uromastyx macfadyeni (Somalian)
1.2.0 uromastyx ocellata (Sudanese)
1.3.0 uromastyx ornata (Ornate)
1.0.0 uromastyx benti pseudophilbyi

>This depends on the circumstances

I shouldn't speak in absolutes, what I should have said is that in my particular situation, a screen top was not the way to go. I tried this and determined that I had to replace it with a solid top because I was losing too much heat. Of course everyones situation will be different.

This was my thoughts when going with an "open" top. I felt that I'd rather run the possiblity of a slightly higher bill than over heat the uros. Besides, I can always cover in whole or partial, the openings in the tops of the cages.

Just a thought

-Jim
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2.1 - Rocky, Runako, and RoxyIII (my care sheets)

I recently switched from a screen top to the doors on the front, and I will never go back to having top access again if I can help it. It is SOoooo much easier to clean the cage, feed, and bond with teh lizards with a front closure IMO. Now, once I moved the screen top to the floor, access was less of an issue, but I still much prefer the front doors.

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
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 (RIP)
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin