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Want to get a Uro, having a tough time finding info, please help

AlteredMind99 Oct 05, 2005 10:31 AM

I have been doing research on Mali Uro's for a few weeks now. I think i have most of the basic husbandry down (a lot of it seems similiar to beardies, which i have plenty of experience with) but i am having a hard time finding some answers...

I am going to run down the set up i am planning on having, please tell me if you think i should do anything different.

40gallon breeder
Shelf liner substrate
Basking temps: 120-130degrees (measured with a temp gun)
Bricks and large rocks as basking spots
24" 10.0 UVB fixture
Small, low shelters (2-3)

Water: Offered in a shallow dish a couple of times a week

Diet: Mostly veggies (collard, dandelion, turnip, mustard greens, endive, escarole etc)Occasionally a superworm or silkworm for added protein (both gutloaded) A dish of seeds or beans (or a mix of both) available at all times.

Supplementation: Pure Calcium Carbonate with no phosphorous offered daily, multivitamin with d3 once a week. As he ages i will decrease the Ca to 2-3x per week, and the multivit to once every other week.

Does this sound like an okay set up? Any suggestions?

Ok...on to the questions...

1. What type of seed is best to feed?
2. Should beans be fed cooked or raw? (ground up)
3. Does a humid hide need to be provided during shedding?

Thanks so much guys, please respond!
-----
0.1 Bearded dragon (Hannabil)
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake (Morticia)
2.1 Leopard Gecko's (Pogo,Jeffrey Nothing, Louise)
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn (Autumn)
1.0 Blood Red Corn (Virus)
0.1 Bullmastiff (Asha)
4.1 Cats (Poe, Tucker, Abhid, Felicity, Emmy)

Replies (6)

purduecg Oct 06, 2005 09:25 AM

Congrats on deciding to join the happy family of Uro owners!

Your setup shows that you have done your research which is phenomenal, and happens much too rarely The only thing I would say is to be careful with the bricks. I am a chicken and have not used any sort of materials like bricks, but there have been discussions about situations where the Uros have gotten lead poisoning or had other adverse reactions to building materials like that. With that said though, people do seem to use them... so hopefully others will weigh in on that.

I had a decent siezed adult mali in a 40 gallon for most of his life and he was happy, so that should work for you for quite a while. As the little guy gets bigger, the thought of "more space is better" comes into play, but I think the general consensus is that the 40 gallon breeders are the smallest acceptable size for permanent Mali housing.

Adding something taller for the Uro to climb on and get within 10-12 inches of the UVB strip is probably a good idea. Though if they are like my two at all, you will have to develop a thick skin to the hollow thump of them "jumping" from the top (looks like falling to ME...)

Uros in general are diggers and like to dig, even if they can't get very far. Substrate is always a complicated topic though, and much debate surrounds it. The three *mainly* used setups around here seem to be sand (washed playsand, not calci-sand), birdseed, or dirt. I personally use playsand and have had good experiences with it, but there are pros and cons to all of them. Depending on how old the uro you are getting is, the shelf liner may or may not add a little stress to their lives. I always recommend (and generaly the forum agrees), to keep juvies on paper towels, or something similar, until they are about a year old, and then switch them to a digable substrate. If you are getting an adult, I would urge you to take a very close look at the substrate options before deciding on a non-diggable option.

I can probably count the times I have offered water to my Uros on both hands (just straight up I mean), but they have never drunk any, I know some uros do though, so just watch the humidity levels and that should be fine.

Your diet sounds great, off the top of my head I cannot remember if my multivitamin has D3 in it or not, but I know many people DO supplement with it, and sadly I made the choice so long ago I can't remember. (I use the herptivite calcium and multi) For treats, things like hibiscus flowers (but not from the store, etc), peas, etc can be fed. Archie (my adult) used to do almost anything for grannie smith apple pieces. Mosca, my juvie, could care less about those but LOVES sugar snap pea pods. Finding out what foods they will flip for can be very helpful while interacting with them.

I do not feed seed regularly, but from what seems to be posted is that just about any see can be fed as long as their are no sunflower seeds in the mix. It is not the seed itself that is the problem, but the shells can cause some serious problems.

Beans should be fed raw, though I have no idea what would happen if they were cooked. To my knowledge noone has asked before, lol. For juvies, the beans should be ground up, some people even dust their greens with the powder. For adults, you can leave them in bigger pieces. Mine seemed to get great enjoyment out of crunching on them.

Humid hides, lol. Some people use them, some people don't. I don't, but my Uros ALWAYS have some part of them shedding and almost never look as cleanly shed as many of the pictures in the forum. So, I would say this is another point where hopefully people will speak up.

Congrats again, and welcome! Keep us posted and keep asking questions!

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

AlteredMind99 Oct 06, 2005 06:31 PM

Thank you so much for the reply! I have been pulling my hair out trying to get some of this info, lol.

I was planning on starting with a Juvi (4-6inches), do you think he would enjoy a small sand box with washed play sand to dig in?

As far as tank size, i was thinking of doing a 75g when he is an adult.

Sand makes me so nervous, but i suppose its because i am used to keeping beardies, i will look into it more, but might try keeping him on birdseed as an adult. I cant imagine scooping all the bird seed out of a 75gallon tank though!!!

Most of the seed i have seen Uros on seems mostly the small round finch type seeds, i will go take a look at the petstores and find some that looks good.

As far as the UVB and cage set up. I went to Home Depot yesterday and actually changed my mind about the bricks. Instead i got a small cinder block (it only has one hole in the middle) and a paving stone and a peice of slate. My plan is to put the cinder block under the basking spot, where it can be used either as a basking site or as a shelter. (I measured it, and its tall enough to bring him within 10inch of the UVB). Im going to break the paving stone and the slate and made some low shelters that are fully secured. I was also thinking of getting a couple sturdy rocks for him to climb on, or maybe a thick branch.

A couple more questions...

Do you have any experience with Ornate Uros, particularly the males? If they are similar in care and attitude to the Mali then i may be interested in one. I really like the colors.

How often should insects be fed to a Juvi? (I was planning on using silkies, and supers when hes an adult)

Thank you so much for answering! Your info was amazingly helpful
-----
0.1 Bearded dragon (Hannabil)
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake (Morticia)
2.1 Leopard Gecko's (Pogo,Jeffrey Nothing, Louise)
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn (Autumn)
1.0 Blood Red Corn (Virus)
0.1 Bullmastiff (Asha)
4.1 Cats (Poe, Tucker, Abhid, Felicity, Emmy)

benedita Oct 06, 2005 10:44 PM

I had an adult ltc mali for about 8 years, and have had a pair of ornates since January. All three were big explorers, none were really 'lapdogs'. The male ornate tolerates handling more than the others.

It's important that you test the cinderblock & paving stone for lead before using them in your enclosures. (There are home lead test kits.) This is the reason I stuck with natural slate for my basking platforms & caves. I use Nyger seed as a substrate, a small black oblong seed; it looks nice and is easy to sift. The uros don't like digging in it as much as gravely sand, but I don't like hauling sand up to my apartment. I recommend adding some driftwood for them to climb on, the little guys do like to climb.

AlteredMind99 Oct 07, 2005 12:54 PM

Thanks!

So do you think a small sand box for the baby would be a good idea?

If the ornates seem to mellower, or at least tolerate handling better, maybe i will get one of those. Are they as hardy as the Mali?

Where would i get a home lead test kit?
-----
0.1 Bearded dragon (Hannabil)
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake (Morticia)
2.1 Leopard Gecko's (Pogo,Jeffrey Nothing, Louise)
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn (Autumn)
1.0 Blood Red Corn (Virus)
0.1 Bullmastiff (Asha)
4.1 Cats (Poe, Tucker, Abhid, Felicity, Emmy)

jeune18 Oct 07, 2005 05:45 PM

well, the main thing is you don't want the babies accidently ingesting the sand or anything else that could cause an impaction. if the food isn't on the sand, it might not be a big deal but then you will have an extra thing to clean up if he kicks the sand around.
i have never had an ornate but malis are bigger and thicker than ornates from what i understand. helga is in the 370s gram-wise, i think or maybe it was the 350s, i don't remember right now, i am not sure what ornates get up to. the other thing to maybe consider is price difference. ornates can be pretty expensive.

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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 ***

uro7 Oct 07, 2005 08:10 PM

If you havent visited yet, www.deerfernfarms.com is one of the better places for info. Currently they are working with 8 species. Being u have experince with BD why not tile? I've used milet seed it sticks to fecal matter. Its alittle dusty, but if you lay a screen over top a vaccum will take care of most of the dust.

Right now I'm tring a mix(clay, sand, soil)about six inches deep in the cold side, they seem to like it. by using a spray bottle to moisten it they are able to dig tunnels.humidity levels hover around 30%

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