Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my uro for a year now and have never seen this behaviour. He looks like he is chocking in a way by opening his mouth and almost like he is regurgitating and then his eyes pop out and you can see the red membrane. I have seen in twice in the last two days right before he seems to go to sleep. What is this?? He is worrying me! His eyes do seem to be less happy than normal. He doesn't appear to be eating as much but I might just be seeing more into it. I have just recently changed his tank to a larger tank to give him more space thinking it would be better for him but this change has just occured after this change. What is going on and has anyone ever seen that eye thing? Its scary

He's cleaning his eyes. They often bulge out before shedding. But what kind of substrate are you using? If it's calci-sand, change it to playsand. That calci-sand will stick and slow down growth and dehydrate, among other problems. Does his skin look dry or dull? Wrinkled?
Also make sure you have his bowl surrounded by flat rocks so he can't track his sand in his food. He should have fresh greens and veggies to keep him hydrated. If your following these care suggestions he may just be getting ready to shed.
If your in a warm climate you can give him a soak in chest high warm water to help incase he's having a problem shedding. But if it's winter weather he may get too cold trying to get dry and warm again.
And last thought is keeping the sand clean because that will keep him from getting infections. Cooler temps or shedding can affect appetite so if your temps have gotten cooler outside you want to make sure you have a thermometer inside to monitor the tank temps.

Hope that helps!

Crap. I didn't realize that repti sand was the same thing as the brand calci sand. Is that right? I use a layer of sand at the bottom and then cover it with birdseed. Its what the previous owner of my mali told me to do. And is also how he set him up. I went to a bigger tank thinking to give him more space and have now only made him less happy I think. I wanted to make the change and didn't think getting playsand, washing it and drying it would be quick enough so I bought the repti sand. This might be why. Also, perhaps the humidity has gotten too high because the sides are half mesh as well. What can I cover them with to keep humidity lower? I just don't like how he is opening is mouth and seemingly choking before his eyes do the roll. He is eating less as well from what I see. Not as hungry from when I changed the tank. He has dug more though than ever in the past which is why I think if it is the sand dust, its cause he suddenly has started to dig a whole lot more than in the previous year. One more point that could be a factor is that the temp in the tank has decreased as well. I am using a 150 W basking lamp at full power on a dimmer and it is not getting over 100 on top of his rock. I also use the 26W UV light as well as a 150 W red light on the other side of the tank too. I don't know what more I can do to increase the temp! I like the idea of the rock around the food though. Thank you for that. What is the best rock to use around the food? Do you think the dust is just bothering him or could he have eaten some sand? I don't see him do this but what do I do if he has? Thank you for your help thus far.

I'd like to know the reasoning behind using a substrate of sand covered with millet. Generally, it's one or the other.
We've always used play sand but prefer to wash it thoroughly as it comes VERY dusty out of the bag.
My problem with millet substrate (aside from it just seeming so unnatural) is that the Uros eat it like candy but it comes out looking exactly as it did going in. I'd rather they be eating other "hard foods" that provide far more nutrition.
Dan.

Also, I just wanted to tell you he doesn't look much different than he always did when it comes to his skin and stuff. He looks a little off to me though but I can't exactly pinpoint what it is. I don't know if its just the different light, tank or he is sick or unhappy. The direct basking light I use is new. I was told this was going to get hotter than the red light I was using alone before. His eyes don't seem to stand out as much, kind of sullen but I don't know if thats just me reading into it too much out of being so worried.

The only thing I would suggest is see if you can spend a bit of time watching his behavior during mid day or after he has been out a bit. When you mentioned he was opening his mouth along with the eye bulging, you want to make sure he doesn't have any type of respiratory infection.

The eye bulging is normal but, if you see any type of gasping or open mouth breathing or hear any coughing type of sound, then you need to get to a reptile vet immediately. A baytril (antibiotic) injection usually does the trick but timing is really key if you think your are seeing/hearing this type of behavior.

There are different types of sand sold at reptile stores. Calci-sand is just one brand and if it doesn't say it on the bag it's probably not it. While other brands may be safer they're extremely expensive compared to playsand. I know of a lot of breeders that use birdseed so that may not be a problem. I personally did not like it because after feeding it to my uro's I was seeing it somewhat undigested in it's feces up to 3 days later which worried me about the uro developing bacteria infections or impaction. These guys are very hardy though and can crunch thru dry peas and lentils so my concerns may be for nothing.
I'd be really careful about drying the sand thouroughly if you decided to wash it. That humidity will cause a uri. I personally don't wash it and never had a problem.
But as others have mentioned watch for symptoms of a uri. Can cause cold symptoms like puffy runny eyes, drooling, runny nose, etc. Salt build up on nose is not a symptom. If the temps are a concern for your tank make sure you have a good thermometer. If your having a hard time getting the temps up, either a 2nd light on the other end or cover the top of the other end with either newspaper or towel being careful to keep it away from the lights. Then watch the temps to make sure it's not overheating.
If he's still not eating try something different like a few tiny pieces of cantelope or summer or butternut squash. They love bright colors. In the spring mine love dandelions.

Hope that helps!

Can I just say how wonderful and helpful you all have been?!! Thank you. I have been watching him more closely and throughout the day and night. I constantly check on him. He has seemed to suddenly be moving around more, stopped the eye buldging and opening of his mouth or at least I have not seen it. I have really watched him though and he had only seemed to do those two things for 2 days and around the same time in the evening just before he headed to bed. Should I still worry if I see no symptoms and still take him to the vet? He is not eating as much as usual but still eating. He hadn't seemed to have pooped much in the last 2 days that happened but is back full force now LOL. He looks better and seems better. None of those other symptoms and has stopped the 2 symptoms I saw originally. Is it possible that the sand was just dustier than usually and got in his face and mouth a bit to cause some problems? I added more of a layer of bird seed so the sand is harder to get to for him. He does well on the birdseed. With the new cage change I also noticed him wanting to dig more and climb under his rock whereas before, he actually would sleep out under nothing at all. I thought that was the strange behaviour. So if I buy playsand, I don't have to wash it then? I didn't want to buy it for the fact that I was worried about the drying process and too much humidity for him. Could whatever was happening just have gone away now. That is my biggest concern at the moment. Should I rest easy if the strange behaviours have stopped?

Hi,

Sounds like it could be a respritory infection or pneumonia.
I would get him to a herp vet ASAP.

Perhaps the move to the new enclosure, and given winter months, did he get chilled?

Although Uros like it cool at night, a sudden change could cause problems.

My Uro recently recovered from such a situation.
A listen to his lungs confirmed pneumonia. Herps can hide illness very well. Had I not been watching him while he choked, I might not have noticed.

The situation was resolved with a series of antibiotic injections.

Good luck!

- Tony

Thx Tony. I do not believe he got chilled. It did not take me long to set up the new tank so he was in pretty quick. I will keep an eye on him though and I am glad your uro recovered! Hope my baby is fine.