Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone. I am fairly new to Uromastyx, but I have been reading up on them for a few weeks, gathering as much information as I can before I purchase one. I finally decided to go for it, and got a Red Saharan Uro from a local reptile store. The owner told me he had him since earlier this year, and he was eating well and active. However, everytime I saw him in the store (3 times), he was hiding in his hide and not very active. It has been 3 days since hes been in my enclosure (picture included) and he has mostly stayed under his hide. I know this is most likely because of him getting acclimated and I'm not all that mad that he hasn't wanted to come out and be handled, because he seemed fine with being handled at the store so I know he just needs time. However, I think that he is sick. He seems to have closed (i think sunken?) eyes a lot of the time, and he seems to be having a tough time breathing. He breathes in deep, puffing out his stomach a bit and then it kinda goes back hard to his mouth. It almost seems as if he is hiccuping at times, for his whole body kind of shakes. He is living in a 40 gallon breeder, and he is around 5" long. Using a exoterra 160W UVA & UVB bulb, temp gets up to 120, and around 80 in other areas of cage. PLEASE HELP IF YOU KNOW WHATS GOING ON! Thank you very much.

I forgot to mention he hasn't really been eating. The owner fed him a lot of peas I think, so I'm concerned about Vitamin B deficiency. Also, I my pictures don't seem to be uploading so if anyone could explain how to do this I can post a picture of my enclosure and/or the uro. Thanks for the help, its needed!

Usually Saharan uros in pet stores are imported and in poor health - dehydration, malnutrition, parasites, etc. The number one thing you can do for him is get him to a herp vet for an evaluation right away. There's not much we can help you with over the internet. A vet will get you squared away without blind guesses.

In the meantime, make sure you have a digital thermometer (or IR temp gun) to confirm temps are appropriate throughout the whole cage - if the whole cage is 80 except the basking spot, you'll need to make some adjustments so he has a full gradient. One lamp can't provide a whole gradient. You can also offer water in a very shallow dish for a few hours a day to see if he'll drink. Most important (after the vet visit of course) is to leave him alone as much as possible. Saharans stress very easily and need time and space to adjust to a new place. With that being said, time and space aren't enough - he really needs a vet.

Good luck with him! I hope you're able to get him turned around.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1.3 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, Hitch, Lefty, and Skywalker)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.3 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

How is the uromastyx doing?

Edited on August 7, 2011 at 08:08:43 by PHFaust.