Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A couple of weeks ago I answered an ad for two ridiculouly low priced, unidentified uros. Turns out the owner was "into" snakes, but had had these two for aprox. a year. He was getting rid of everything, and these were all that was left. I'm almost certain they're Mali's.
Problem is, they'd been kept in a WIRE cage (2 ft. x 2 ft.) for the past year, with only a basking light. No provisions for uvb and no night time heat at all.
I was told that they were offered a varied diet but saw only shredded carrots in the food dish when I picked them up. I asked if they'd been supplemented at all and was told it had been tried, but they refused the food so supplementation was discontinued.
I'm a new uro owner myself,(have a 2 yr. Saharan, and 1 yr. Saharan, Mali, or hybrid???) but THINK the new ones are a pair. Apparently the previous owner got them together and has kept that arrangement. One is more robust and slightly "greener" than the other, but both are very dull in colour compared to photos I've seen.
I've been told they're aprox. 3 - 4 yrs. old, but have no way of confirming this.
They are very docile and sweet natured. I only handle them to clean their enclosure etc., but they remain calm. They were actually eating dandilion leaves within 20 minutes of arrival.
I've hired someone to build an enclosure, but in the meantime have them in a temporary wooden enclosure (3 ft.x 3 ft.) with a screen lid. I've added several large rocks (and some smaller ones)for climbing/hiding, and a natural log. For now, I'm using outdoor carpeting as substrata, which I'll be changing within the week when they're enclosure is ready. Very little of the floor area is exposed though,it's mostly large flat rocks with a couple "basking rocks", that I chose specifically for their height and upward slope.
I have a mercury uvb lamp for them in addition to a basking light, and a heat emitter at night. Temps. directly under the light are about 125 F., ranging to aprox. 85 F. at the far end.
At night their hiding area is about 85 F., but the other end of the enclosure is about 78 F. (I've never seen them there though)
WHile the weather is co-operative, I'm harvesting Rose of Sharon leaves and blooms (BIG hit), mulberry leaves, squash blossoms and leaves, dandilion, sow thistle, grape and plantain leaves.
They are eating well. Initially their stools were very loose, but over the past several days they've really firmed up. I can pick them up in tissue without them "sticking'.
As I was told, they do NOT eat anything dusted with calcium or vitamin powders so I'm offering crushed mazuri tortoise pellets and (a tiny amount of juvenile bearded dragon pellets) in an effort to make sure they get enough calcium.
One of the rocks has a natural "cup" in it that holds about an ounce of water. I fill it in the morning and HAVE observed them drinking. What they don't drink, evaporates within about 4 hours.
Just wondering if there is anything further I can do for these guys? Will they ever "brighten" up or must I be content with their fairly dull colours? Perhaps it's an "age thing", I don't know.
Looking forward to any suggestions or ideas.

I adopted a similar pair (though better cared for). They both brightened up with good diet and environment over time. They also both turned out to be male and had to be separated.

The biggest thing I would recommend is a fecal check at the vet to eliminate any parasites. The previous owner most likely did nothing of the sort, so the chances of them having something is pretty high. This could be difficult to do in a wooden cage, though, since you won't be able to clean it properly.

I would recommend night temps that are a little bit cooler, too. They might be just fine that warm, but I'd go between 75F and 80F just so they have a distinctly cooler time. That's just me, though.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.2 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, and Hitch)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.2 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, and Riboflavin)
1.0 Green Anoles (Sprocket)
1.1 Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Thank you Torey,
Good suggestion re. the fecal check. The problem is, there isn't a reptile vet for miles. I looked into it about a year ago for one of my tortoises and met with no success.
Would a small animal practitioner be able to do the fecal? And if so, would they have the appropriate dewormers and doseage info. for reptiles?
The wooden enclosure is actually a breeze to clean. I simply remove uros and vacuum around rocks etc., then return uros, it takes only a few moments. At this point, nothing more is required. Once I move them into their permanent enclosure I had planned to use sand or something, but the indoor/outdoor carpeting is working really well. Is there a reason not to continue using it?
I'll do as you suggest and drop the night time temps. a bit.. thank you for your help - and for the information that yours did brighten up. That's encouraging.
Oh, is there a visual way to sex these two?
Holly

>>I adopted a similar pair (though better cared for). They both brightened up with good diet and environment over time. They also both turned out to be male and had to be separated.
>>
>>The biggest thing I would recommend is a fecal check at the vet to eliminate any parasites. The previous owner most likely did nothing of the sort, so the chances of them having something is pretty high. This could be difficult to do in a wooden cage, though, since you won't be able to clean it properly.
>>
>>I would recommend night temps that are a little bit cooler, too. They might be just fine that warm, but I'd go between 75F and 80F just so they have a distinctly cooler time. That's just me, though.
>>-----
>>Torey
>>Eugene, Oregon, USA
>>1.2 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, and Hitch)
>>3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
>>1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
>>1.2 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, and Riboflavin)
>>1.0 Green Anoles (Sprocket)
>>1.1 Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)
>>

What I meant about the wooden cage was in reference to treating for parasites. If, for example, you got them checked and found out they had coccidia, it would be nearly impossible to treat them while they were kept in a wooden cage. Coccidia is a huge pain to get rid of, and pretty much requires daily bleaching of the enclosure's surfaces which can't be done with wood.

As far as who can do the testing, I'd recommend calling around. Who knows - a herp vet might have turned up since last time you checked. Or maybe someone else would be willing to help out. Won't hurt to ask, right? Or maybe check a little further away. If an emergency happens and you HAVE TO have veterinary help, you'll need to know where the closest one is no matter how far away it is.

Sex can be checked visually, but usually only by someone with experience (or at the very least, several known examples to compare with). Personally I would separate them anyway. But as long as there are no signs of aggression, they should hopefully be OK. At the very first hints of aggression between them - including less obvious things like dominance over the food bowl - they need to be separated immediately or severe injury or death can result.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.2 Saharan Uros (Joe, Arthur, and Hitch)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.2 Collared Lizards (Ripcord, Thiamine, and Riboflavin)
1.0 Green Anoles (Sprocket)
1.1 Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)