So today I got a Mali Uro-just a little guy (or girl) , he or she is maybe all of three inches. Right now I have him set up in a 10 gallon, till my husband gets home from hunting and can build him a more adequate habitate. Information on Uro's is kind of sparce and I really what to make sure that I do things properly. I know his diet so far has consisted of crickets and vegies mixed with birdseed and he has been housed with juvie Beardies since the 19th. I have tried to read all I can on these guys since I fell in love with him on the 17th, but I get conflicting messages. One site will tell me to add birdseed to the diet, another says not to because it may make them more interested in eating their own poo. So what do you guys do, do you all add birseed or not. If anyone has any pointers or advice please do not hesitate to tell me-I want to ensure the best home possible for my baby....also any ideas for names?? Thanks!
Welcome to the world of Uros! Uros are GREAT lizards. First - let me direct you to a wonderful caresheet - there is a lot of subpar into on uros out there, so its important to have a credible source. www.deerfernfarms.com Millet seed should be a component of their diet. Mali's diet should be mainly compromised of leafy greens (collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, endive, escarole) and pellets/seeds/beans (millet seed, rep-cal iguana pellets and ground up 10-bean soup mix). Insects should compose a VERY small portion of the diet - only offered very occasionally. With my Mali - i offer a dish of greens daily, and have a bowl of beans, seeds and pellets all the time which he loves to munch on. I offer insects maybe once every few months - and only a couple as a treat. They really dont need any insects, and too many can be harmful. Uros are hardy lizards, providing you meet their needs. The bsics of these needs include proper diet, proper temps, and proper tank set up. Malis need a basking temp of 120-130degrees - this is extremely important. Any lower is damaging. You need to have two hides in the tank, Uros are very specific about their hides. They need to feel secure - so hides must be low enough that they brush their backs when they are standing, and tight enough that they can wedge themselves in. I use paving stones with tile adhered to the top for my Uro now that he is older and taller, and when he was younger i used broken peices of tile stacked on top of each other to make the appropriate height with a peice of tile across the top. Because Uros require such high temps - but also such low hides, its easiest to make hides in a similar manner to that described above and then stack them so the Uro has many hiding spots and also a high basking temp. My biggest concern for your Uro right now is that in a 10gallon tank you are going to cook him before you can achieve the 120-130degree basking temps you really need. If its goin to be more than a day or two before you build him a bigger tank you should move him into at least a 20gallon long so you can get the essential basking temps you need. I hope this info helps!
You need major changes to get him set up correctly. It's a big list. Tank needs to be 48x24x24 even for a baby, to get the correct temperature gradient. Temperatures, warm end 95-100F, basking spot 125/130F, cool end 80-85F, night time drop can be 70F. Use digital thermometers rather than the dial analogue type, far more accurate, Acurite are very good, with probe. UVB lighting should be a 10% and be able to get within 6-8 inches of it, if it's a tube type. Basking lamp can be something like a Lucky reptile halogen which gives off the heat.These should be controlled by a rheostat to regulate temps. If you use a "megaray" which is a combined heat/UV, distance should be minimum of 12 inches, depending on wattage of lamp. This type of lamp cannot be controlled as they are ballast lamps. Substrate should be paper towel, butcher paper or similar till he's at least 7 inches long, after that washed playsand or pool filter sand is good or natural tile as it's easy to clean. Diet should consist of endives, escarole, turnip greens, dandelion leaves, squash, rotational food can include lentils, peas (sparingly), a pot of finch seed in tank is also good, so he can help himself. Do not feed crickets or worms they are vegitarian. Lots of very low hides, they love tight spaces to squeeze into. If you experience very low temperatures at in your house, you may need a ceramic on a timer to comes on at night if temp drops below 70F. Wow a big list but it's what you need for a happy healthy uro. If I've missed anything I'm sure MimC will pop in and add to list PS.... everybody calls them Spike cos of their tail.. EDIT....MimC you type faster than I do.....lol
Hahaha - well i am a forum lurker....its a saturday night and what else would i be doing than talking reptiles? Great info Bruno - i think you pretty much covered everything i didn't - we make a great Uro info delivery team!! :-D
Thanks guys! Till my ol' man gets home, I have taken and safely and securely divided my 40 gallon breeder in half. I have added a couple of rocks and proped them up so he can hide under them, and for the substrate I am using the same stuff I use for Loki side, soft linoleum. I have got the heat at roughly 90 degrees to the bottom of the aquarium, and then of course if he climbs up the rocks he can get MUCH warmer roughly 125 degrees. He seems happy, eating, pooping, hinding and trying to bury himself. Right now I am feeding him a mixture of Escarole, carrots and white and red millet. I am hoping to go out and get a digital themometer so I know exactly what the temp is but won't get the chance until Wednesday cause of my class schedule. Should I be worried with his constant scratching, he is trying to bury himself under the rocks?
If you have a 40g tank then let him use all of it, will be far better than half. You need a digital thermometer with probe to get correct temps. Maybe thats why hes digging, but they do that a lot anyway. Needs some low hides to get away from heat at times and for sleeping. Make sure those rocks cant move. Carrots should be occasional food not staple diet. You need endives, escarole, mustard greens, turnip greens as MimC posted previously. The substrate is OK.
