What type is she?

Discussion in 'Uromastyx' started by stina3246, Jul 4, 2007.

  1. stina3246

    stina3246 Member

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    I just got a Uromastyx from a pet store. All thier animals seem well cared for and the owner said he has been a reptile guy for a long time. He REALLY seemed to know what he was talking about and he told me my new Uro is a young female Egyptian who looked a bit thin because she had just laid eggs a few days ago. She was in with a HUGE male mali. Then I read that the Egyptians were one of the largest species. She looks pretty little to me....she's about 14 inches long. The picture makes her look super flat but she doesn't really look that bad in person....just really flabby with a lot of loose skin. She was very active in the store but now that she's home she's very quiet. (stressed from the ride?)
    If she did actually lay eggs what do I need to give her to help build back her strength and help her put on weight? Do they get calcium like most other reptiles? I've read up on them but there isn't really a lot of info.[​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. aaron157

    aaron157 Member

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    looks like a female mali to me, a full grown female mali. Do what you can to get some fresh greens dusted with calcium in her. Also make sure that she is eating on her own, if not pm me.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. kinyonga

    kinyonga Member

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    What's her basking temperature set at? If she isn't able to warm up enough, she won't eat and she won't be able to digest her food well.

    Do you have a UVB light on her? The UVB shouldn't pass through glass or plastic.

    You can give her greens (dandelion greens, collards, kale, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, zucchini, sweet red pepper, sweet potato, etc.) and a small amount of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries). Dust the "salad" with a calcium supplement. You can dust it once in a while with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene source of vitamin A too. Beta carotene won't build up in the system but preformed vitamin A can.

    Uros get their calcium from their diet....but in order to use it, they have to be exposed to UVB light either from direct sunlight or from a UVB tube light....which allows them to make vitamin D3 which allows them to use the calcium in their diet.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. aaron157

    aaron157 Member

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    Also, change that substrate out and use a combination of washed silica free sand and some tiles or slate like whats in there. Keep the food off of the sand, which should be a given anyways. Again pm me.
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. stina3246

    stina3246 Member

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    I have a reptiglo 8.0 that goes through mesh. The heat lamp is a reptiHalogen 100 watt. I just found out the battery on my digital thermometer is dead so I'll get a new one today so I can get a good reading. I bought her a few leafy greens but I'm going to a HUGE vegetable stand today and I'll get her more stuff. I'll take the aspen out and I was told from another website to put her on papertowels for right now. She did poop this morning and it looks good....at least she isn't impacted. I haven't seen her eat yet but she is moving around a bit.
    I'm dissapointed....I thought this pet store was better then most....I guess they're all the same!
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. aaron157

    aaron157 Member

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    doont put her on paper towls at her size it will just stress her more. She Needs Natural Substrate!
     
  12. Gnuby

    Gnuby Embryo

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    to dragonguy

    dragonguy: Your signature has a list of what you keep. If you keep Mali's shouldn't you be able to indentify one? This is obviously a female yellow phase U. geyri (saharan/niger). Although the orange tones on the head did make me question the pureness of her genes. She may have some red phase grand parents or something. Looking forward to updates Stina - see you in the repticzone forums.
     
  13. aaron157

    aaron157 Member

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    RE: to dragonguy

    Your right, I was going of off tail whorls and color, she has 20 tail whorls which mali females can also have, but the enlarged pointed scales around the ears is what I over looked. It's kind of hard judging what color this was is do to the yellow light, can we see a pick of her outside of her cage when she it doing better? Oh gnuby way to be a smart ass for no reason at all.
     
  14. stina3246

    stina3246 Member

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    270
    RE: to dragonguy

    Is bed-a-beast bedding any good? I use it for my mountain horned lizard although it may be too moist for her I guess. Just a quick update. Today I soaked some greens and offered them to her by hand. She licked the water off and then ate them right away. I went ahead and offered her a small dish of water and she drank and drank and drank! Then she explored her cage for a while and then went back to basking. I hope this is a good sign and maybe she's just stressed and dehydrated. Could the big male she was in with have been keeping her from eating?
     
  15. aaron157

    aaron157 Member

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    294
    RE: to dragonguy

    Uromastyx are a bit different that other reptiles when trying to acclimate them, by that I mean that the best thing to do when bringing a new one home is to make their environment as much like there natural environment as possible from the start. Bed a beast will not work at all for any type of uromastyx, nor will paper towels. You need to use washed playsand or natural desert sand (none of that calcium sand junk), and try to ignore the b.s. about bird seed or millet for substrate, the herpetologist that spend their entire lives studying these species don't recommend it (and no I'm not talking about the guy who writes every AVS book) so why use it just because some joker with a care sheet online says it's ok, with their only argument is it's easier to use than sand? After she is rehydrated, most likely in about a week pull the water out of the cage. It is not good to have water in with uromastyx, she will need to get her water from her fresh greens after that. Water can cause respiratory infections and all sorts of problems, also Uromastyx are designed to obtain the water that their body needs from their food source, you can however soak her every week or two for 15 minutes to help with shedding. Sounds like she will be good in no time, but if I were you as soon as possible I would buy some books or at least find all of the caresheets that you can on your species. No offense friend but from what I now know about what you are using for a cage, lighting, and substrate, it sounds like you were either badly misinformed about how to care for this animal, or tried to go cheap on giving the animal what it needs in which case you shouldn't have bought it until you are able to provide it with exactly what it needs and have a good idea of how to start caring for that animal as soon as you bring it home. Again I'm not trying to offend you it's the second one, it's just something I see all the time at the reptile shop I work at and it can be quite aggravating at times. The good thing is that you are at least seeking help on the matter, and should be able to get the uro what is needs in no time.
     
  16. stina3246

    stina3246 Member

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    270
    RE: to dragonguy

    I appreciate your advise dragonguy but when you say cheap with what I got for her I'm not sure what you are talking about. Yes I did put her on Aspen which I read was OK but took her off it right away when I found out otherwise. She'll get play sand as soon as I go to WalMArt to get it for her after work. I have a digital thermometer I bought just for my beardy....yes the tank is too smalll (a 20 long which is about 3ft by 2ft )but I have a larger one she'll go into as soon as I rearange my furniture. I bought the most expensive heat/basking bulb in the store. (If that is the wrong one then I did get some really bad info....usually you get what you pay for....for example my $40 Uro!) I also have the reptiglo 8.0 UVB which I was told was a good bulb. So you are right.....I don't know what I'm doing which is why I came one here and am getting GREAT advise but I'm not sure why you said I was trying to go cheap.
    I didn't leave water in with her.....I gave her a shallow dish to drink out of while I sat with her....when I was done I took it out but I'll give her more today. I can't remember If I mentioned that she has eaten, drank a TON and pooped.
    Again.....don't get me wrong dragon guy....I appreciate and will take your advise but please don't accuse me of being cheap with my pets! (Uninformed maybe but not cheap) and I did do reasearch on Uros before I brought her home.....unfortunately you can't always believe what you read.
     
  17. Katibug06

    Katibug06 Member

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    RE: to dragonguy

    Dragonguy, you seem awfully quick to judge. Many uro owners on this forum use tile, paper towels, bird seed or a mix of two. Even on Deer Fern Farms, who happen to be very reputable uro breeders they do not say sand is the only substrate or even the best substrate to use. For instance, leopard geckos and bearded dragons are not naturally on ceramic tile, but it is healthier for many reasons. I know uros are burrowers so you would also have to provide an area for digging. Sand also harbors bacteria much more than tile or paper towels that can be changed daily. I'm not sure why you are so judgmental, I also work in a pet store and deal with customers who are uninformed and do not want to spend the money it takes to provide the right environment, however, I don't think Stina is one of those people.
     

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