Spike moves house

Discussion in 'Uromastyx' started by bruno, Mar 16, 2009.

  1. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    Hi,
    At last I got Spike's new home finished and he moved in today.
    He hasn't grown much, still about 11" but has put a little weight on since December, he's now 228 grams, that's just 28 grams in 2 months but I put it down to the normal "winter" slowdown, he has been eating less. Hopefully he will be back to being a normal "pig" as the weather improves.
    Will take him a while to settle as he has so much more space.
    So far he has found the "sunbed" :) and spent time exploring, just got to find himself some sleeping quarters.
    The Vivarium is 6ft(L) x 2ft(W) x 3ft(H)
    He's got 8" of playsand to dig in and loads of caves dotted about so should be happy once settled.
    Here's some pictures.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Testing the "sunbed"
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The other end with food platform
    [​IMG]

    Ooops, forgot to take webcam out :rolleyes:

    To help him settle I have partly covered the front with a curtain, must be scary for him as he's now at floor level and not 3ft in air like he was.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. teiryklav

    teiryklav Member

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    great viv!
    is sand really ok for uro? :rolleyes:
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. MimC

    MimC Moderator

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    Tony it looks fantastic!!! What a lucky uro :rolleyes: As usual - i am jealous and out done by your talents :) Im sure he is gonna love his new home!!

    Teiryklav - sand is fine for uros providing that its not calcium sand and that the uros are of the appropriate size (i.e - not a baby)
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    Thanks Teiry
    Thanks Mim
    For your comments, he seems to be OK, he'd been in there 7½ hrs before the lights went out.
    During that time he tested the "sunbed" and approved cos be spent 2 hrs under it, he also found the food at other end because I saw him nibble some, not a lot, but that is to be expected, at least he knows where it is.
    If you look in the 2nd pic, you will see a cave, directly under the basking slate, which he did go into and sat with head out, so that may well be his sleeping quarters. That "tunnel" is 8" long and opens out into a "chamber" big enough for him to sleep in. None of the caves are permanent, they are "expandable" as he grows.
    BUT, my bad, I forgot to anchor the thermostat probe and he moved it into the shade :rolleyes:. Well the basking temp shot up to 160°F, ouch, and I think he started digging just to the left of that cave, it's deep sand under the pile of slate and believe he's gone under ground. Dont worry, it's safe, nothing can fall or trap him. I have no idea where he's sleeping tonight so will watch for him getting up in the morning. The high temps were only there for an hour, till I sorted the probe and re-set the stat.

    Teiry,
    I'm using good quality playsand, he's 11" long so should be OK.
    No matter which loose substrate you use there is always a risk, cali-sand being the worst, it's a calculated choice.
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. MimC

    MimC Moderator

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    Trying to adjust temps is a challenge in a new tank. I've been battling scuttles myself - think i have them figured out. But he has been in a funk lately - not very active or eating much. i just switched him to his new mega-ray yesterday so we will see how he does soon!!! :rolleyes:

    Either way....the tank is fantstic!
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. teiryklav

    teiryklav Member

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    aww.. thats it..
    great!
     
  12. Rick78

    Rick78 New Member

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    What is the long box with the wire over it?
     
  13. bruno

    bruno Moderator

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    Hi Rick,
    The box conceals a tubular heater which is controlled by a dimming thermostat. The tube is 2ft long and rated at 120w.
    It starts working after the heat/lights go out at night, to maintain the night temp to around 79F.
    It was used before in my old iguana viv and was very successful so will be OK in this one.
    Here's the tube before guard was put on
    [​IMG]
     

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