I want to get a uromastyx and am in the research/planning phase. I know many reptiles aren’t good at sensing heat on their undersides and can get burnt so how do you make a basking spot with 110-120° temps without burning your uro’s belly? Is there any particular materials to use for their basking platforms, or any other advice? TIA
For context, when I was 18 I had a uromastyx. I wasn’t planning on getting one, but I worked at PetSmart at the time and this poor uromastyx had been in our store for a year at this point and not only that but they were feeding him crickets and the max temp in his small enclosure was only about 75-80°.
[Crazy side story about the crickets: when I got moved from cashier to pet care associate and learned he was eating crickets, I started giving him a freeze dried veggie mix instead (which still isn’t ideal but we didn’t have any fresh greens in store). Well one day we got audited and the auditer saw the veggies in his tank and asked why they were there, I explained to him that uromastyx’s and vegetarians. He told me all the reptiles are only supposed to eat crickets and made me take out the veggie dish. I put it back once he left but I always thought that was insane.]
So anyways, because of all this I ended up buying him to hopefully give him a better home. I had a 20g tank and was planning on upgrading as he grew. The hottest spot in the tank reached about 110° with the rest of the tank around 90° if im remembering right. He was terrified of me at first but eventually got used to me and I even got to hand feed him his favorite dandelion flowers.
Unfortunately, I went away for a week and had my mom watch him for me. I had one of those enclosures with the front opening doors and apparently she didn’t close the doors all the way and he got out. My mom found him dead hiding in my room somewhere.
My heart has been broken about this ever since. I was planning on having him for 30 years or however long he lived, but his life got cut so short and I still haven’t forgiven myself.
Im 30 now and have been thinking of getting another uromastyx. I want to make sure I have all and any updated info regarding their care which I will definitely fully research again beforehand but im looking for some inspiration for a potential enclosure.
I take very good care of my pets. I currently have hermit crabs living in a 40g tank with 60g topper we built ourselves and they are thriving.
Dash walking up to me at the glass 🥰
About Dash:
Dash is my second smallest crab in the tank. I brought him home last August so we are coming up on almost a year. Im amazed at how much color he has for such a tiny crab. He is also so active. Anytime of day I check the tank, he’s roaming or walking the wheel. At night, he climbs up into the topper in the branches. He has a best friend, Pikachu, who is the smallest crab and I find them together all the time. They walk around together seemingly following each other and they rest next to each other. So cute <3
I adopted Pauly and Snooki almost 2 years ago from a couple that bought them on the boardwalk and realize when they brought them home and did some research they required a lot more care and money than expected. They posted them on the hermit crab association adoption forums which is how I found them.
They got their names because the couple was from jersey and straight up reminded me of the Jersey Shore cast members 😂
Anyways, im just so happy Pauly & Snooki survived and are now thriving. Snooki is my most talented climber. She is always finding new things to climb and new ways to climb them. She is still a little shy but has gotten pretty used to me being around. As long as I approach the tank slowly, she doesn’t seem to mind me. Pauly is quite clumsy. He’s always falling and flipping himself over from spinning on the wheel, but he loves food and is always first to the food dish. He has no fear of me at all and associates me with food now. When I open the tank he knows food is coming and starts heading towards the dish. He doesn’t mind me being around at all.
Im so proud of how far they have come 🩵