Hi, I just joined today as I really liked what I saw, and I have a question about my Niger Orange Uro. He used to be very friendly, but he has gotten quite shy for no reason that I can think of, and spends most of the time buried in his Habba Hut. He used to wait patiently when I put my hand in to lift him out, but now he leads me a mad chase around the terrarium. What I am doing wrong? He's 10 and a half months old and I have had him since he was 7 months.

Hi shadwell. Welcome to HC. Sorry that I cannot help with your Uro prblem but am not experienced enough with them to give an accurate reply! Hope to see pics of your herps soon and I am sure that lots of the other members will be able to help you.

Hi Shadwell... Welcome to Herp Center. I'm sorry but I've had very few dealings with uro's and before I tell you something wrong I'll just wait and let those in the know, go.

__________________
Fran
January 9, 1940 - June 1, 2006 (R.I.P)

welcome to Herpcenter. Have you possibly rearranged his setup or maybe moved the tank to a different location ?

__________________
Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Thanks for your welcome. Replying to Ken - this is my first lizard, I've wanted one for years and finally have one. Yes, I have changed something - I've changed the colour of his sand - can lizards see colour? I was tired of the dusty brown colour I had bought and instead purchased a nice orange colour to go with his orange and black colouring. The other thing that is changing is that he is shedding for the first time. Does lizard behaviour in general change when they are shedding? I have a guide to lizards, but it doesn't even mention shedding in it. Obviously not a very good lizard guide! - I'll ask for a better one for Christmas!

As far as I know, they do change their behaviour when they are shedding. Godz used to become irritable and moody when he was due to shed and also went off his food a little bit. I will have a check about and see what I can find out for you.

Hello and welcome to Herp Center. If your Uro is spending much time in hiding (as uros often do) it may be that he is getting ready to go into brumation. Have you changed temps at all or are your temps outside or in your home dropping? Exactyl what type of sand (brand) do you have him on... What are his temps, (hot end and cool end) and how long are the lights on each day? how big is his tank? These questions will help us to answer your questions about your uro.

__________________
Jayr & Mandy Robinson
J&M Herp Shack
"Are you watching closely?"

Welcome to Herp Center!!!! I agree with the other posts about shedding and change of cage decorations....good luck and let us know if you have any other questions...Lyn

__________________
Warmest Regards from Lyn

welcome to HC! i am not that knowledgable about Uros but I would have asked the questions about the setup of your tank as well. if you give us all the info you can about the set up and your buddy then we can help more and point you in the right direction.

__________________

yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

First, two questions, the first for jmherp:
#1, what is brumation? Is it a fancy word for shedding?
and the second for Lyn:
#2, what do the numbers mean when you say 3.3.0 Green Iguanas?

Shadwell's terrarium is 36" long by 18" wide by 12" deep. He himself is about 12-14 inches long [that's a guess], including tail.

His sand is Vitasand, made by Zoomed.

He has a 100-watt SunGlo Basking Spot lamp, and a 24" UV lamp, both of which I turn on when I get up around 7:45 a.m., and turn off around 11 p.m. when I go to bed. At night he sleeps in a hide, and I turn a 75-watt Infrared Spot Lamp on the hide. All the lamps are made by Exoterra. Do I need more than one basking spot lamp for a terrarium of that size?

The hot part of the terrarium is 110 degrees, the cool part is 77 degrees.

Yes, there have been heat changes since we got him. When we purchased Shadwell, we were having a blisteringly hot and humid summer with 40-45 degree temperatures [must convert for U.S.! - that would be 110 to 120 degree weather], and now it's just above freezing outside, I sent my daughter to school this morning in a winter coat and hat and mitts.

The house temperature is around 70 when the kids get home from school but I have been keeping it down a little lower than that during the day, to be honest, because I'm menopausal and am having hot flashes all the time!

I took Shadwell out of his terrarium twice yesterday despite his obvious reluctance, he wasn't too keen the first time and peed on me, but he enjoyed his second trip out and keenly looked out the windows and at the music box I set up. An hour after that he started scratching at the glass, which is something he does when he wants to be handled, and after handling him for about half an hour he went back into his terrarium but he obviously did not want to. So maybe things are improving? Maybe I just need to handle him whether he wants to be handled or not and help him overcome his reluctance? What do you think?