AjaMichelle

Any photos of your Cuban?

YAY!!!!

Well how about that. I'll have to make a toast in his honor!

She had a great birthday which seems to have lasted 2 days actually :-) Happy to hear yours went well too! All my snakes are doing well and I'm actually going to try to post some new pics this weekend. I've seen you've been busy with all the work your putting up too. Looking forward to pics of the enclosure when you're done.

Hey! you share the same birthday as my daughter!!! She turned 3 yesterday, hope you had a great birthday Aja!

Though I could be wrong fruits just don't seem provide anything the uros need that they don't already get from leafy greens and veggies. I'm not totally against them, I just really don't see the need, especially those that are high in sugars. Some apple peel or a few berries every once in a while probably wouldn't hurt but I'd imagine feeding fruits daily or in high quantity may be detrimental. On another note, Murray is a great name for a box--I'm sure he's in good hands :) Do you have any images of him posted?

I'd also like to add that I'm extremely jealous of your box turtle...as a kid I used to find them every year but those days are long gone. I haven't seen one in years. If I were to own a turtle it would be a CB Eastern Box.

It sounds similar to what I do (your local shop), however I tend to avoid most fruits (cacti and acacia are exceptions) and I'm pretty sure their leafy green choices are different. Most shops I've been to recommend kale, mustard/turnip and or collard greens as staples, which, with the exception of collards, are poor choices in general. Personally I don't feed fruits at all--mainly greens and various veggies. I have a few blueberry, black cap and blackberry bushes but for some reason I never chose to feed the fruit they provide. As for flowers, luckily I have access to plenty of wild varieties that are safe to feed, primarily dandelion and clover. I also have access to my mother's gardens, which are extensive (and pesticide free). The only pollen they get is from the flowers that get fed, although it can be found bottled separately.

As for their salads, it's all chopped up together. The only food item I don't really mix in is shredded squash, which is usually just placed, spread out right on top. More addictive food items, especially soaked lentils, green peas, flower pedals, shredded yellow/orange bell peppers, are generally mixed in pretty thoroughly.

When you say a "millet based diet" are you inferring that they feed primarily millet or do you just see a small bowl of it? I offer most of my uros a shallow dish of millet and or a millet/dry, ground lentil/bean mix, although I recently removed it from my male ornates enclosure because he seemed to get backed up by favoring the stuff over his greens. It's a good source of fiber however too much of it can actually impact a uro due to its ability to dehydrate the animal. This is the reason I ensure the greens I feed are very moist...I even pour a bit of water on them in order to retain moisture, which should counteract that possibility. That said millet should never be used as a staple food item and if the uro decides to favor them over recommended staple food items they should be removed. (cont)

Admittedly though, very little is known about Uros...there are only a handful of field studies that have been published for public viewing, so we're pretty much relying on those few to form opinions in regards to what is and what isn't proper captive husbandry. Until I see evidence that Uros are even remotely omnivorous I'll continue to rely on the information I have, which states that they are strict herbivores.

Yea, I can't access it from my phone either unfortunately. As for crickets, I suppose a couple a month won't cause much, if any, harm, but considering the fact that field studies (specifically of U. ornata) have shown they disregard insects/animals as food items in the wild and that their digestive tract is geared towards plant matter I fail to see the importance of animal proteins in their diet, especially since too much of it can cause health consequences. This genus is, by all means, herbivorous. You'll often run across people who say 'well, it's (crickets, mealies, etc etc) just a treat', but think about it this way...would you feed a dog a chocolate candy bar the size of their head once a month as a 'treat'? I mean it's terrible for them and certainly not part of a natural diet, but they'll eat it. The point is if it's unnecessary that's one thing, but then tag on the potential health risks...No thanks. (cont)

Hmmm...it seems to be working for me--try 'http://urowiki.filecore.net/Main_Page'

That's good. It's always nice when you have someone who will work with you instead of against you!

Never fun. :/ It doesn't help that my dad has offered to help... but he doesn't want to do things my way. I'm a double major in philosophy and interior design, and to say that I'm a *bit* particular just might be an understatement. Well I got desk slides with tool box clamps to hold the sections together, but he thought that was ridiculous, so he drilled holes and used zip ties with a 1x3... and bent my desk slides. :/ Just one of those things where you get to a point of frustration that you're just like, "Don't touch it. Leave it alone. It doesn't matter. I don't care anymore." etc etc

:/ That's a good point to grab a manager. I feel ya on the disaster, though. Trying to get Perp's enclosure done feels like chewing nails. Between my kneecap being out of whack, needing money for other things, and building this thing in three sections, I feel like I've spent five times as long as I should have getting it done... and it still isn't finished.

You got the seal before the wood? Ha! Sounds like something I would do. :b

Yes, but never for an animal enclosure. The only problem with the oil based is that it takes longer for the fumes to clear out, and that if you spill it anywhere you'll need mineral spirits to clean it up, because water won't work. If your total area of coverage is about 60sqft, then a quart will be fine, but if it's larger than that, then you're going to need more.

No problem. Glad Liam is an adventurous girl. :)

Nice! Perp jumped on my niece's hand earlier today. I told her she isn't allowed to pick up the dragon, so when it jumped on her she just let out this shriek (not sure if it was fear or joy) and then whispered, "What do I do? What do I do?" It was super cute.

Anyway, let it dry at least 3 hours between coats (you can tell when it's dry to the touch) and I let it air out at least 72 hours before adding anything to it (though some people say they only let it air 24 hours). I assume you're using the polycrylic. If you have lots of sunshine and low humidity, 24-48 may be enough (humidity here is so varied that I always err on the side of caution when it comes to drying). The smell will be minimal when it's ready, so get your nose in there and sniff! Haha