The amount of salt he excretes through his nasal glands is also a little worrisome. I know this is a completely natural process, but he will get to the point where his nostrils are nearly caked over. He has no problems scraping them clean himself, though; is this an excessive amount, or just part of being a uro?

Once the uro does go, inspect what is there. If you catch it fresh, note the amount of liquid, the color of the darker material, the consistency of the dark matter, look for a very offensive smell, mucus, note the consistency of the white matter…Better yet, seal it in plastic so it stays moist and take it asap to your vet for a fecal check- approx $20-$25 – no office visit usually required.

The salt you are seeing is probably due to the diet that was being fed and possibly may have something to do with the hydration status of the animal. Even if the animal is fat, it could still have a hydration issue. Try to cut down on items with a higher sodium level and start out with a primary diet of fresh greens (no dried material incl lentils). It will not hurt to throw some romaine in there for hydration if you feel that there might be a problem. (I do not feel that romaine is as bad as some make it out to be from a nutritional standpoint and would actually recommend it as a supplement over many of the greens others currently use for supplements)

If you are concerned about impaction, call the place where you purchased Zartan and ask what they had him on for substrate. While you are at it, ask what his prior diet was, how long they had him, if he was medicated, if so, what for and with what medication…..

He’s currently eating fresh-picked dandelion greens and flowers (I grow them specifically for my reptiles), carrots, turnips, green beans with pod, and moistened Rep Cal adult iguana chow. I do have a water bowl available to him, but he hasn’t shown any interest in anything except charging through it on the way to his basking rock. The previous diet causing the salt accretion... the pet store was feeding him several crickets a day.

Are there any telltale signs of dehydration? He is typically wrinkly, but seems perfectly sound in comparison to various other animals I’ve seen.

Calci-sand is not a very good substrate choice even if you could afford to use it. I would suggest a little research on calci-sand should you decide in the future to go back to using it.
Regarding baths…. Bathing can possibly lead to extended dampness between the whorls (especially if the ambient temperatures are too low) which may possibly result in infection or fungus. Bathing has also resulted in both respiratory illness and deaths in uromastyx that have aspirated the fluid.

My main experience is with keeping bearded dragons, and I took much the same route you did. I originally had my beardie on Calcisand, as it was touted as such a safe and attractive bedding; he developed an impaction that required a week’s worth of force-feeding, soaks, mineral oil, and tummy rubs to break up. Afterwards I went with washed playsand, and a year or so later he developed another impaction, this one requiring surgery. I know that uros have a significantly different digestive tract than beardies, and that plenty of animals have no problems using it, but after those experiences, I will never place another animal on sand of any kind; it’s just too risky.