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 #2080451


Michaelmorrow77
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 What to do with jumpy Uros

It’s been almost 3 months since I brought home two little Malis. Both are approx 7 inches and one weighs in at 104 and the other 96. They eat a small amount each day (i have a 5 inch diameter exo terra water bowl I put their food in. I fill it each day and they eat about half, although substantially less than my 12 inch egyptian). I weighed them this week and they are as they were a couple of months ago which I am happy with as they didnt eat at all the first few weeks. They are now going to the toilet regularly and from what I can tell are up and about most days for a few hours at least as long as no-one is in the house. They are in a 4x2x2 with good temps and a really nice gradient from 100 down to approx 83-85 and 125-135 basking. There are a couple of small halogens at the hot end and a brand new 10.0 UVB bulb running the length of the enclosure.

My question is regarding the fact that as soon as anyone comes near their room they hurtle into the nearest hide. I weighed them their first week and since then I have only handled them once to weigh them again and one was so frantic I couldnt get him weighed. I only enter the viv once per day to put in food and spot clean. I had to lift their hide this recent time as I was concerned but they both seem healthy and lively, just terrified.

Any ideas what I can do to help with this or is it just a matter of time. Im used to my egyptian who loves to be hand fed and climbs up your arm when its in the tank. I dont expect that anytime soon but in 3 months I have probably seen the two of them for less than 5 minutes in the open.
10/05/09  08:39am

 #2080463


Obi Carl Kenobi
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   Message To: Michaelmorrow77   In reference to Message Id: 2080451


 What to do with jumpy Uros

They are still getting used to their new home. This can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. They will settle in eventually
10/05/09  09:17am

 #2080472


Sugar Snap Pea
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   Message To: Michaelmorrow77   In reference to Message Id: 2080451


 What to do with jumpy Uros

3 months have passed, you say? I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try a few things to settle them down so they’ll have a more normal lifestyle.

I got my Mali around 8" and now he’s 9"+ going on 10"... I remember he would freeze watching us, or run and hide the first few weeks, and didn’t trust to eat from hand till about a month later. So what I remember from those early days of freezing/running and hiding is...

He’s always been in a place with carpet, but if your floor is hardwood the sound of footsteps are quite different. On hardwood it’s louder and sharper, so if you have kids running past his room, it might sound like a stampede of wild and bigger animals. And yeah, they can be easily spooked by sudden noise, mine still does now and then. Does not like the Fedex truck pulling into the driveway!

Maybe you could play some music everyday? That might help get them used to a certain level of noise instead of silence most of the time.... then suddenly *thud* *thud* *thud* ... come to think of it, that’s like what one hears in a creepy stalker horror movie!

My hubby and I spent a few hours in the room about 3-4 yards away from the tank every day so mine got to peek at us, get curious about us and eventually understood that we occupied the same space outside the tank (ie. the room) without being a threat. 3-4 yards is good. Bring a book, some potato chips, beer and music...



10/05/09  11:12am

 #2080503


Luv our Uro!
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   Message To: Sugar Snap Pea   In reference to Message Id: 2080472


 What to do with jumpy Uros

I leave the TV on for Dyna most days and he watches it, I swear! He is amazing, and very tolerant of us humans but he still runs sometimes and we have had him a year!



10/05/09  01:40pm

 #2080537


Helmetbolt
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   Message To: Luv our Uro!   In reference to Message Id: 2080503


 What to do with jumpy Uros

As has been said. If they are in a room by themselves with no background noise of movement in front of thier enclosure, it is only natural they will get scared.

My Uro’s are in the livingroom next to the TV. We have wooden floors, so they are used to footsteps & a constant stream of kids & grandkids walking in front of them or staring into their enclosures. Out cats (We have 3) take turns watching them at close range.

They take no notice whatsoever.

They seem to be very interested on what goes on, out of thier little windows into our world.

I very rarely handle them, but I am in thier enclosures every day to feed them & clean up thier mess. They are used to the same routine day in & day out. They know they are not going to be disturbed ( I have never lifted a hide to see them or show them off, The hides are thier sanctuary) or hurt in any way & they seem to have developed a trust in us.
10/05/09  03:15pm

 #2080831


Michaelmorrow77
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   Message To: Helmetbolt   In reference to Message Id: 2080537


 What to do with jumpy Uros

They are in my games room which to be fair is a room we only use of an evening and the whole upstairs is hardwood floors so noise does carry quite a bit. Maybe I should put the radio or something on it that room as it is quite far from the day to day noise of the house.
Thanks for the suggestions.
10/06/09  04:38am

 #2081430


Sugar Snap Pea
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   Message To: Michaelmorrow77   In reference to Message Id: 2080831


 What to do with jumpy Uros

Yes, indeed, it’s really up to you how quiet or noisy their room should be. If you are certain it’s footsteps on the hardwood outside the games room that’s scaring them, why not use rugs where you know they start hearing loud footsteps or inside the room... there are cheap rugs at Ikea, and quite a lot of Persian rugs on sale these days, and antique ones at large flea markets. Some of them are woven for corridors, so 2-3 ft x 6-12 ft long. Rug collecting, like rock collecting, can turn into a hobby when you have a uro LOL.

I find that my uro has been so used to human activity, some days he gets "bored" just being by himself... he really perks up when we show up with food or to say hi. He shows it by his body language and posture, and he really watches our hands where they go... and where we go. That’s when we turn the TV on for him some days if we can’t keep him company. Mine is now in a spare guest bedroom with a view and TV across the room facing his tank. He’s downstairs so he gets to hear stuff all the time without the TV on. We plan on re-arranging some furniture in the room once his new tank is here.

The kids keep him busy when they aren’t in school or busy with homework. Some days they play hide and seek on the guest bed by building a "uro watching wall" with bedsheets and pillows, LOL, like the wooden structures they put up for bird watchers in nature places to peep at birds and take pictures without disturbing them. He seems to think the bedsheets are "sand dunes" even though he can hear the kids chatting behind it. Our big rule for the kids is never to take him out of the tank, and if they want to touch him, they must have a parent to supervise and we teach them to understand when he wants to be touched or hand fed. Some days he doesn’t want attention and we respect that.
10/07/09  01:52pm

 #2081898


Mbwrink
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   Message To: Michaelmorrow77   In reference to Message Id: 2080451


 What to do with jumpy Uros

I have a Uro that has been in the house for a little over a month now and about 10 weeks old. He has only been handled twice to get weights over a two week period to make sure his gaining weight in his new environment. My reptile room is my den which means I am in here on the computer a lot as well as TV, Movies and Music occasionally played. Which means that he gets some daily noise and traffic to get used to. He doesn’t flit into his hide at a moments notice, but if you move to close to the cage to sudden to observe him he will. Or just stare at him too long up close and he will leisurely go into his hide. He seems more active in the late afternoon till evening but when he isn’t out to bask, defecate or eat he spends a lot of time observing the world half out of his shelter. The above being the case I wonder how long many of you had to wait before you could open up the cage to try hand feeding the animal?
10/08/09  06:01pm

 #2083821


Sugar Snap Pea
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   Message To: Mbwrink   In reference to Message Id: 2081898


 What to do with jumpy Uros

Quote:

Or just stare at him too long up close and he will leisurely go into his hide.



My Mali does this too! Even now LOL. A good distance for staring is 1 yard, that’s just based on what mine does when he wants to stare at me, he’ll come over to the front of the tank, close to the glass and looks at me up and down. It’s always about 1 yard from where I’m sitting.
10/14/09  11:28am


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