My First Mali

[NotAnotherHonda]

My friend (a girl) bought this guy from a mom and pop pet store, and 6 months later wants to get rid of him. I bought everything for $70, which i dont care about, i just wanted a new pet. i did research before i got him, and...

i think this substrate is walnut? if so, i need to ditch it asap..like, tomorrow. Ill switch to play sand


she said he is about 1 and a half years old, his names Max. He LOVES to be handled. eats right away, but is a mess!

he IS a male, right?


he was being fed ONLY carrots for a while, so last night (my first night with him), i went and got mustard greens, red tip lettuce, squash, and a cucumber. he tore into it.

AND, i doubt this girl shelled out the extra bucks and got a UVB light, so Im getting one asap. anyone know what wattage i need to achieve that 110 degrees?

what do you guys think? thanks for looking

[wildlifewarrior]

Wait you mean UVB or heat light or murcury vapor?


~mike

[NotAnotherHonda]

ive never used a uvb light before. is a uvb bulb the ONLY light i would need? or do i get a uvb bulb AND a heat light?

[jglass38]

I have had my Mali for a few years. Here is some info for you. First off, ditch the walnut bedding. It is bad news all the way around. It has sharp edges that can do serious internal damage. I personally use bird seed as substrate. It stays clean, doesn't mold and they eat it whenever they feel like and it passes through them fine. You want to achieve a minimum of 110 degrees in the hot spot. I keep mine at around 130 at the basking site with temps dropping into the 80s at the other end of the cage. At night temps can drop into the mid 60s without problem. As far as food, don't feed any lettuce. Stick with greens (collard, dandelion, mustard, chicory, bok choy) and carrots, squash and if he'll eat any, non citrus fruits. I always use a UVB but the jury is still out on whether it is needed for Uros. I use the Reptisun 8.0 bulb and change it every 6 months. Hope this all helps and feel free to ask any more questions!

Jamie

[NotAnotherHonda]

so all i need is a reptisun 8.0 bulb?

by the way, thanks!

[jglass38]

so all i need is a reptisun 8.0 bulb?

by the way, thanks!

The Reptisun will only provide UVB. I find that a 150 watt basking light will get you about 120-130 at the basking spot. Definitely consider wild bird seed as a substrate. It is more expensive than playsand but is less of a risk of impaction. Also, no need for a water bowl. Uros will get all the water they need from their daily washed veggies.

[NotAnotherHonda]

ok, so get a 24" uvb reptisun bulb, as well as a basking light bulb?

[jglass38]

ok, so get a 24" uvb reptisun bulb, as well as a basking light bulb?

Yes....

[NotAnotherHonda]

thanks alot!!!

[NotAnotherHonda]

success!

i took out the walnut shells today, and replaced with play sand from home depot...

and i ordered my uvb light 8.0 off ebay...

and i put in a 150 watt floodlight, which gets the hot side to 130, and the cold side to 80...perfect?