Care Sheet for UromastyxAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.85 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 10/29/2004 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Uromastyx |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Rcb |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | Mali Uromastyx |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Uromastyx in general |
Sexing and Characteristics: | N/A |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Uromastyx are desert animals and get all their water from the things they eat.
As for substrate a wide variety of things can be used and no one substrate is the best.
Sand gives the cage a natural look and provides the uro with areas to dig. Sand can cause impaction on younger specimens. Also in the wild uros generally stay away from overly sandy areas.
I like to use bird seed. It is entirely editable and good for the uros to eat,can not cause impaction and gives the cage an interesting look. The downsides to this substrate is that it can be dusty (not as dusty as alfalfa pellets). Also if you choose to use this substrate do not make it deeper than 1 inch as any deeper can make it hard for the uro to walk on.
Alfalfa pellets can be used, but must be cleaned more often because there prone to molding. Also this substrate can be very dusty causing some owners to have allergies.
Newspaper although not very pretty is extremely functional. Its cheap, easy to clean (just throw it away) and causes no medical problems for your uro. |
Lighting and UVB: | Depending on where you live you will need to use different wattage bulbs to maintain proper heating. I live in southern California where temperatures rarely drop below 40F at night in the winter. During the summer I use one 150 watt bulb to heat my 40 gallon enclosure (36x16x16). During the winter I use the 150 watt in addition to a 65 watt bulb.
UVB is needed for these lizards. The only bulbs know of to give out the right amount UVB is The zoo-med Repti-Sun and the mercury vapor bulb. I use the Reptisun as the mercury vapor bulb is a basking light in addition to a UVB source and is very expensive.
The lizard must be within at least 12" to gain the benefit of the UVB. UVB bulbs start to give out less and less UVB after six months of use so it is a good idea to replace them every six months. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Uros love it hot! There should be a heat gradient in the cage sloping from side to side. The ambient air temperature on the warm side should me in the mid to high 90F. The rock in the warm side or basking spot should be between 110 and 120F. The cool side should be kept in the mid 80s to low 90F. Night time temperatures in the cage can drop to the extreme 50s but should be kept in the high 60s and 70s.
As I said before these are desert animals and require no humidity what so ever. Humidity in fact can be harmful to them. |
Heating and Equipment: | Heat lamps are the best thing to use because lizards sense heat from above them. They cannot sense heat from below, because of this they could be laying on a burning hot rock for hours causing severe burns without even realizing it. This is why Hot Rocks are so dangerous. |
Caging Provided: | One Mali Uro can be housed in a 40 gallon long glass terrarium(36x16x16). For an adult pair a 60 gallon will do nicely (48x16x17).
Be sure to provide plenty of hiding spots though out the cage. They also need a rock to bask on (granite or slate works well as it holds heat). What ever you put in the enclosure make sure it is pushed down to the bottom of the cage because the uro could burrow under it and crush himself. It is also good the cover three sides of the cage to reduce stress if you are using a glass tank. |
Diet: | Herbivorous |
Description of Diet: | Uromastyx are strictly herbivorous. They eat mostly greens and flowers. Bok Choy greens, dandelion greens and flowers, endive,escolar, Nappa Cabbage greens ,alfalfa greens,turnip greens etc. Mustard greens, collard greens and kale should be fed in moderation.
Give them a couple of leafs of which ever green you decide to give him/her. The key thing is variety.
Do not feed your uro crickets as they are high in protein and uros digestive system is not designed for a high protein diet and feeding them crickets can cause kidney disease latter on in life. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | If you use a UV-B light then you don’t need to dust the food with calcium supplements. The reason for this is getting too much D3 is just as dangerous as too little. I dust my uro’s food every 3-5 days with miner-all and once a month with herptivite or any vitamins supplement. Do not dust with miner-all on the days that you use herptivite. |
Maintenance: | Spot clean the cage every day. Do a full on cleaning and change the substrate once a month. |
Some Words on this Species: | Mali Uromastyx are the hardiest of an already hardy group. They are well suited for beginners. Once you get the initial set up they are relatively easy to care for. Malis are a very tame species, hardly ever attempting to bite their owners. They will never sit in your on your shoulder or enjoy being held. |
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