Care Sheet for UromastyxAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.72 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 12/07/2004 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Uromastyx |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | CoolXterior |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Uromastyx Maliensis |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Uromastyx species in general. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | These lizards are difficult to sex. Sometimes, females will be less vibrant and have more subdued colors than males, but there are occasions where both males and females can "mimic" each other in coloring. With some species, a guess can be made if large femoral pores are obvious, but this is not definite either. |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | These lizards are adapted to harsh desert, arid conditions, and are very efficient at getting adequate amounts of water from their food. Thus, they do not need a water bowl of any kind. Water bowls will usually just get knocked over and soil the substrate and raise humidity levels, which will be discussed further down.
The discussion of substrate remains a highly debated argument, however, the two safest substrates are birdseed and clean play sand. Malis tend to drag their food through their substrate, which makes birdseed an ideal choice as it is edible, safe, and many Malis really like it. Birdseed can be difficult to manage, because feces can be disguised easily and looked over during cleaning and there is the potential for mold. Clean play sand is probably the best choice. It’s cheap and is available at most hardware and home improvement stores. Most importantly, the pieces are very tiny and lack the sharp edges that many other substrates have. Substrates to avoid and never use are crushed or bark type particle substrates, as well as calcium sand. Ingestion of excessive amounts of calcium sand can seriously affect organ function and digestion. Also, calcium sand does have a certain amount of dust which can cause respiratory, eye, and mouth problems. In short, and long, stick to birdseed or, even better, clean play sand. |
Lighting and UVB: | Since these lizards are diurnal (active during the day), they’ll require daytime UVB and heat lighting. A great UVB bulb is the ESU 7% Desert UVB light. This is essential because UVB lighting stimulates Vitamin D3 in the skin, which is required for them to properly use calcium. Without UVB lighting, Malis (in addition to many other types of lizards) are at risk of developing calcium-deficient diseases such as MBD (Metabolic bone disease). |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Malis need very high basking temperatures. Their basking area should be between 110-120 degrees, and the cool end of their enclosure should be between 87-90 degrees. Despite their high day temperatures, the temperatures should drop to around 70 degrees at night. Unless your house is cooler than 70 degrees, you will not need any heat lamps at night. |
Heating and Equipment: | While this varies depending on enclosure size, some basic guidelines for heat bulbs still apply. Due to the high temperatures that malis need in their basking areas during the day, basking bulbs are a must. While regular incandescent heat bulbs can be used in addition to basking bulbs (if necessary), it will be virtually impossible to reach and maintain those high temperatures without the focused heat of a basking bulb. In a large, adult Mali enclosure that is well insulated, one 150 watt basking bulb is usually sufficient. If the cage has an open or mesh type side, an additional incandescent may be necessary to maintain ambient cage temperatures.
Heating products to avoid: Do not use heat rocks. They are not sufficient heat sources, and they are incredibly dangerous. Many lizard owners have had lizards that were seriously burned by these elements. A safer way to provide a nice warm basking area is by placing a piece of slate tile under the basking light. It will warm up, but not to a dangerous temperature. Substrate heaters and under the tank heaters may be used, but if you are using a substrate such as sand, it actually holds heat quite well. |
Caging Provided: | My Mali is in a custom enclosure that is 40" long x 18" deep x 18" high. I use clean play sand for my substrate, and I also provide two hides (one at the cool end and one at the warm end) and a piece of slate tile under my basking area. I use an ESU 150 watt basking light with a dome reflector fixture and ESU’s 7% UVB bulb. |
Diet: | Herbivorous |
Description of Diet: | It’s difficult to say whether they are all omnivorous or herbivorous. Uros are opportunistic feeders, as fresh food is rare in their natural habitats. While every lizard can be an exception, Malis lean more towards herbivores relative to other Uromastyx species. My Mali, for example, couldn’t care less about crickets...however, some love them. A good rule of thumb is to serve a salad mix every day, and offer 1 or 2 crickets max, once a week. While they can process certain amounts of animal protein, excess animal protein in their diet has the potential to lead to kidney issues in the long term.
Here is the salad recipe I feed my Mali: Dandelion or collard greens, shredded carrots, shredded parsnip, squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti), and some occasional treats such as edible flowers and a bit of mango. I also offer birdseed as a dry food item. I don’t mix this into the salad, but I put it in a separate container and leave it as a food source that I can leave in the enclosure. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Ideally, the combination of UVB lighting and a proper diet should reduce the need for regular supplementing with the exception of sick or gravid lizards. Two supplements that may be used are Rep-Cal’s Herpetivite and Calcium powder without the D3. Determining D3 dosing can be difficult. Rely on a good diet and UVB...much safer than risking overdose with D3 supplements. |
Maintenance: | These lizards are pretty messy. This particular species tends to like to drag their food out of their dish quite often. They will also inevitably walk through their dish and drag bits of food around their enclosure that way too. The best way to combat this is to make sure to use a food dish with a lip on it that discourages food from being dumped out, but still allows the Uro access. If you are using play sand, a plastic kitty pan scooper usually does a fair job of removing feces and urates. |
Some Words on this Species: | If setup properly, these lizards do quite well. They are attractive, docile, and remain smaller (12" - 14" or so). There are two frequently asked questions about Malis that repeatedly arise, so I’ll quickly address those. (1) Malis are generally very docile and often shy...allow at least two hiding areas (opposite ends of the tank for thermoregulation) for them so they can retreat if necessary. They will spend the remainder of their time during the day when not basking or eating, under the hides in many cases. (2) Many people become anxious during the first few months of winter and say that their Mali is not eating as much and is sleeping more. This is called Brumation, and it is perfectly normal.
Hope this helps! |
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