?s for Uromastyx owners

Ace

Avid Member
hey, i thought about getting a bearded dragon but then i saw these and figured todo some research

i am thinking about getting a uromastyx as a nonchameleon pet in the near future. and have done some research on them.

however i hope to hear from active keepers to give their insight and experience with these lizards. where to buy, look, what to look for, what to consider in care, purchasing, etc.

i'm aware Uromastyx is a genus? and there are different species of uromastyx, the Mali being the most common and easiest to keep.

i only went to one website call "Deer Fern Farms", that have different Uromastyx,

i like their mali and saharan yellows.

thanks in advance

Ace
 
I've considered getting on in the past but have always had issues keeping my humidity low during the summer because of my swamp cooler.

As far as Deer Fern Farms goes I have seen them at shows. They seem cool. :) I'm sure they are on Fauna somewhere anyways.
 
I've considered getting on in the past but have always had issues keeping my humidity low during the summer because of my swamp cooler.

As far as Deer Fern Farms goes I have seen them at shows. They seem cool. :) I'm sure they are on Fauna somewhere anyways.

thx syn:)

yeah i seen them at a rep show too and was "hooked":p

as for the humdity issue that sucks:(, hopefully i wont have that same problem, but thxs again for the heads up
 
I've kept Mali uromastyx for many years. They are not difficult IMHO as long as you can keep the humidity down.

I kept 1.1 in a large terrarium with a basking area (temp. around 110 - 130F) and hide at one end topped with a slab of black marble that they could sit on to bask and another hide at the cool end. The UVB light ran the whole way along the back of the cage. I used a coarse sand as a substrate.

I fed them the same assortment of greens and veggies that I use for my gutload/feeding my insects along with a small amount of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.). I dusted the "salads" with a phos.-free calcium at most feedings and every once in a while with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder and a vitamin powder (with a beta carotene source of vitamin A). I only provided water in the winter while they were brumating...and only for one day a week. I also left a dish of dried lentils in the cage when they were brumating...but I never saw one of them use it.

They slowed themselves down on the eating late in the year and dug in at the cool end of the cage until March. They would come out once in a while for a few minutes to bask.
 
I've kept Mali uromastyx for many years. They are not difficult IMHO as long as you can keep the humidity down.

I kept 1.1 in a large terrarium with a basking area (temp. around 110 - 130F) and hide at one end topped with a slab of black marble that they could sit on to bask and another hide at the cool end. The UVB light ran the whole way along the back of the cage. I used a coarse sand as a substrate.

I fed them the same assortment of greens and veggies that I use for my gutload/feeding my insects along with a small amount of fruit (apple, pear, melon, berries, etc.). I dusted the "salads" with a phos.-free calcium at most feedings and every once in a while with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder and a vitamin powder (with a beta carotene source of vitamin A). I only provided water in the winter while they were brumating...and only for one day a week. I also left a dish of dried lentils in the cage when they were brumating...but I never saw one of them use it.

They slowed themselves down on the eating late in the year and dug in at the cool end of the cage until March. They would come out once in a while for a few minutes to bask.

thank you Kinyonga and your wealth of experiecne and knowledge:D, it reasurres me of what i have read, and it fits well of what you just said, the only thing i wasnt aware of was the "brumating period", which means more research for me:p

they are interesting lizards. also do you know if they are "social reptiles" like bearded dragons? , and the 1.1 you kept in the terranium, did they mate and had any offspring you raised?, can two of the same sex be housed with one another, maybe even two different species of mali, ex: one mali and one saharan raised together young in a large terranium?

im just curious and thank you again
 
They can brumate but then its questionable as to whether you will get good eggs. I didn't. (I did get infertile eggs a few times.) If they hibernate you have a good chance of getting good eggs, but you might lose a uro if its not in really good condition when it goes down.

You asked..."do you know if they are "social reptiles" like bearded dragons?"...you can likely handle them if you want to. Not even the WC's made an attempt to bite me....but I didn't handle them much. They will gyrate their bodies if they are upset with you and swat you with their spiny tails. It hurts when the malis swat you, but with the ornates or nigers its not so bad.

Its not always easy to keep more than one to a cage. I had one female kill another when I tried to make up a cage of 1.2. The remaining male and female were together for over 8 years (can't remember the exact length of time).

I have raised some from babies...but I never hatched any eggs. I never did the hibernating because I didn't want to risk losing one.

The mating is interesting...part of the "ritual" consists of the female rolling over belly up.

I've never tried to keep two different species together.
 
We have 2 uros from Doug (deer fern farms). He is a great guy and I consider him to be the Kammers of the Uro world. He is a very nice guy and is always willing to help.
 
great lizards imo. ill post some pics of my fatty tom.

1)KEEP DRY
2)finch food as the substrate
3)food: greens, dandelions and other veggies. once a week ill throw in either mealworms or crickets. i also lightly mist the green with water.
4)basking 100-110 ambients high 70's
 
Be careful with feeding them insects. (I've never fed mine insects.) Although they may eat some when they are very young its not good for them when they are older...
"the overfeeding of insects can cause severe health problems, including gout and kidney failure"...."Adults need only be feed crickets once or twice monthly"...
http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/iguanageckos1.htm
 
thanks everyone

i feel alot more prepared and grateful for your advice, tips and care of these cool lizards.:D

and hopefully i miight talk to (Doug) sooner or later about possib ly getting one.

sigh its hard though because i would like to care either a male Mali uro, or a yellow phase Saharan.
 
I have had a Mali for many years. He is a very undemanding lizard. I feed him a mix if fresh greens and pellet food meant for either adult iguanas or bearded dragons. I never feed insects. They just don't need it, especially if you feed adult bearded dragon pellets. I've had my uro for about 8 or 9 years, and he was an adult when I got him. I don't hibernate him in the winter. I just let him slow down his feeding on his own schedule in the winter. I did have a female several years ago, but I lost her to a domestic squabble. They had lived together for several years when he suddenly turned on her. I never figured out why.
 
I own Egyptian/Ornate Uros

Provided that uros have ample light, correct floor and backing temp, places to hide...they are quite easy to care for. Some are slightly more quirky than others though my overall experience has been very pleasant and relaxing with these two aforementioned uros. I happen to think that deerfernfarms are excellent and that their information is top-notch...what's nice is that they give you specs for each kind of uro which makes your ultimate decision much more informed. I do suggest only purchasing CBB due to the fact that they are just better pets in general - they eat better and are far less spastic in my opinion
 
Be careful with feeding them insects. (I've never fed mine insects.) Although they may eat some when they are very young its not good for them when they are older...
"the overfeeding of insects can cause severe health problems, including gout and kidney failure"...."Adults need only be feed crickets once or twice monthly"...
http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/iguanageckos1.htm

FOOD:

Uromastyx lizards are primarily herbivorous.An occasional insect feeding is ok, even on a weekly basis: however the overfeeding of insects can cause severe health problems, including gout and kidney failure. Insects should be well gut-loaded and dusted with a calcium/vitamin supplement prior to feeding. Stick to a primary vegetarian diet for optimum health.

thats a good read i will make sure i dont overfeed insects.
 
As I said, I have never fed mine insects and they were always good and healthy...even the ones I raised from babies that never had insects.
 
just for the fun


ANY PICS OF YOUR UROMASTYX AND THEIR ENLCOSURES:D


THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE:)
 
and i wouldn't even bother feeding them any bugs, unless they are egyptian

1206101934.jpg


p1000170h.jpg
 
I had a nice colony of malis at one point about 10 years ago.

Deer Fern Farms site that you found is excellent.

I'll give you a few observations-

Most of the non-malis come in pretty sick from the wild. On par with some of the chameleon species that come in pretty sick, and on par with difficulty of successful acclimation.

CB are much easier. If you must go wild caught, malis are easiest.

I cooled my mali's each winter mildly- the same way I most often have cooled my bearded dragons- I kept them first in a basement and then later in my lizard building after it was built. During the winter I stopped feeding for 3 to 4 weeks and only provided water. Then Turned the lights off for 8 to 12 weeks and temps dropped down to the 50s and 60s during that time. Lights back on and breeding in a month or so- just like bearded dragons.

For that matter I kept them very similar to bearded dragons- they even enjoy a little dry bearded dragon food or dry iguana food (rep-cal brand for both). I did feed my malis a few insects here and there- especially the babies. They absolutely love insects and I doubt they are strict vegetarians in the wild because they are excellent at hunting.

Mine drank from water bowls regularly- maybe because a significant percentage of their diet was the dry iguana food (which worked great by the way- I got nice eggs and healthy babies). I never bought into the remove the water bowl from the enclosure bit- always had fresh water available for my cb babies and adult breeders. I also never fed birdseed, and only limited greens- fresh greens used more to supplement the rep-cal iguana food and bearded dragon food (dragon food more for young growing uros and adults for a couple months after hibernation during breeding, iguana food the rest of the year).

I kept them outdoors all summer here in southern va as long as nights are above 50 just like all my other lizards and they did fine. The stuff about ambient humidity being a problem is bull. Mine did great- the first couple of years I had them in cages that dried within a half day after it rained, and they did great, getting our rains on them and everything- even in the beginning of summer when here in va it rains some weeks almost every afternoon. Eventually I stopped using those cages (flat bottomed with a simple paper substrate and screen sides- rain would wash right off the flat bottoms) and switched over to cages with a deep bottom to hold more substrate (personal preference- I like substrate for lizards to scratch around in and keeps poop from being tramped in and smeared around like on paper and so after that I kept like my bearded dragons- covering with tarps during the rains because the substrate doesn't dry out quickly so I keep it dry by covering the cages during rain. Although I don't think humidity is the problem per say- a damp substrate quickly becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. They did great in that setup as well. The uros thrived outdoors here in these cages- I did fuss a bit more than with the bearded dragons to make sure they had large rocks or bricks to bask on so they could heat up if they wanted. I even cut up some old tires once because they heat up so well in the sun. It was probably overkill- I've found outdoors in the sun lizards can build heat up in their bodies much more effeciently than they do indoors.

Babies grow slowly- 3-4 years to reach adult size.

Also I should say that once established the malis at least are very hardy. I had my adults for several years and never lost any once they were acclimated (I got a couple of sick ones that didn't make it past 2 or 3 weeks, but the rest never died until I sold them). The babies were equally hardy- I never lost any of the babies that were bred and born here, but they grow very slowly compared to bearded dragons, at least mine did.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom