Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We have just inherited a 3 year old male uromastyx lizard. He came with a screen material cage that is about 25" X 14" X 14". He also came with 2 light bulbs; one for day & one for night. Is this cage adequate for him? Does he need a solid walled cage to keep him warmer? Is one light sufficient for him? The daytime one says: Day-brite 100W/150V. The nightime one is a red Nite-brite 150W.
I will attempt to post his picture, we were told he was an Egyptian uro, but I think he might be a mali. Also the people that had him said after 2 1/2 years in the mesh tank the pet store they bought him from told them to switch to a glass tank & stronger light. She said that it almost killed him & she felt it was too hot & they went back to the screen mesh one.
Thank you very much for any info; we have never had a reptile before & would like this guy to be happy.

It appears to be a Moroccan - not so common here. Definitely not an Egyptian.

Your first purchase should be a reliable thermometer: digital with a probe and/or an infrared temp gun. The wattages of the bulbs don't really mean anything, as there are too many other variables affecting it to judge what wattage is right. A thermometer will tell you, and you can make adjustments.

I would recommend reading as many care sheets as you can find. You can start with the ones here and here. They're pretty comprehensive.

The caging is probably not adequate in size or heat retention, but you can judge that better once you've read the care sheets. Other important things to reasearch are diet, temperatures, and substrates. Also, unless your home is very cold at night, you probably don't need the night heat. Down to the upper 60s is fine - they need a cool nighttime.

Congrats on your new uro! He (or she) is lovely.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Thank you for the reply. I'm afraid I don't even know what the probe is or infared gun. Would you be so kind as to tell me where I could find a reasonably priced digital thermometer? We live in the same town.
Here is a picture of his pretty face.

usually a probe thermometer is one of the ones like an indoor/outdoor thermometer. it has the part that hangs inside and the "arm" that can go outside so you can get a reading from out there inside. the infared ones can be purchased through pro-exotics, although i don't own one.

i would say the cage is too small, a uro needs 4 times its dementions at least (12 inch uro needs a 48 inch cage)
-----
vonnie

***Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. Oscar Wilde ***

I just sent you an email.
-----
Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.1 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, Tank, and Lilly)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
0.1 Collared Lizard (Rorschach)
2.1 Green Anoles (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)