Reptile & Amphibian Forums

first off let me say im a snake guy and that i do have some experience with lizards and minimal with uro's. ive been helping a buddy with his uro(believed to be mali) for a little while now and am considering getting at least one in the future. i wont get one until i have a full grasp of the care they need ect ect..

im particularly fond of saharans and was wondering about them as far as ease of adjustment in captivity since all that ive seen are wild caught. i would apt for a younger one or an older ltc.
ive been reading every care sheet possible and most say the same stuff and was wondering if anyone had any new info or tips about saharans specifically. i would also like to know if anyone has ever bred a high yellow to a high red/orange? does it matter or do the babies come out all the same and change color later? does a pair of reds throw all reds or is it a mix.
yes i would love to attempt breeding later on but i want to all i can now
thank you for your responses
adam
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hybrid breeders association
1.1 sinacorns
1.1 kenyan sand boas
1.1 mbk
1.1 albino corns
1.3 ghost corns
1.0 snow corns
1.0 jurassic milk
0.1 bloodred
0.1 striped albino corn
0.1 childrens python
0.1 albino nelsons
0.1 anery motley
0.1 albino banded cal king
0.1 normal corn het hypo,anery
0.1 hypo tang hondo

My suggestion would be to contact a major breeder like Lindsay Pike of Urotopia and be sure to get a captive bred one if you like Saharans. They're beautiful, but WC ones can be difficult to acclimate. My two are both WC (purchased before I knew any better) and it cost me WAY more in vet bills than if I had just bought CB. I nearly lost Joe. They stress very easily and need an extra large cage. If CB are as easily stressed, at least you'd know they were healthy to start with, which is a big head start!

People do cross the colors, but I haven't personally seen the results, so I don't know.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
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)

I've been keeping uromastyx for several years. My first pair was a yellow saharan(male) and an orange saharan(female). They produced a couple of healthy, beautiful clutches. Most of the offspring became yellow however some actually displayed both yellow/orange colouration. It was quite fascinating! Saharans are wonderful species to work with. If you can't find any CB try to get a pair that is LTC. Fresh WC imports are notoriously difficult to acclimate! All of my saharans are quite docile. I have found them to be easier to care for then my ornates!

Good luck!
Uro Addict

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0.1 U.maliensis
2.1 U.geyri
2.2 U. ornatus
0.1 U. macfadyeni

Saharans are an oddball when it comes to color genetics. True pure yellows or reds seem to be a minority of the individuals. Most of whats out there has some of both genes in them and it's clearly more than just two genes. Pure yellows are fairly pale yellow or a very clear lemon yellow. Pure reds are dark red, almost maroon looking with brownish red females.

Mixed bred males almost never show both colors. If more yellow than red genes seem to be present, the animal looks more deep Gold rather than yellow. At best they go burnt gold but nothing you would call reddish yellow. In Red males, as you add in more yellow genes, they get more orange, but again never go yellowish-red or rose. 1 in less than 1,000 mixed bred males will go calico with blotches or red and blotches of orange on the same animal, but don't really blend the two colors together.

Red females are the same way. The real oddballs are yellow females. They do blend the colors to at least some degree. Most mixed females will get a yellow body with red highlights on the top of the head, tip of the nose, and base of the tail. If the mix is really even, you get a rose colored female (very striking). If the amount of red is minimal, you get a yellow animal but with orange nostrils.

Doug

Deer Fern Farms