it's been a couple years since i have owned any reptiles and trying to get back into it. i have finally convinced my wife to allow me to get a uromastyx. i have had ~8bearded dragons, a mangrove monitor, leapord geckos, veiled chameleon, and couple snakes. i'm not a complete newb but it's been awhile and never had a uro before. i think i'm leaning towards the mali's (price, size) but looking for some suggestions. i just got a 24x24x13 tank to start with, all glass, screen top. looking for suggestions on animal/breeder, and cage setup. thanks.
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newb
chakup
Nov 24, 2003 10:16 PM
Replies (6)
splunty
Nov 25, 2003 09:21 AM
You will never be able to get good temperature gradients in a cage that size. But really, you should go look at Doug's descriptions of the different species and read his care sheet:
http://www.deerfernfarms.com/
Good luck!
chakup
Nov 25, 2003 09:39 AM
that's why i asked for suggestions, thanks. i thought it wouldn't be too bad since most people start in a 20 and this is comparable dimensions, LxW wise, to a much larger cage.
splunty
Nov 25, 2003 09:49 AM
2'x2' is going to be enough floor space for a baby (sub-yearling) at least. The problem is temperature gradients. For a uro that young, I'd shoot for a basking spot of 110-115, hot end ambient temperature of 100, and cool end ambient temperature of 75. In a small, square cage you'll have extreme difficulty getting one end hot and keeping the other end cool.
I'd suggest you hold off until you can afford a good 4'x2' enclosure that your Uro can live in permanently. That way you know you can get everything set up right the first time and you won't have to stress the animal with re-acclimation. 
My apologize if I sounded critical, didn't intend to.
chakup
Nov 25, 2003 09:58 AM
no prob. right now $ is a slight factor; just convincing wife to allow me to get a lizard, and we went to the pet store and found this for $35. the cage would be upgraded. i want a mali that will tolerate handling fairly well. suggestions on bulb for cage this size?
fruitionx
Nov 25, 2003 12:37 PM
e
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Lauren 
Leos and Uros
1.1 Saharan Uromastyx
0.0.1 Mali Uromastyx
1.1 Jungle Albino Leopard Gecko
1.1 Hypo/Baldy Leopard Gecko
1.1 Tremper Albino Leopard Gecko
chakup
Nov 25, 2003 10:25 PM
all i am finding is 120 watt or 250 watt. i got a 120 and am going to get it setup and test it out. i figure with the fairly short height it shouldn't be too hard to reach the temp.
