Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,
I've been reading the forum for a bit now and hope for some wonderful advice.
We recently aquired a female,(she's laid eggs once) adult Mali Uro. We're new to this and need more info. Bought the new agamids book but think there could be more info in it. Especially for newbies.
Anyhow, back to Lizzy.
Right now we have her in a 20 gal long aquarium. Will be wanting to get her a bigger set up soon though. What is a good size for her and possibly another later in life.
She is not eating well as of yet. She’s only been in our home for 4 days. She did much a bit of spinach, which now I find out is not that great for her. So I went to veggie store and bought some Bok Choy and mixed veggies, a few grapes, some ground rutabagas, carrots, bell peppers, meal worms, etc.
But as you can probably tell I have not a clue what exactly I need to feed this cute little monster. I do know she’s cute and we love her. she did eat a few mealworms. she loved them.
heating and lighting help.
We have a ceramic heater bulb and spotlight basking bulb (uv type from petstore) also have night heat lamp, reptisun 8.0 in long bulb type hood attachement.

Have desert sand (crushed nutz kind) a nice cave I made out of two small paver bricks and lovely flat rock for roof, Bask on top, cave underneath, on far side (cooler side) I have a hide a hut log for her to either go on top of or underneath.

I do have many MANY questions besides just the food ones.

Temps. Book says 120* at basking point, I’m having trouble getting it to that perfect temp. I’m closer to 99* 110* 110 being on top of rock. 99 being on cooler side.

Can some folks please tell us what their setups are at temp wise?

I need ideas and helps to know I’m doing it right. Which I don’t feel I am.

Lizzy (I know this is not original, may change it if can think of great name.) is doing the shimmy and flicking her tail at us too. I asked at pet shop and they said she’s trying to be dominate. So they suggested extra handling. This feels wrong to me. She’s new to the habitat, new to us, our home etc and are we really supposed to torment her like this?

Please help.

Thanks

Tracy (mom of Alex) who’s really the owner of Lizzy.

For a good setup: the larger the tank, the better (ie. as much room as you can afford to give her).

Food: dandelions (leaves, stems, and flowers), endive, escarole (just to name a few key ones)

Substrate: absolutely NO crushed walnut substrate!!! Crushed walnut substrate = dead uro. Use either washed playsand, millet seed, or a soil substrate (soil substrate is a little advanced though).

Good idea to go with gut instinct (that pet store guy is a total idiot). Do not handle her much at this point because she is new. It'll take her time to acclimate to her new environment (which includes you). My mali did the same thing when I first got him. You'll grow on her eventually (mine sees me as "the bringer of food and treats" ).

Hope this helps

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1 Mali Uromastyx named Ra

Hi! Congrats on Lizzy!

I have had my first male mali for about four years now and he was two when I got him. He is in a extra large breeder tank with a slide screen lid that can lock but I never do. No I have never gotten the temp that hi either. Just over 100 in the basking area and it gets cooler father down in the tank. Always but the food in the cooler end of the tank so it doesn't dry out as fast.

She may not be eating because you have not found what she likes. By the time they are full grown it is hard to get them to try new things. . they like what they like and thats it. Romaine, lima beans (frozen/thawed) peas (frozen/thawed) mustard, turnip and collard greens in moderation. Check out breeder sites and you will find lists of foods they feed. Start with those one by one and you will find what she likes. Until you get her eating habits down only give one food at a time. Also always have a dish of bird seed for her. I use plain parakeet seed.

I have always used cleaned play sand you can get at walmart or the toy store. It's cheap and he loves it. The pet stores will say not to use it because it can cause impaction but that is only a concern with young uros and they can get impacted on just about anything.

Any kind of worms or crickets should be a treat only. A couple once or twice a month is more then enough. They don't NEED bugs they are just a treat.

Did you handle Lizzy before your purchase?? I haev always handled any uro before purchase and advise anyone to do the same. If they are wild caught or have just not been handled getting them used to it will not be easy. If she was easy going with you before you brought her home then she is just really mad about being moved. Either way give her a couple days of quiet. Get her lights on timers so she has a schedule and keep her on a feeding schedule. I feed in the mid morning and take the food out before lights out, always leaving the seed dish full and in the tank. Once she had had a schedule the only way to get her used to being handled is to do so.

Uros are very hardy and easy to keep. You will find alot of conflicting info on them. Adult uros are pretty much set in their ways so changing one to you liking can be a big task if can do it at all.

Good luck and if you need any help this is always a good place for info.

I would suggest NOT feeding Romaine, as it has little to no nutritional value.

Also, the basking spot must be 120-130F on top of the rock. In a twenty gallon tank, that's not going to give you a proper heat gradient though. Try to get her into a 4'x 2' cage as soon as possible. She needs the space, and the temperature gradient.

I recommend that you read the care information on this site, for more detailed info. This is one of the most respected uro breeders, and he knows what he's about.

www.deerfernfarms.com

Hope this helps!
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Nicki and...

0.0.2 Uromastyx geyri (Saharan Uromastyx) - Dragon and Belle
1.1.0 Uromastyx dispar maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) - Spike and Lizzy
1.0.0 Cordylus mossambicus (Girdled Lizard) - Fidgit
1.0.0 Liasis mackloti savuensis (Savu python) - Bazzi
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri (Variable (Thayer’s) Kingsnake) - Kavi
0.0.1 Lampropeltis triangulum campbelli (Pueblan Milksnake) - Callia
0.2.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Red-Sided Garter Snakes) - Spot and Fluffy
0.2.0 Bufo Paracnemis (Roccoco Toads) - Red and Miss Hissy

Ontario, Canada

romain is fine . . anything is fine. .even spinach forn time to time won't hurt. . .the new thing now is this do not give list but in all the years I've been around uros they have had it all and are all big and healthy. The key is to mix it up so they get a little of everything. I have never had a sick uro not has anyone I know. Just remember everything in moderation and don't worry too much about it. They only thing I have never given are things like cabbage and broccoli they can make for a stinky mess.