Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi my name is brandy and i have two what i think are mali uromastyx. they were given to me about two months ago by a friend of my boyfriend. he could not give them the proper care and attention they needed. so we decided to take them in. as soon as i saw them i fell in love. i love the way they lick everything they pass by, its so qute! they have to be kept away from one another because one always bites the other. he already took a few spikes of of his tail and bit him on the side. poor little guy. do you think they fight because maybe they are both male? im hopeing to get a digital camera soon and i will post pics. one is bigger then the other with yellow spots. the other is smaller with not so bright yellow spots somethimes the spots even look blue. any help would be great. thanks!

Usually the males are colored black with yellow spots -- you can see some of them on the images on this site. The females are a little bit duller, but can also imitate a male and take on the black/yellow colors. Two males are (almost) always going to fight, as they are very territorial with their space. Females can be territorial as well, but the general rule of thumb is that two males cannot go together unless you've got a *huge* tank with separate food bowls and separate hiding places.

Were they kept together before you received them? How old are they?

i dont know how old they are. he kept them in the same cage but put a divider between them. he said when you let them out to run around they were ok together. but they would fight in the cage. but they fight even when they are out together with me. so i put them in a really long home made fish tank. and put a divider in it untill i can aford large enough cages for them. oh, and is it ok for them to eat grass? because when i let them out side they always try to eat it.

it's not that great to let them eat anything from outside unless you know for sure that it has not been treated with any poisons and whatnot. you don't want to hurt/kill your babies! good luck with them
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vonnie
***One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. - A. A. Milne***

They probably didn't fight with each other when he let them out because it was neutral territory. That happens a lot with dogs; it's always best to have dogs together that aren't used to living with one another in neutral territory (i.e. not one of their homes). Uros tend to be *very* territorial with their own living space, and it makes sense that they wouldn't when they weren't.

Yes, definitely make double sure that nothing that they're trying to eat has been treated with insecticides or some kinds of fertilizer. *very very* harmful. If you also decide to feed your uro dandelions/hibiscus/rose petals or leaves, make sure you know exactly where they came from and that they had no pesticides whatsoever on them. My mother keeps a couple of hibiscus bushes chemical-free for my uro.