Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I recently adopted a Mali Uromastyx in need of a good home. I have zero prior expiriece with them, although I have had several other reptiles and amphibians in the past.
I have a couple of pictures of mine, I am wondering what I should be looking for specifically, in terms of does mine look healthy?, any ideas on gender?, any other coments, ideas on my mastyx.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
-Heather
Hope this link works.
http://www.repticzone.com/photogallery/membersphotos.php/16590/Y/

i am by no means a sexing guru, but i think it is too small to tell yet. s/he looks like he has a nice fat tummy and is very cute
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I love how you use all these technical terms
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2.3.0 uromastyx geyri (Saharan/Nigerian)
0.0.4 uromastyx hardwickii (Indian)
3.6.0 uromastyx macfadyeni (Somalian)
1.2.0 uromastyx ocellata (Sudanese)
1.3.0 uromastyx ornata (Ornate)
1.0.0 uromastyx benti pseudophilbyi

hey, nice fat tummy is a technical term in the reptile world or maybe that's just my world

an example of a really nice fat tummy

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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

OHHhhhh, its a baby! Absolutely adorable, I agree, it has a nice fat tummy

This is a great place to get your Uro questions answered, just ask!

Elizabeth
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1.0 Mali Uro Archimedes (May he rest in peace)
0.0.1 Egyptian Uro Zuberi Mosca Khu (Mosca)
0.0 Fish
0.1 Sulcata Minnie
1.1 Iguanas Flik and Loki
0.1 Newfoundland Jasmine (RIP)
0.1 Feline Winter
Indiana & Wisconsin

Thanks everyone, I think s/he is adorable too, and given what I know of other reptiles, i think they look pretty good, I've been feeding and going along with care as close as I can to what Deerfarm says. Previously owner was feeding entirely Spinach and Kale, seemed that this little Mali was getting really dehydrated looking. So, am glad to hear that during the two months I've had them, they now look cute and plump and healthy, and it's not wishful thinking on my part.
Thanks!
-Heather
PS About when might I be able to tell gender and what would I be looking to tell? More for my own curiosity of not assigning an incorrect gender and what not, would be amusing to call her Sarah, or him John, only to realize they are the other gender. Nice to have clarification.

Actually, my female Saharan is named Arthur. She doesn't seem to mind.

I'm no sexing guru either, but from extended conversation (with illustrations!) with Doug Dix when I was trying to sex my Malis, your best bet is checking for hemipenal bulges. Not sure what age/size to tell you, though.

This picture is of my male Mali who is at least 3 years old, but looks female. Point your uro's nose away from you and lift the tail up over the back. You might see two raised ridges (on the tail side of the vent) with a dip in between like in the picture. If the ridges are parallel (like in the pic), you've likely got a male. If the ridges are at an angle like a "V", it's likely female (or too young to sex?) and those ridges are just tendons. If the area is smooth with no dip or ridges, it's also likely female.

Yours (as mentioned already) is probably too young to sex this way. Cute, though! I like the back markings.

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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx geyri (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Uromastyx dispar maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and Spike)
1.1 Uromastyx ornata (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
2.1.2 Anolis carolinensis (Bowser, Sprocket, Leeloo, and Pickles 1&2)
1.1 Felis domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

yeah i have a collared lizard named ivan the girl, i named the uros though without really knowing and i got really lucky with them being the correct sexes so helga really is helga and hugo really is hugo, whew!
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I named my mali Zazu. I figured it'll work for either sex, heh. I'm waiting for mine to get old enough to sex; I really want to know. Goodluck with yours, very cute.

It's best to take any new animal to an experienced vet, and don't forget to bring a fresh stool sample.
It would behoove you to keep the animal in quarantine to minimize the possibility of any cross contamination.
I agree that he/she is too young to do anything but guess, but he/she is looking fat and alert (both very good signs).
good luck
--benedita

Hmm, yes am thinking a visit to the Vet would be a good idea, now as for finding one in my area that actually knows about them. Have had this one for about two months now, Elliott still hides the majority of the time. I don't have any other reptiles at this time, nor have I had any for several years now.
On another note, this Mali is about a year old now from what I understand, person before me had him/her for 7-8 months, person they got 'em from had her/him for about 2 months. Is this Mali a good size for the age?, or not really? Just curious, what sort of growth should I be expecting?
And yes, on the rare occasions that I do see Elliott out and about, he seems very alert and almost hyper active, running about on a variety of rocks and what not, very interested in everything going on outside of his tank, and/or in escaping from said enclosure.

PS forgot to mention, Elliott is 2 oz, is 4.5 inches from nose to base of tail, and about 7 inches from nose to tip of tail.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
-Heather

my mali is about eight months old and 5 inches from nose to tail. I'm not sure what their growth rate is, but that's Zazu's size.