Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK let me preface this by saying that we were looking to purchase a lizard..most likely a Mali, and that the giver was trying to be nice. We had narrowed it down to UROs because of size and temperament as the daughter wanted something she could handle that wasn't small enough to make her nervous(had leopard geckos...yuck) Having been the proud owners of corns for awhile the fact that we might have to watch for a temper was not a worry. We planned on starting in a 55 gal aquarium and moving it when/if necessary...sand seemed to be the substrata of choice and veggies were to be the order of the day. So we figured when we got everything together the lizard would just fall into place. HAH HAH loving husband..new stepdad..figured he would bring home this wonderful little cb juvie he saw..unfortunately it is an egyptian of unknown age 5"svl maybe and now we are scrambling to get everything together. He is on 4-6" of sand right now but we will change that as we can..2 under tank heaters at either end and a basking lamp over a rock hide at the one end. Need to mention we live in Z3 in Canada so outside temps right now are about 30 on a good day. Daytime temps - Hot side seems to be sitting around 110-115 and cool end at 80-90 so may add a ceramic heater as well. He seems to be eating his veggies and even the VERY occasional cricket(we have beardies too -nother story)We didn't have any water in the cage but after more reading and careful observation I decided he was looking dehydrated so put some in. But now am at a loss as to what to persue next. Just how much UV do they need, never found a definative answer on that. Anything besides veggies...feed the beardies a pelleted food as well as the crickets and vegggies, is this any good for the uro? Substrate will change as we go, figure finding a soil mix can't be tooo hard and hubby is already complaining about the dust from the sand when the cage is cleaned. I am sure there will be LOTS more I need answered but that is the start.

THANKS
Elaine

Oh Elaine!

You sound so stressed! I am not sure this will help. First of all, the 55 gallon will work for the moment, but they are so narrow they really aren't ideal, even at this size. The good news is that they do allow for a good temperature gradient which is awesome! In general under tank heaters are frowned on, and I don't remember exactly why, I do know that it is mostly ambient and basking temps that are important. Your temps look good, a basking spot of 115-125 is ideal, with a gradient down to the uppers 80s or below. For juveniles we usually recommend you keep them on paper until they get a little older, but a 5" svl leads me to believe it *could* be a year old, which makes the sand ok. You are on the right track with the crickets, only very sparingly if at all. Many of us on the forum have stopped feeding them altogether. Your thought process on the water seems to be on track too. If he is looking a little dehydrated you can also give him a good soak. They tend to not be overly find of the process, but it is good for them on occasion, just make sure that the water is hot (but not too hot to touch obviously - I use the baby test on the sensitive part of my wrist). Soak him for 5-10 minutes, making sure to keep his head up, they aren't real bright about that sort of thing. You also want to make sure that he has at least 2 hides, one on the cool and one on the warm side, I don't know if snakes are the same way but Uros like low, tight spaces, as opposed to very roomy ones.

As far as the UV goes, it is imperative that they get UV, but I am not sure that I have ever seen an actual number on it. I read somewhere eons ago that 10 minutes in unfiltered sunlight (outside) daily would meet their needs... but pet shops were also touting crushed walnut shells as a good substrate then.. so who knows. Keeping a good UVB light within 12 inches of where the lizard spends most of his time should ensure plenty. SOme people use supplements, which you have to be careful with so that they don't get too much. Others use mercury vapor bulbs, which I dislike due to their mercury content, but some people really like.

What sort of veggies are you feeding? Greens should make up the staple of his diet, with other things sprinkled on. You should feed a good multivitamin and calcium supplement a few times a week as well (I use the herptivite and corresponding calcium supplement myself). I have a 16 month old Egyptian, and my breeder recommended feeding pretty bird finch food occasionally (maybe once a week). It is the brightly colored, little extruded bird food, smells really good. Then once the Egyptian gets older switching them to juvenile iguana pellets (once again, just occasionally).

There are many threads on good soil substrates in this forum, so I won't go into that. I use sand myself, but do wear a mask when cleaning the tank.

Now, for the big thing. There is a big difference between Malis and Egyptians, and its SIZE. There are two types of Egyptians, microlepsis, and aegypticus. The microlepsis tend to be smaller (about 2ft adult size), the Aegypticus can get up to 3ft long. These are BIG lizards. I have my 16 month old in a cage that is 2ft by 4ft, and I expect I will need to replace that tank within a year or two for something bigger. They tend to have pretty laid back personalities once they get a little older, but they do take up space. Here is a good resource on the Egyptians:

http://www.deerfernfarms.com/Uromastyx_Egyptian.htm

That entire site is an excellent resource for Uro care.

The good news is that you never have to microwave dead animals to feed to the Uros .

It sounds like you have a much better idea of what it takes to care for these guys than most when they get them, which is fabulous, and personally I think they are the greatest pet ever. I had a mali for almost 10 years, that I just had to put down this past summer, and I would not have traded him for anything else.

There are a lot of extremely knowledgable people on this board, who I am sure will weigh in as well. Keep asking questions, and welcome to the board! We also love to see pictures, so if you have a digital camera throw a few up!

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

Hello, Just a lurker here but I use a small 5gal shop vac to clean cages. Remove the animals and whatever you dont want sucked up and your good to go! Best, Rick

What an interesting idea! Thank you for sharing that larue!

I may have to think about that... I generally have 40-50 pounds of sand in the cage at a time... but that would be really helpful to get the parts that I can't reach easily with a scoop (when changing the substrate as a whole).

Thanks again!

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

You have a lot of good information that sounds great. I can tell you I have had a Mali for two years. I purchased one from Deer Fern Farms instead of a store. This was a very good move!! I have never owned a reptile, but my young son wanted a pet lizard he could hold, and my friend told me about the uromastyx as an option. They are easy to care for if you look up the information and get great knowledge from sites like this. My salt water tanks were much harder to maintain !! I read countless threads on this site for two months before getting Max. I would say as long as you provide the proper temp gradients, food, and lighting, you will have trouble free results. They are very tough animals. I like the 40 gallon breeder tank because of the length and width . I have used millet seed as my substrate since day one and have had no problems(Deer Fern Farms idea). It's easy to clean and there is no dust. A ten pound bag(5$) covers the bottom, yet allows for some digging to make him happy. As far as Max goes, he is very docile, and has never nipped or bitten anyone who has held him including my sons classmates during show and tell.

Good Luck!

Eric