Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm new to the reptilian ownership world. I've got a bearded dragon and love some of the coloring of a Mali. Are they easy to take care of? What do they eat? How big do they get? How often do they bite (on average of course, not every case considered)? Any info on them would be great. Thanks.

In the uro world, Malis are a great place to start. Make sure to do huge amounts of reading and research before you start, though, because set up and ongoing care gets expensive - far more than you might expect. Get a captive bred animal or at the very least, a long term captive from a reliable source like Urotopia.

They're primarily (or completely) vegetarian, they need large cages (4' x 2' is a good minimum), and higher heat than a beardie. They tend to be less tolerant of handling than beardeds but are very active and curious when healthy, so are very entertaining. Even unfriendly uros don't tend to bite - you have to watch out more for the tail. They CAN bite and will if you really give them reason, but they generally aren't aggressive.

Here are some links to get you started. They aren't the only places to look, but it's a good beginning.
Kingsnake care pages
Deer Fern Farms care sheet
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Basically what el_toro said.

Everyone seems to have a different tempered mali. Some seem to tolerate being held and played with, some will always tail whip the crap out of you. Mine is pretty much in the middle. He will allow mild pettings in the cage but if try to pick him up he starts with the spiked tail lashings. The tail isn't too bad but does leave scratches and can break the skin. I've never heard of a mali biting but I'm sure it's happened. IMO As far as their care goes, they are a pretty easy lizard to take care of. They eat veggies so you don't have to deal with feeder bugs or mice which makes me happy. The most common problem I think people have is getting the temp high enough.

They have such cute little characters! I don't think they are very handleable, and mine doesn't seem to enjoy it, but he lets me pet him in his cage and likes to be hand fed (watch those fingers!)

Dittoing what others have said...research thoroughly to get the set-up right in the beginning. They do require high temps and low humidity.

What is a common way to keep the humidity as low as 10-20% which seems to be what I'm seeing on these caresheets? How do you keep it that low and what wattage bulb would you recommend for heating?

Don't worry about the humidity. If your temperatures are correct, the humidity won't be a problem. It's not so much that you want to struggle to keep the humidity low - you just don't want it to be really, really high.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Saharan Uros (Joe and Arthur)
3.0 Mali Uros (Spike, Turtle, and Tank)
1.1 Ornate Uros (Scuttlebutt and Shazzbot)
1.1 Collared Lizard (Ripcord and Rorschach)
2.0 Green Anoles (Bowser and Sprocket)
1.1 Chubby Housecats (Roscolux and Jenny)

Pretty much what was just said, if your temps are correct, the heat pretty much keeps the humidity to a minimum.

El toro is correct. As far as temps, you will probably need a 100-150 watt bulb on one side of the enclosure. It also depends on how far from the basking spot the bulb will be based on the height of your enclosure. I keep my mali in a forty gallon breeder sized tank with a screen cover. Right now I am using a 150 watt flood lamp bulb to get its temps up to 120plus, and using a fluorescent sun bulb to provide UVB rays. The bulb is about 18 inches from the basking spot. I do not include water in its cage and it gets all the moisture it need from its greens.

I see a lot of people recommending high wattage bulbs (100-150 watts). Why not use a 40-65 watt bulb with a higher basking spot? I am able to get a 130-degree hot spot with a 65 watt bulb that is dimmed around 40%. I probably could get the same temps with a 40-watt bulb. Any reason why higher wattages are better?

The bulb needs to be far away enough from the Uro that they cannot burn themselves on it, or in the case of MVB bulbs(heat uvb) they need to be a minimum distance from the animal for safe UVB levels.

Bruce,

I must say, that I as well use low 50 watt halogens for heating my cage and I get similar temps as you. I’m a fan of them because they are long lasting, cheap, and in my opinion more efficient than "reptile-made" bulbs.

I wouldn’t worry about burns with these bulbs, as long as your not literally touching your screan top with your basking spot. Also, I don’t elevate my basking spots to extreme lengths that are pretty much directly under the bulb. The Mercury Vapor bulbs emit a ton of heat, so elevated basking spots is completely unnecessary for these particular bulbs. Another benefit to having low wattage bulbs and elevated basking spots is that you’re also getting your animals closer to UV rays from your UV bulbs.