Note: there are many species of Uromastyx and each can differ slightly in care. Below is a basic Uromastyx care sheet; be sure to research your specific Uro species!
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There are several really awful Uromastyx Care sheets out there, and a lot of advice on the internet is sketchy. We prefer to listen to experts like Doug Dix at Deer Fern Farms; he has detailed care information on his site but we wanted to provide a basic guide as well.
Reptiles in the Uromastyx genus are also known as spiny-tailed lizards for one obvious reason: they boast a thick, spicky tail that makes up about one third of their body. The name Uromastyx comes from Ancient Greek words: ourá meaning “tail” and mastigo meaning “whip” or “scourge”.
Uromastyx species vary in size from 10 inches to nearly 3 feet. Their ultimate adult size will dictate the enclosure size, so be sure you chose the right Uro species for the space you have.
Uromastyx Housing
Uros are an active, diurnal lizard and require large enclosures. A hatchling (under 6 inches in total length) can be housed in a 20 gallon “long” tank, but anything smaller is problematic because it doesn’t allow a proper temperature gradient. For a single adult, a 40-gallon “breeder” tank will work, but a larger enclosure is necessary when keeping a breeding pair together. The length of the terrarium is more important than height, as Uromastyx are a terrestrial reptile. Uros are burrowers by nature, but you can use artificial burrows or hide boxes to satisfy their need for a burrow.
Some substrates will hold a burrow, but it may be easiest to keep them on birdseed rather than attempt a natural enclosure. At MVR, we have attempted a natural terrarium for our Uromastyx with limited results. For that reason, we recommend housing uros on white seed that can serve as a snack as well as bedding!
Note that although Uromastyx are a desert-dwelling reptile, they do not do best on sand substrate. In the wild, they are mostly found on rocky outcrops and clay-based soils. Calci-sand should absolutely not be used.
Uromastyx Humidity, Heating and Lighting
High humidity can be a killer to Uromastyx! Being located in Phoenix, Arizona, MVR is lucky to have naturally low humidity. Strive to keep the humidity in your Uromastyx enclosure under 35%. This also tends to make keeping live plants in the uro enclosure more of a challenge!
Uromastyx love heat, and although they like their basking spot to be over 120 degrees, the rest of the tank needs to have a temperature gradient of 100 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The lizard must be able to thermoregulate their body temperature by migrating around their enclosure, which is why larger enclosures are best for Uromastyx. Nighttime temperature can drop into the mid-70s (60s in winter only if cycling for breeding).
Basking spots should be created with a reptile dome lamp and a clear “infrared” heat lamp bulb (less than $5 at home improvement stores). Use a piece of flat slate or other light-colored rock surface. Make sure that the reptile cannot touch the heat source! Adjust as necessary depending on wattage to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit directly over the basking rock (not ambient temperature).
UVB Lights
At MVR we no longer use artificial UVB lighting. We supplement our uros’ diet with products containing Vitamin D-3. During the summer, we expose our Uromastyx to natural sunlight for basking. The reason we have discontinued use of UVB bulbs is because of the risk of photo-kerato conjunctivitis. A major brand of UVB bulb had a manufacturing error and the batch we used happened to be one of the ones that had the problem. Unfortunately, The Dude suffered from painfully swollen eyes for a week. Luckily, there was no permanent damage to his eyes. After consulting with other Uro keepers, we decided UVB lighting wasn’t worth the expense, unpredictable output and health risk. However, your mileage may vary and we do not discourage others from using UVB lights.
Keep an eye on UV Guide UK for latest news in UV lighting for reptiles.
Outdoor Housing for Uromastyx
In warm areas, Uromastyx can be housed outdoors. Keep in mind, however, that when exposed to natural cycles, uros will go through a brumation period which leads to breeding behavior. This can be very problematic when multiple individuals are present, as males are territorial and females are extremely aggressive to all other females AND males when bred.
It may be an easier undertaking to build an outdoor enclosure for daytime basking rather than full-time containment. For some general guidelines, see the AZ Game & Fish Desert Tortoise Enclosure info. Uros don’t eat grass, but you can plant a variety of safe edible plants for them.
Uromastyx Diet & Nutrition
Uros are mainly herbivorous and do well on a supplemented vegetarian diet. Insects are not needed (unless the uro is not settling in) and can cause more harm than good. Although hatchlings may readily take insects, this is a critical period for them and an improper diet can cause Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) quite quickly.
Their “salads” should consist of dark green leafy vegetables, limiting spinach, kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Head lettuce, such as iceburg letuce, are not nutritious. Chose “spring mix” packaged greens, and add in additional helpings of endive, bok choy, dandelion greens, thawed frozen veggie mix, shredded squash, and other safe veggies. Edible flowers like hibiscus blooms and dandelion blossoms can also be offered.
For supplementation, Repashy Vegie Dust and Miner-Al Indoor formula can be used on alternating days.
Additionally, dried beans, juvenile iguana pellets and/or ground Mazuri Tortoise pellets can be offered dry in a separate feeding dish. However, Uromastyx housed on birdseed may not be inclined to eat this mix.
Water
Most Uromastyx species do not drink from a bowl but get most of their water needs from their food. Hatchlings should have a shallow jar or tupperware lid of water available every other day. New arrivals, sick individuals and gravid or recuperating females may require occasional drinks of water.
hi i have recently bought my new uro, and have a few questions?
1. is it good to have them on a feeding schedule as far as the time, or does that not matter?
2. when i bought my uro they gave me the calci- sand, is it harmful?
3. how would you know if the humidity is to high?
and this is just something i noticed, i have a water dish on the basking side of my tank,
and i i very often see my uro drinking from it. .
Thanks for posting, Anthony!
1) Do you mean what time of day, if any, is best to feed them? It’s best to feed them before noon, ideally around 6 or 7. They usually get up a little while after “lights on” and will bask for a bit before eating. In the summer, they tend to take a mid-day break but you may see them eat around 4 or 5pm. This is ok because there is still some heat left in the day for them to digest their food. In winter, we generally feed less and they generally stop eating after noon. They do not need to eat every day, but offer food every day just to give them the option. If you are looking at what food to feed when, check out the weekly feeding chart near the bottom of the Diet page.
2) Calci-sand is TERRIBLE. Don’t use it. If a juvenile under 6″, keep it on paper towel or no substrate. Otherwise, a mix of sand and soil can be used for burrowing.
3) You can get a hygrometer, this is better than guessing. If you live in an area with lots of humidity, make sure you are providing the ideal temps so it can dry out. Depending on the species, a water dish constantly available can be harmful. You can provide water weekly or mist the sides of the tank. You don’t want it to be completely dry everywhere in the tank, you want to provide a dry ambient atmosphere above ground, but a moist hide (either natural or man-made) should be available for them to self-regulate.
Good luck with your uro, and let us know if you have any additional questions!
1. How much should we feed them a day and how offten (cups-tablespoons?)
2. Do we turn off the heat lamp at night (the UVa or UVb light?)we live in Tucson AZ
3. What does the stool look like (runny- soild?) and how offten should i clean the cage?
4. Can i tell if they are sick by looking in the stool ?
5. Is play sand or brid seed better for a juvenile female?
1) Feed as much as they’ll eat! If you are feeding the right foods (see the diet page) and they remain active they should not become obese
2) It’s fine to turn the heat lamp off at night as long as the temps don’t dip below 50 or so. In Tucson, that means rarely! If you heat your home in the winter, they’ll be fine, although you can put a reptile heat pad on the side of the glass near their hide(s) to keep them comfortable. This is especially good if you don’t want to “cycle” them for breeding.
3) Should be solid, but moist. Dry poops mean they aren’t eating the right diet or are dehydrated. Depending on how large the cage is and the type of substrate, you’ll want to spot clean every other day and fully clean once a month. If you have a naturalistic setup, you do not need to break it down to clean, just remove feces & urates and stir the substrate.
4) If they have something like a respiratory infection, it won’t show up in the stool, but if they have an impaction, dehydration or digestive issue, their stools may look green, be runny or too dry, or there may be no poo at all in the case of impaction.
5) Bird seed is better for a juvenile, but paper towel is probably best for Uros under 7 inches. Avoid just play sand as a substrate: use slate or a mixture of soil and sand if you want a natural terrarium look.
Good luck with your uros!
Still having problems getting the humidity down in my uro’s tank. Finally got his basking side up to close to 120. He is starting to eat better. There is no watering dish in the tank. What could be causing the humidity to stay around 60?
Good news on the temps and eating!
If your indoor relative humidity is high (if you live in a humid climate, for example) you may have a challenge lowering the humidity. Also, some of the readers (hygrometers) aren’t accurate! You could try running a fan over the top of the tank to draw out humidity. Even a ceiling fan could help. I live in AZ and really don’t have a problem with reducing humidity!
If your substrate is clumping, that would be signs of it retaining moisture also. Kind of like how sugar gets stuck together in humid weather. It might be retaining moisture from the air or from the area you feed moist greens. Slate tile is a great substrate alternative, it not only retains heat but doesn’t collect humidity. Might want to consider it!
Once you find a balance with the humidity, make sure that you have a humid retreat for your Uro as an option; a tupperware container with a hole in it works great. You can put a slightly moistened paper towel in there so if your uro wants to hydrate himself, he has the option. That’s one of the tricky things with a smallish tank without a burrowing substrate, it’s hard to create a suitable heat AND humidity gradient.
Good luck! Let me know how the humidity goes.
just got a question we have a spare 5ft tank and i wanted to know can i put a uro in this?
5ft long? Depends on how wide, they should have room enough to comfortable turn around. We have ours in a 125 gallon tank that’s around 5ft long and it works really well!
Our uromastyx seems to go through periods where he does not eat.
Is this normal? If not what should we check for?
They don’t always eat every day and that is normal, especially for an adult. However, it’s always good to double check your temperatures and the diet you feed.
If the basking temps aren’t around 115, it may not be warm enough for them to digest their food, and therefor they may be reluctant to eat. They like to eat in the early mornings, so providing food around 7am is preferred. Make sue you are feeding them a good variety (see our food list) and make sure he’s getting proper greens and balanced nutrition.
If you are seeing poop on a regular basis, you needn’t worry that he is starving himself or that he is impacted (another cause for loss of appetite). I’ve found that uros can be very attuned to seasonal changes and will slow down eating when it starts to cool off and the daylight shortens.
Good luck with your uro!
We provide a branch that our uro can climb to get under his basking bulb. The temperature under the bulb reaches 120 degrees however the temperature only reaches 94 at the base of the climbing branch. Our uro is active but is not eating. Do we need to increase the watts on bulb.
Our uro can get up to 6 inches away from the bulb.
This not eating habit seems to occur in the fall months. Need advice what to do.
Thanks
120 degrees at the basking site is great. Does he climb there much? If he’s not basking a few times a day, it might be a good idea to reconfigure the basking spot. If he doesn’t spend too long under there it may be fine, just make sure that he has the option that he is comfortable with. What are the temps in the rest of the enclosure? It might be too warm for him to want to bask, and doesn’t have a cool side (about 80 degrees) that he can retreat to.
Fall is the time they naturally go into brumation – a sort of hibernation but they don’t sleep all the time. This usually starts about September and can last through the winter. You can assist this by reducing the lighting and temps slightly, and only offering fresh greens on the same schedule, even if he doesn’t eat every day. It’s not critical that you reduce temps, but they seem to know when it’s brumation time!
As long as you are providing a good habitat for him, offer the right foods and he remains in a relatively “chubby” condition (for a lizard), there isn’t too much to worry about. Take advantage of the Spring and Summer to feed him up for brumation.
Good luck!
My uromastyx is really small Im not sure he was ready to leave. He hasn’t ate in a while and he’s really skinny. And his skin is pale compared to when we got him. What could be wrong?
It’s hard to say. Do you know if he was captive bred or wild caught? If he was wild caught he could be carrying parasites that are making him skinny. If he was captive bred this is less likely, but still possible.
How long have you had him? It can take a few weeks for any reptile to settle in and start eating. It’s important that he stays hydrated so be sure to offer a humid hide. A tupperware with a door cut in the side with damp paper towels for him to retreat into would work well. What are you feeding? Best to supply him with mostly greens to keep his hydration up and avoid feeding seeds & beans until he is eating the greens.
Usually uromastyx are good to go to a new home after they have become established on their food, usually around a month, as long as they are in good condition. Be sure to keep him in the right environment – dry, paper towel substrate, a temperature gradient with hiding spots on both the cool end and hot end of the tank, and a basking spot that gets up to 120 degrees.
Good luck!
I have recently decided to adopt a mali uromastyx from my work. He seems to have a healthy weight and is about 5 to 6 inches long. I am going to be putting him in a 40 breeder using a bird seed substrate (mainly millet based). I have a large undertank heating pad that i will place on the warm end. I am going to using flat rocks to create both a spot he can climb on and bask and also can burrow or go underneath for shade. So my questions are:
1) Is there any clue as to tell how old he is?
2) What primary heat source should I use to attain at 120 degrees for the warm end with the heating pad. Ex: what kind of heat bulb and what wattage?
3) I know you stated you don’t like using uvb bulbs, however I am leaning to still getting one to provide the full spectrum lighting. What is your best brand reccomendation and what strength and size?
4) I live in a high humidity state (Wisconsin) but have a dehumidifier in my room and plan on getting a humidity gauge, will this be a problem?
5) Where can I found a lot of this leafy greens and food sources to feed him? Should I add a calcium and vitamin supplement to it and how often? Is it also safe to lightly mist the salad dish outside the tank and then placing in the tank?
6) And lastly is there anything else I might be missing or that you recommend I do?
1) Is that 6 inches total, or just body length (excluding tail)? If it’s total body length (TBL), he’s probably under a year old, but likely over 4 months, going by my experience with Ornates which can be slightly smaller.
2) If you can get a Mercury Vapor Bulb (preferably Mega Ray) that might be your best bet. HOWEVER, there have been continuing supply problems with the company who sells them and I don’t recommend them until it all gets sorted out, which I think it will. I don’t have a lot of confidence in Power Sun or other MVBs, but others swear by them. For simple heat, a 125 watt clear heat lamp – the kind you use in bathrooms to warm up after a shower. You can get them for around $10 at Home Depot, but be sure you have a light fixture with a ceramic screw-in part that holds the bulbs. The cheaper plastic fixture can melt with the heat required for Uros.
3) Zoo Med ReptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube is probably the best non-MVB available in the US. However, you may be interested in UVB-emitting tubes from Arcadia, a European company that have been doing great things over there and I believe the output of their T8 UVB bulbs are similar to, if not better than, the Zoo Med products. The T5 is a NEW product that won’t fit into regular fixtures in the US (T8) so be sure if you get one of those you get a corresponding fixture. The T5 is also EXTREMELY high output of UVB so be sure and read the instructions, which is true for any UVB bulb.
4) Providing heat and light should be able to keep the enclosure dry enough for the uro, if it’s not over 30% you should be in good shape. Analogue hygrometers can be pretty unreliable, however, so you might want to invest in a digital reader.
5) Costco sells organic “Spring Mix” from Earthbound farms that is great for Uros. Other veggies can be found at farmer’s markets or specialty stores, you don’t have to go shop at really expensive shops like Whole Foods although they do have a good selection. Endive is a great choice! Take a look at our Uromastyx Diet page for lots of suggestions! You want to add in some orange veggies as well as lentils and other beans for a well-rounded diet. I also feed dandelion leaves and flowers; just be sure your sources are free of harsh chemicals or runoff. I really recommend both Miner-All (indoor formula) and Repashy Veggie Dust to supplement food. I do it every day, but 2x weekly can work as well. Some uro keepers choose not to supplement and instead offer a variety of calcium-rich greens. I try to do both to be on the safe side. Washing or misting the greens before feeding will give them a good source of moisture.
6) You might want to consider a humid hide for him to retreat to to self-regulate moisture. A tupperware or other container large enough for him to fit in, with damp soil or paper towels can help with shedding.
Good luck with your Uro!
I am curious about being about to know the different temperatures. Should I have two thermometers on either side of the tank? So I can ensure that both sides are the ideal temp?
You can have two thermometers, or you can get a digital “probe” style (available at pet stores or hardware stores like Home Depot) to take the temps at each end. This helps identify the ambient temps. A temp gun, on the other hand, can help identify the surface temps on a basking rock. Both are extremely useful devices and I highly recommend them for basking animals like Uros.
when is a crested gecko a adult i have had my one for a year and a bit
It can take 2 years for a crested gecko to be an adult. Adulthood is also measured by weight and size rather than age. An adult weight is 35 grams and over for females. Males sometimes linger at 30 grams for a while.
i recently decided to buy a mali and i had a couple questions… she is very aggressive the minute i put my hand in the tank. if i slowly put my hand in front of her she calms down and walks around. i try to handle her but she freaks out and runs around avoiding it.. could this be from the change in the tanks, and how she isn’t used to being “at home” yet and she is still nervous? how long does it normally take a uromastyx to warm up to you?
thank you,
Russ
It generally depends on the individual animal. Some take months to settle down, but some, especially wild-caught, never totally tame down. Most uros really don’t like direct handling but will interact with you, eat from and even climb up on your hand. Picking them up is very stressful for an adult animal, they don’t like to have their legs and tails off the ground. With babies it’s usually easy to get them to crawl into your hand when they are small and socialize them that way.
How is she aggressive? Does she tail-whip? This often stops when they are used to their environment. Try covering three sides of the cage with paper so she feels more secure and less exposed. Make sure the tank setup is good (proper heat gradient, places to hide, appropriate food) and leave her be for a week or so. You want to avoid having her run and hide when you or anyone else comes near the tank.
Then try tempting her with dandelion or hibiscus flowers, green peas or other foods she likes. Don’t try to pick her up at that time, let her associate your hand with good things first. Get to know her personality, and know what stresses her out. While you may not really have a cuddly pet that enjoys spending time with you outside their own home, if you are slow and gentle you might have a pet that enjoys eating from your hand or tolerates being petted in the security of their tank. Good luck!
big help. thanks. she has been crawling onto my hand, and i kind of got the hint that she didn’t really like being picked up. she just runs around a lot and thinks she can climb the side of the tank… the heat and everything are good. i have done tons of research on that but none told me about handling. again. thank you very much.
I bought a mali a week ago and he is not eating. He is about 6 or 7 inches long, so not yet an adult. The temps are good with 120 in basking area and about 85-90 on the other side of the enclosure. He had two hiding spots that he enjoys and he bask all day then hides out at night. The temps stay between 70-75 at night but he has yet to eat a bite. I have offered him diffrent types of greens including kale, dandelion, and collard greens. Also i have given him mixed veggies, carrots, rasberrys, and bird seed…he hasnt eaten any of it. He has only pooped once but it was solid and moist, so healthy. He is alert, and there is no discharge around his nose or eyes. I have three sides of his tank covered up so he has some privacy. So what am I doing wrong? Should I be worried that he hasnt eaten or will it just take some more time?
It sounds like he is adjusting well if he is basking and not hiding, and the poop is a good sign. They can go for a long time without eating, but try to entice him with dandelion or other edible flowers. Adding endive/escarol or other type of non-goitrogenic green might encourage feeding. Mine don’t like tougher greens like collards and kale as much as more delicate greens. Spring Mix might offer a good variety, or look for packages of mixed greens with little to no spinach. Mine also love the color and taste of grated butternut squash that has a nice orange flesh. Are you dusting? Sometimes they don’t take well to the calcium dust at first.
Good luck!
They do seem to eat the tough leaves if we’ve already torn them up into smaller pieces though. I’m guessing that it’s the difficulty of swallowing large pieces whole or tearing off small pieces that makes a lot of them pass up the tougher leaves.
I just got a new Uro today and his humidity is currently at 45%. wat can i do to bring it down to the appropriate humidity?
Is it ok to use a ceramic heat bulb and a zoo med reptiSun 10.0 fluorescent tube.
Generally, ceramic heat bulbs are good at night to keep the tank warm, but don’t generate the light and heat in the basking area that Uromastyx love. They respond well to UV light but that bulb is probably not bright enough for the entire tank. Make sure you’re checking all of the temperature ranges: hot side, cool side and basking spot. These guys need 120+ in their basking area, with a drop to 80-85 on the cool side.
Thanks for the reply, the temps are spot on and he does lie under the ceramic bulb to heat up, would you still recomend some extra lighting and if so what type? The viv is 4x2x2.
Many thanks. Matt.