Uromastyx

[Skits]

I'll be getting a uro this weekend, I've been wanting one for a while since I've held one in the petstore, and realized I could manage one, and was given the opportunity to own one. I'm driving an hour and a half to go get him on Saturday (hopefully!). I wanted to know what experience everyone has had with them, basic care (would rather have it from a uro keeper's opinions)..such as heat, substrate, uvb, tank size, diet, etc :cool:

[StudentoReptile]

They are great lizards. High basking temps (110'F - 130), lots of space, plenty of low, flat hides, and they eat veggies. No crickets.

[smy_749]

I haven't owned any, but they are on my list as well. I would say you could go even hotter basking than what student has said, probably 130 I would say is an optimal minimum. The veggie thing is great, slate stacks for basking, and ideally substrate to burrow in.

More space the better, you haven't mentioned which type of uro you are getting. Some of them get pretty large (Egyptians are massive) ....

[thinkbig317]

^^^^ What studento said. A play sand / soil mixture is good substrate for uros. Allows them to burrow. Some people use millet with success as well.

[simpleyork]

Another observation, but only going off of my Ornate Uro, he likes to climb high places, his favorite was a creosote bush before it died.

substrate I use is just sand and topsoil from my yard.

DIDO with Studentoreptile

[Skits]

Sorry for the late reply. I went to pick him up the weekend after writing the first post. He hasn't had much socialization in the past, so he whips his tail at me quite a bit but he seems calm if I hold him still. I have him in a 30ish gallon for now (he's still a bit small) and we're building him something larger in a couple of days. He's a bit of a picky eater but I'm trying to figure everything out. A few more questions :) Also mine is a saharan uromastyx.

What's their usual favorite foods?
Do I not keep a water dish in their tank? I read that it's bad for them, so took it out. He hasn't had one for a while and seems to be doing fine but I'm still not sure about it and would prefer someone more experienced to give an opinion.
What's their usual size to be around at full size?
And how do I check for gender?

[Hannibalcanibal]

Sorry for the late reply. I went to pick him up the weekend after writing the first post. He hasn't had much socialization in the past, so he whips his tail at me quite a bit but he seems calm if I hold him still. I have him in a 30ish gallon for now (he's still a bit small) and we're building him something larger in a couple of days. He's a bit of a picky eater but I'm trying to figure everything out. A few more questions :) Also mine is a saharan uromastyx.

What's their usual favorite foods?
Do I not keep a water dish in their tank? I read that it's bad for them, so took it out. He hasn't had one for a while and seems to be doing fine but I'm still not sure about it and would prefer someone more experienced to give an opinion.
What's their usual size to be around at full size?
And how do I check for gender?

Feed leafy greens, flowers, fruit, and seeds (mine gets bird seed (millet ONLY), dandelion greens, small smashed berries, dandelion flowers, roses, kale, swiss chard), NO SPINACH, cabbage, or anything you would not eat.

No water dish, if he is looking a bit dehydrated (not likely), then mist the greens a bit.

Size varies, i'm not sure the exact size for the saharan species.

As for basking spots, i would definitely go higher than 110, shoot for 130, but make sure it can't burn him, uromastyx are small and therefore can get burnt easier than a larger lizard.

Make sure to give lots of uvb- what i do is give uvb bulbs (strip kind), along with MVB bulbs for basking (avoid the coil types).

As for sexing, males and females can look quite similar when young, and even as adults, and standard lizard sexing procedures don't always apply. I'll let someone else get to you on this (i'm not too good at sexing uros).

[formica]

random interest question - what problems does spinach and cabbage cause for Uro's?

[StudentoReptile]

They are high in oxidates and inhibit their ability to process vitamin D and calcium