Intro- At Full Spectrum Exotics we are serious about uros. We believe they are the ultimate pet lizard. Their care is simple as long as you are dedicated to it. Their diet is readily available, they don't get too huge, they are easy to handle, and come in a variety of amazing colors. This guide is to give you the basic info you need to succeed with these animals. Our advice comes from years of working with uros and other reptiles but it is not the final word on uro care. As the hobby grows the science of herpetology changes. New information is discovered and new husbandry practices are developed. We strongly believe that the only way to truly give any animal the best care is to never stop trying to learn about them.
Natural History- Uromastyx are in the Agamid family and are also known as spiny tailed lizards or dabb lizards. Their natural range extends through most of North Africa, through the Middle East, South Central Asia, and into India. This is a range of over 5000 miles and through 30 countries! They are actually considered a delicacy and eaten in many of the places they naturally occur. There is not much known about the longevity of uros in captivity or the wild. It is not uncommon for captive animals to live 10-15 years, but many experts believe that life spans up to 35 years is possible. Uromastyxs only defense is its spiny tail which it will swing at its attacker. This behavior is uncommon in captivity. Aggressive uros are actually a rarity. They will also use their tails to block the entrances to burrows or rocky crevices where they sleep.
Heating- This is probably the most important part of Uro keeping. These guys like it HOT!!! Basking sites should be between 110-125 degrees. The cool side of the cage should be between 80-90 with a night time drop of about 10 degrees. Heat lights are essential to providing the proper temps. Uros are baskers so stay away from hot rocks. Under tank heaters are fine but don't expect them to get any where near hot enough to provide your main heat source. You need to provide a thermal gradient where the cage is hot on one side and cooler on the other. This will allow the lizard to choose what temp it wants to be. Adding some rocks or driftwood under the basking site will also provide a vertical gradient.
Diet- Uromastyx are primarily vegetarians. They will eat the occasional insect but too much protein should be avoided. Their diet is very similar to a tortoise diet. We feed mixed greens and millet every day, sometimes twice a day to babies. Frozen veggies and tortoise pellets can also be used as supplements. We recommend sprinkling a quality calcium/vit d3 powder over their food a couple times a week. This mixture will do the same job as uv lighting and is way less expensive. As we mentioned before, a cricket or mealworm is ok ever so often but too much is not healthy. You could also run the risk of your lizard getting spoiled to bugs and refusing to eat its greens. Uros get the water they need from the veggies they eat. A health uro does not need a water dish. It is important to remember that if your uro is not eating well it will dehydrate quickly. In this case we recommend a shallow dish of water or pedialyte.
Caging and Substrate- A good size cage for most adult uros is a 40 breeder. You can get away with a smaller cage temporarily or if you have a baby but we would not recommend going smaller than a 20 long. It is just too difficult to provide the thermal gradient uros need in a small tank. We house our groups in 125 gallon tanks. You can't really go too big. Our first choice in bedding is millet or calcium sand. Millet is cheap, edible, and easy to clean by sifting. It also produces no dust. Calcium sand is fine. It is similar to their natural habitat and is safe if ingested in small quantities. Stay away from quartz, sugar, or play ground sand. Ingesting it is potentially fatal due to intestinal impaction. Some people also use dry coconut husk bedding (bed a beast). It is beneficial to provide low hides for your uros. They should be just tall enough so that when your uro goes in its back touches the top. Put one on the hot side and one on the cool side.
Available Species (Species pics available at fullspecrumexotics.com)
Mali uromastyx (Uromastyx maliensis) Malis are by far the most commonly available species. We usually carry babies to adults. Adult males can become impressive bright gold and black lizards. Females tend to be a sandy brown. Adults usually average about 16-18 inches
Saharan uromastyx (Uromastyx geryi) Also known as Nigerian uromastyx because the bulk of imports come from that country. These guys come in to distinct color phases, yellow and red (or orange). Good looking males are exceptional lizards with near fluorescent red or yellow covering their entire bodies. Females also show color but usually on their stomachs and flanks. Adults average 14-16 inches.
Egyptian uromastyx (Uromastyx aegypticus and U. a. microlepis) these are the largest of the uros with adult sizes reaching up to 36 inches! They tend to be fairly drab lizards, both males and females are grey to brown. These we among the first uros imported into the US. Their large size and docile natures helped put uros on the map. We were also lucky enough to get a few of the only known sub species of Egyptian uros. Microlepis comes from Saudi Arabia. They get just a bit smaller than Egyptians but they keep some of their juvenile pattern and color. Babies are black grey with rows of bright orange spots.
Rainbow Uromastyx (Uromastyx benti) these guys come from the mountains of Yemen. They are considered "ornate uromastyx". They are incredible animals with rows of white spots over yellow, orange, and even blue backs. Benti usually average about 12 inches. Experts believe that there are two distinct subspecies of Benti. Orange benti which are from lower elevations and rainbow benti from higher elevations. These are among the rarest species in most US collections.