Kate's Uromastyx Page

 The Genus

Appearance: The uromastyx is a medium-sized vegetarian lizard ranging from 6 to 30 inches long. They have blunt snouts, a spiky tail, and a distinct pot belly. Their legs are short and muscular. They have heavy claws and have eye ridges that make them look adorable. All of the different species of uromastyx come in a variety of colors. Some, like the Sudanese Uromastyx (Uromastyx Ocellata), are brightly colored. Others, like the Banded Uromastyx (Uromastyx Flavofaciata), are dull. Males tend to be larger than females.

Habitat: The Uromastyx lives in deserts (mostly in oases) , scrubs, and sometimes hot rocky plains. These harsh environments are hard to survive in for most other animals, but uromastyx have special adaptations that keep them happy and healthy (not to mention fat). For one thing, uromastyx don't need to drink water to survive. They also have glands in their nostrils that excrete unneeded salt consumed when they dig. Their behavior is also different from most desert animals. To avoid the heat of the sun, desert animals usually come out at night when it's cooler. The uromastyx, on the other hand, is diurnal (meaning they are most active during the day). But why would uromastyx do this? The uromastyx, a fat delicious little piece of prey, needs to hide from the hungry desert predators that would love to eat something. So they come out during the day, while their predators come out at night.

Behavior: Uromastyx stand out among reptiles. Unlike all reptiles except crocadillians, uromastyx care for their young. Their offspring stay in their parent's burrow until they are adolescents, and even then they stay close. While the young do this, the parents stay with them, protect them, and also provide food. Another thing about uromastyx that makes them stand out is their highly complex, by reptile standards, social behavior. They live in medium to large sized groups generally ranging from 20-50 individuals; although in some cases where there is a large supply of food, water, and mates, their numbers can reach 100. Their groups are simply clusters of mating pairs and extended family groups. Mating occurs after any long relatively cold winter. A male attracts females by "circling", an act were he holds his tail near his nose and walks in circles. The more persistant his circling the more likely he is to attract a mate. Occasionally males may attract more than one mate . Uromastyx communicate by hissing, clicking, and "waving" at each other.

As Pets

General: It may seem suprising but Uromastyx actually make wonderful pets, if you're willing to accommodate them. Why? Well, first of all they very rarely bite and have a calm laid-back nature. They form strong bonds with their owners. Also, as previously mention, they are vegetarians, which can make feeding easier.

Caging: A cage for any type of lizard should be at least 4 times longer than the lizard is long, and it should be at least 1.5 times as wide as the lizard is long. The height of the cage depends on the species of lizard; the uromastyx's cage height should be high enough to contain it if it is an open lid and if it is a closed cage it should be high enough so the lizard can't burn itself on the installed light fixtures. Most uromastyx cage heights are about 2 feet high. For example, a cage for a Mali Uromastyx (Uromastyx Maliensis) which is around 12-16 in. long, should be housed in a cage about 48-64 inches long, 16-24 inches long, and about 2 feet high. Egyptian Uromastyx (Uromastyx Aegypticus) are the exception when it come to size. They range from 24 inches to 30 inches, six inches more than the second biggest Uromastyx. The ideal cage for them is 8 feet to 10 feet long, 36 inches to 45 inches wide, and about 3 feet high from sand to top. They need at least a foot of sand.

Lighting/Heat: Uromastyx like it hot! They must have a basking area that ranges between 110 degrees F and 120 degrees F during the day. No, that's not a typo! This is actually easy with a Zoo-Med light bulb or some other reptile basking bulb (reflector or flood type bulb) shining on a rock or other smooth, hard, conductor (like a dark tile). Do NOT use hot rocks or other electric underbelly heaters. These can cause serious injury to your uromastyx, or any other reptile, because they don't have nerve endings on their stomachs. In other words, they can't feel how hot it is until it's too late, until they burn.  A heat source is essential even at night. Uromastyx have a hard time sleeping if you use a bulb that produces light. This is because they are diurnal. This problem can be solved with a ceramic heating element which produces heat with no light. At night the cage temperature should be between 75 degrees F and 85 degrees F. If your Uromastyx is housed outside temperatures should still stay within this range.

Bedding: Bedding is probably the most potentially dangerous part of the cage. Picking out the right bedding is essential if you want a healthy, happy lizard. There are some beddings that can even kill your lizard.  One example of an extremely dangerous bedding type is coconut bark. Uromastyx some times eat their bedding for the minerals. When they eat the coconut bark it poisons them and causes intestinal pain. Some examples of proper bedding are sand and bird seed.

Feeding: One reason that Uromastyx are so easy to care for is that they are primarily vegetarians. Their diet consists of dark leafy greens, occasional insects, dry beans, seeds, vitamin and mineral powders, and a small amounts of fruit. Good amounts of parsley, red leaf lettuce, endive, and wheat grass are very good for them. Small berries like blueberries (which they absolutely love) or raspberries. They shouldn't have too much fruit because they will get diarrhea. Uromastyx under a year old should be fed an insect every other week while adults should be given insects once every 2 months. They should be fed every day, and if youngsters eat their food quickly they can be given more on the same day.   

All Uromastyx pictures from here