uromastyx care sheet

[leolover2]

Could someone please give me a link to a good mali uromastyx care sheet?
Thank You

 

[geckocraze]

Mali Uromastyx

Housing:

The larger the better when it comes to enclosures for your Mali uromastyx. A hatchling can be housed in a 1o gallong enclosure for a month or so, then should be moved up to at least a 20-long. When they are half-grown, Uros should be moved into their adult-sized enclosure.The absolute minimum size we can recommend for a single, adult, small species of Uromastyx t is a 50 gallon terrarium. Enclosures should typically be longer than they are high. Groups should be housed in much larger enclosures with numerous caves for hiding and space for basking. Glass is a great choice for display of your uromastyx, allowing for optimum vision and brightness.

Lighting/heating:

Uromastyx like it HOT! The key to heating your enclosure is providing a temperature gradient from a hot basking zone, to a cooler hide area. Basking temps should reach well over 100 degrees F. We suggest around 120 degrees. The cooler zone should be around 85 degrees. Place caves on hot and cool sides of the enclosure. We suggest lighting from above (bulb and fixture) to simulate natural sun over undertank heaters.

The brighter the light, the better. Uromastyx thrive under a good full spectrum UV source. We recommend active UV/heat bulbs. These bulbs are slightly more expensive than fluorescent tubes, but work double time to give your uromastyx quality UV and producing heat at the same time. You may also use fluorescent UV full spectrum tubes, although they do not produce the same UV quality. The colors and health of your lizard depend on good bright light and UV. Your uromastyx will also benefit from natural sunlight and we recommend putting your lizard outside in a safe enclosure to bask for at least 30 minutes per week.

Substrate:

Washed playsand (you can purchase this in 50 lb. bags at home depot) is a good choice for substrate. We recommend this over the "digestible" high-end sands sold at pet stores (such as calci sand). We have found that it is difficult to monitor the lizards’ calcium intake if they live on calci sand and are a bit concerned with the large size of the sand particles. And playsand can be as cheap as $2 a bag! Other people house uromastyx on birdseed or newspaper (newspaper is good if you are concerned about impaction).

Numerous hides should be placed within the enclosure to make your uromastyx feel secure. Decorative rocks for basking are also desirable. Don't use electric heat-rocks! Rocks placed under your heat lamp will naturally heat up. Logs and fake plants may also be nice in your enclosure.



Feeding/supplementation:

Uromastyx are primarily green eaters. A green mixture should be offered to malis of all ages on a daily basis. Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, and dandelion greens should be staple. Too much kale, spinach, and iceberg lettuce can cause problems. In addition to greens, a vegetable mixture can be offered consisting of carrots, lima beans, peas, corn, etc. Fruits can be offered occasionally as well. Dandelion flowers and cactus are also relished.

Insects such as crickets and mealworms are enjoyed, but should be offered to adults very rarely. It is quite possible to raise a healthy uromastyx entirely on plant matter. However, young uros need more protein than adults and can be supplemented crickets and superworms more frequently. Just remember that they need to develop a good appetitie for greens and such and that their long-term dietary behaviors should not be compromised by feeding too many crickets and worms.

Water:
this is a debatable subject when it comes to Mali uromastyx. We do not leave any water in our enclosures. We suggest that you do not spray your uromastyx. The malis will get most of the water that they need from their fresh veggies. Our malis do occasionally enjoy a warm bath set up outside. Make sure that your uromastyx is fully dry before returning to his/her enclosure.

Supplementation:
Uromastyx should be given both vitamin and calcium supplementation. The level of D3 supplementation depends on how much you expose your lizard to natural sunlight or mercury vapor bulbs.

Diseases & Disorders:

Uromastyx are hardy reptiles when captive bred in the pet trade, yet they still can succumb to numerous diseases and problems.

We are not veterinarians; please do not use this information as a replacement for taking your lizard to a vet. This information is meant to raise your awareness of signs and possible problems. If you notice that your lizard is ill, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a reptile specialist.

Several pointers to ensure optimal health for your uromastyx:

Follow all housing, heating/lighting, and feeding/supplementation requirements for your lizard.
We recommend not housing uromastyx with other species of reptiles. Different reptiles come from many different environments requiring different needs in captivity. Even animals that come from similar environments can cause stress and pass parasites onto your uromastyx, costing the life of your lizard.
Do not house uromastyx of different sizes together—this is a sure problem for the smaller lizards’ health. Do not house males together.
Keep your cages and food clean! Clean and sift poop often. Remove all old food.
Wash your hands before and after handling your lizard. Be sure to sanitize hands in between handling different reptile species. (Hand sanitizer is a good thing to have handy).
If you want to acquire a second uromastyx, buy captive bred from a reputable breeder/dealer. A wild caught specimen can cost the life of your hand raised captive-bred uromastyx. Follow proper quarantine procedures before placing animals together.
Calcium/Vitamin Deficiency:

This is a serious problem that can have permanent effects on the life of your uromastyx. Too little D3 and calcium can lead to metabolic bone disease. Some early symptoms of this problem include the shaking, twitching, or stiffness of limbs (especially rear legs), separation of the mouth, and difficulty chewing food. If this problem is caught early enough, supplementation and exposure to natural sun can be good remedies.

Parasites:

Even with captive-bred Uromastyx, there are still numerous parasites that can become a problem. Many lizards can live with these parasites without problems, but symptoms can often be triggered by stress (such as contact with an other lizard or animal, change of enclosures, hibernation, breeding, etc.) Parasites often come from food and unclean cage conditions so that it is imperative to keep proper hygiene in these areas. Clean cages often, sift feces out daily, make sure that your insects are in clean environments, and remove all old food from your enclosure and your cricket/worm containers. We encourage that you bring fecal samples to your vet often to check for parasites (this is a relatively inexpensive procedure). Symptoms of parasites include constantly runny and smelly stool (more foul smelling than normal), an inability to retain weight, loss of appetite, loss of weight. Do not hesitate to bring your lizard to a vet if you see these signs. Treatments are relatively easy to administer and successful, especially if the parasite is caught early.

Mites:

If your uromastyx is captive bred, mites should not be a problem. Mites are small bugs that can be seen on the lizard. There are several products on the market that can take care of the problem. We recommend checking with your vet before administering these products.

Egg binding:

Egg binding can happen for several reasons but is more likely to happen during the first breeding cycle with infertile eggs. This can be a serious problem and should be discussed with a vet. Suggestions for prevention include making sure the female is old enough, big enough, and healthy enough to breed; making sure that proper supplementation has been in place during her growth period, making a suitable lay spot available, and avoiding stress to the animal.

Respiratory problems:

The presence of mucous (not salt deposits), listlessness, watery eyes, and open mouth (often raspy) breathing (do not confuse this with venting due to heat) are signs of respiratory problems. These problems are often due to low heat conditions and excessive moisture. Be sure to check your temperatures and humidity levels, and contact your vet for treatment.

Kidney problems:

Uromastyx are primarily green eaters. Too much protein (insects) in their diet can cause kidney problems and eventually lead to the death of your uromastyx. Please follow the suggested feeding regimen.

Here is the link to the site,

http://www.sundialreptile.com/care sheet--uro.htm

Hope this info helps you out.

 

[leolover2]

Thank You very much!

 

[geckocraze]

Hey no problem, I myself have a uromastyx and the caresheet was in my favorites. Hope you the best of luck with your uro, do you plan on breeding?

 

[Lalo Lalo]

You could always google on the latin name + caresheet.

 

[leolover2]

Hey no problem, I myself have a uromastyx and the caresheet was in my favorites. Hope you the best of luck with your uro, do you plan on breeding?

No I think im just going to keep one as a pet for now.

 

[geckocraze]

That cool, I was just wondering