Uromastyx Care?

Im curious to know if anyone here keeps uromastyx (spiny tailed lizards). Im planning on getting by the end of march and i'm hoping someone here will be able to give me some tips.

The humidity in my rep room is 50% so would the basking light be able to lower it to 30%? is lower than 30% acceptable?
How big of a water dish do they need?
Do they need a hide on both the basking end and on the cool side?
Is a mixture of sterilized play sand and peat moss and acceptable substrate?
How often do you feed crickets or mealworms and how often do you dut their veggies?

Sorry for my bombardment of questions but id like to be as prepared as possible:D

So first off Uromastyx are awesome! They're a little hard to take care of but rewarding to keep if you do it right. I've tried to answer your questions below, but I'm no substitute for a good care guide and this is a very low level explanation of their care. It's also been a couple of years since I had one, she was a "Rescue" and was pushing 12 when she passed so I only got to spend a short time with her.


The humidity in my rep room is 50% so would the basking light be able to lower it to 30%? is lower than 30% acceptable?
With the temps that these guys require, your heating elements should dry out the enclosure enough to get you down into that sweet spot. I liked to keep mine somewhere between 20%-30% and had great success. Just keep in mind like with anything else you want temp and humidity gauges throughout your enclosure. These guys prefer HUGE temp gradients to move around in, so also remember that you're going to need a big enclosure.

How big of a water dish do they need?
Typically I didnt see mine drinking a lot of water, especially if they're eating a good diet of fresh greens. Now some subspecies do drink more water in captivity, so I would give them a bowl and just pay attention to what they do with it. They have a special gland that helps them conserve water, so they may not touch it, but as long as it's not raising your humidity over what you want it at, you can leave some in there for them to have.

Do they need a hide on both the basking end and on the cool side?
I would. Also plenty of stuff for them to climb on.

Is a mixture of sterilized play sand and peat moss and acceptable substrate?
I'm not sure about the peat moss, not sure that it's needed. Play sand is typically what I use, and while some people will yell and cuss and fight over sand and the risk of impaction, with an older uro I never had any issue. Younger animals of course should be kept on paper towel so you can monitor their droppings for any issues.

How often do you feed crickets or mealworms and how often do you dut their veggies?
A couple of crickets or mealworms a month if any at all. Most of their diet should be made up of veggies and seeds that you'll want to dust weekly with calcium powder and a good multivitamin.

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Originally Posted by Hugsplox

So first off Uromastyx are awesome! They're a little hard to take care of but rewarding to keep if you do it right. I've tried to answer your questions below, but I'm no substitute for a good care guide and this is a very low level explanation of their care. It's also been a couple of years since I had one, she was a "Rescue" and was pushing 12 when she passed so I only got to spend a short time with her.


The humidity in my rep room is 50% so would the basking light be able to lower it to 30%? is lower than 30% acceptable?
With the temps that these guys require, your heating elements should dry out the enclosure enough to get you down into that sweet spot. I liked to keep mine somewhere between 20%-30% and had great success. Just keep in mind like with anything else you want temp and humidity gauges throughout your enclosure. These guys prefer HUGE temp gradients to move around in, so also remember that you're going to need a big enclosure.

How big of a water dish do they need?
Typically I didnt see mine drinking a lot of water, especially if they're eating a good diet of fresh greens. Now some subspecies do drink more water in captivity, so I would give them a bowl and just pay attention to what they do with it. They have a special gland that helps them conserve water, so they may not touch it, but as long as it's not raising your humidity over what you want it at, you can leave some in there for them to have.

Do they need a hide on both the basking end and on the cool side?
I would. Also plenty of stuff for them to climb on.

Is a mixture of sterilized play sand and peat moss and acceptable substrate?
I'm not sure about the peat moss, not sure that it's needed. Play sand is typically what I use, and while some people will yell and cuss and fight over sand and the risk of impaction, with an older uro I never had any issue. Younger animals of course should be kept on paper towel so you can monitor their droppings for any issues.

How often do you feed crickets or mealworms and how often do you dut their veggies?
A couple of crickets or mealworms a month if any at all. Most of their diet should be made up of veggies and seeds that you'll want to dust weekly with calcium powder and a good multivitamin.

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Alright thank you so much:D so when you say big enclosure do you mean like a 40 gallon? The petco near me has one for super cheap (50$) and most of them I see are 100$.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ball_Pythons4life

Alright thank you so much:D so when you say big enclosure do you mean like a 40 gallon? The petco near me has one for super cheap (50$) and most of them I see are 100$.

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A 40 may work initially, but remember these guys have to have a basking spot of upwards of 120 degrees, so you have to figure, if I have a heat lamp on one end of a 40 gallon making a 120 degree basking spot, how hot is my cool end?

I would recommend planning for AT LEAST a 4x2x2 enclosure, if not a little bigger for a larger uro. The bigger always the better. Uros aren't like a BP they want some room to move around. If your familiar with bearded dragon care, the enclosure recommendations are typically the same.

^^^

Oh ok, My friend bought a beardie around the same time I bought a bp. Thanks a lot :D:D