I have a mali uro. He eats the same things my dragons eat. They can be great animals to have actually. But it is my understanding that unless you buy from a REPUTABLE breeder, you are most likely getting an import out of a pet shop. Mine was an import. He was rather light in color when I got him, but as he has gotten older, he is pretty dark, I would not say black, but he is dark. He is not the most friendly either. A friend of mine has a mali or two he got from one of the big breeders, and he got them as youngins' and his are sweet. So I would say the younger you get it the better. If you are unsure of its origin, I would PLAN on getting a fecal done, as mine came to me with problems b/c of being an import. Also, dont let size fool you, because I was told at the time I purchased mine, he was not any older than 6 months (at approx. 6 or 7 inches long), but in the 2 years or so I have had him now, he really has only grown a couple of inches even with good feeding. So he is not as big as most of the literature I have found on them. Size is just not a good indication of age I think.

Looking back at how my mali came to me, I wish I had known what I know now and gone through a reputable breeder, because in all honesty, he was a $60 animal at the store, but cost me another $150 plus in vet bills. I could have taken my money and gotten a young uro from a reputable breeder and had a better experience and an animal I did not have to try to acclimate to captivity plus treat for parasites, who is not as friendly as I would have liked. This does in no way mean I dont like my uro, in fact I love him, but it was a heck of a roller coaster starting out with him to get to the point he is today.