What should i get them?

Discussion in 'Uromastyx' started by skyypixi, Nov 12, 2006.

  1. skyypixi

    skyypixi Embryo

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    Ok my boyfriend has a baby Mali Uromastyx, under a year old...now we all know what time of year we are approaching i want to get a few things for the tank...any suggestions? He has a twenty gallon now, but she will be upgrading to a much larger tank when she is larger. I know nothing other then they are desert reptiles, climbing things, drift wood any spcific web sites any input would be great. I am even considering buying her adult cage...
    thank you so much
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. jayhay

    jayhay Well-Known Member

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    A larger cage is the the first thing you should invest in. I am a strong believer in this. 40g is the min, as the heat gradient for these guys is from 130 on the hot side to 85 on the cool side. This is nearly impossible to obtain in a 20g. If you are contemplating it, a larger tank is a great idea, your uro will thank you for it :)

    Other this this, it is usually a good idea to stay away from fake plants (although I break this rule b/c Moe is stupid enough to not notice them, lol..or smart enough to avoid them...:) as Uros often mistake these for green they can eat. Otherwise, a hot hide, a cool hide and a nice basking spot are essentials. Anohter suggestion is a sand box. I use this and many others have told me that they like it too. Lol, once again I will post the link, but I am sure some are getting tired of this pic, lol :)
    [​IMG]

    Post pics of your finished tank.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. skyypixi

    skyypixi Embryo

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    Yeh we are definately gonna upgrade the tank size, but she is only a baby now no bigger then my hand, under a year old. Is sand really bad for them as a substrate? I thought they were desert animals...I know its bad for them to have sand bu their food in case they ingest it but your supposed to not give them sand at all. Does anyone have any info about this even a link? Thanks.
    And your set up is really nice by the way.
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. jayhay

    jayhay Well-Known Member

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    As for the sand, adult uros can live happily on it no problem, but you need to be careful. For babies, I would not use it (use either tile, reptile carpet, paper towels ect). Even for adults, you need to create a place where their food can be elevated from the sand so they do not eat any. They are super messy eaters, and they tend to throw the food around, and then eat it, lol. I prefer tile b/c this way he can throw the food on the ground, and he won't get a mouthful of sand when he goes back for it. Also, with the big tanks these guys need, lifting them to dump the sand out is a PAIN, and it needs to be done at least monthly because their urine is liquid. With tile, I can just sweep it daily (with a small broom and dust pan I got at the dollar store), and remove it to wash monthly. It is much easier to lift the tank to wash it out when there is nothing in it. However, b/c they are desert animals, I provide a sand box for basking and digging.

    As for the size of the tank, about the size of your hand is big enough for a larger cage. Like I said earlier, IMO, a 20g is just not big enough to create the proper heat gradient, no matter what the size of the uro. Some people like starting with a smaller cage like you are doing, but in these cases, 30g is usually the min for even a baby uro. I should think that he is ready for the larger tank now. If you plan on getting a 40-55g, (these are the min you can go, I would suggest you go bigger) then I should think he would be fine in it now (they love space! and you don't have to worry about them finding their food, as it stays in one place, lol. With leos and such, big cages are an issue b/c they eat live pray, and they need to find it. Uros should be fed No live pray). If you are getting a 60-100g (this would mean a vary happy uro), then you might want to partition it off a little....but again, IMO, these guys do so much better in bigger cages. People often complain about their uros being sluggish and not doing much, but I really believe that half the time the cage just isn't big enough!
     

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