Uromastyx is a perfect lizard that you can keep as a pet even for beginners. This is because they are friendly, relatively easy to care for, docile, and are fun and entertaining to watch. Furthermore, they are fairly inexpensive reptiles, and you can easily get their food.
The Mali spiny-tailed lizard is also known as the Mali uromastyx. It is regarded as the most commonly uromastyx that is sold as a pet. Mali Uromastyx has a bulky body with a triangular head and a tail, making them very distinct from other lizards.
In this article, we will talk about Uromastyx Mali, where they originate from, how to care for them, their cost, their tank requirement, and the health problems that can affect them.
Contents
What are Uromastyx Mali?
What is this reptile?
The Mali uromastyx entered the pet trade in the mid-1990s. However, they became the most abundant Uromastyx species in captivity in a few years because of their hardiness, low price, and their docile temperament. They are also moderately sized and are mainly vegetarian.
Where Does It Come From?
The Mali spiny-tailed lizard originates from Mali in Africa. They prefer living in hot, arid, broken scrublands filled with rocky outcrops that poke through the fractured clay, stone, and sand soils. Furthermore, they escape from the extreme temperature by digging burrows in the soils.
How Much Does It Cost?
The Mali spiny-tailed lizards are common pet lizards, and you will find them in most pet stores, both offline and online. Furthermore, they are not expensive, and their cost ranges from $50-$200.
How Big Do They Get?
The Mali spiny-tailed lizards are medium-sized lizards, and the males can grow to about 16 inches in length. However, female Mali uromastyx are usually smaller and can grow to about 12 to 14 inches.
Care Level Required
The Mali uromastyx has a docile temperament with a fun and interesting personality. It is quite easy and relatively cheap to care for and feed them. Since they originate from the desert, you will need to make sure that their cage has mild temperatures at night and hot during the day.
Uromastyx Mali Colors
Male Mali Uromastyx colors are usually jet black with bright yellow markings. However, the female Mali uromastyx color is uniform brown or tan. Furthermore, the juvenile Mali spiny-tailed lizard displays a camouflage pattern of charcoal on its gray color.
If you rear hatchling Mali uromastyx in captivity, both sexes will develop jet-black heads, tails, legs, and sides as they grow up.
How Much Does Uromastyx Mali Cost?
Mali Uromastyx is fairly inexpensive, and their cost ranges from $50-$200. Here are some online breeders and the price that they sell their Uromastyx Mali
| Breeders | Price |
| Snake museum | $175 |
| Big apple herp | $169.95 |
| Underground reptiles | $74.99 |
| Blackwater reptiles | $149.99 |
Basic care for Uromastyx Mali
Uromastyx Mali is an active diurnal species that usually bask outside their burrow. They need burrows and rocky cover for thermoregulation in extreme conditions. You need to ensure their basking area temperature is around 110oF.
During the day, their enclosure temperature should be around 85-110o F. At night, you will need to keep their temperature around 75-85oF. Furthermore, they need low humidity for their growth, and you need to make sure the humidity is maintained at 20%.
Uromastyx Mali Lifespan
It is a little tricky to determine the average lifespan of Mali spiny-tailed lizards in captivity. This is because most of the information available about their lifespan is from imported Uros that start their captive life at an unknown age.
Although it has been known and recorded that they can live for more than 30 years, their average lifespan is 15 years.
Does Uromastyx Mali Require Any Special Care Compared To Other Uromastyx?
All Uromastyx originate from extreme hot regions and they need the same care in captivity for them to grow and stay happy.
Tank for Uromastyx Mali
You need to ensure that your uromastyx tank is big enough for them to stay healthy and happy. The size of their tank depends on the size of your pet. However, the tank’s length should be 4-5 times as long as its body, while the width should be twice as long as its body.
The appropriate size for an adult Mali uromastyx is a 55-gallon terrarium, as there will be enough room to move around. The tank needs to have a screened lid for protecting your Uro from escaping.
The screened lid also helps to protect your pet from other pets, small children, and from getting close to heat and lighting fixtures in their tank.
Uromastyx Mali Diet
Mali spiny-tailed lizard is an herbivorous creature but can also feed on bugs that come its way. They will mostly feed on nutritious leafy greens and vegetables, and you can use fruits as an occasional supplement for them.
Unlike most reptiles, spiny-tailed lizards eat every day, and it is a must to give them fresh feed daily.
How often should you feed them on
- leafy greens should be fed seven days a week
- vegetables four days a week
- Seeds six days a week
- Fruits should be fed only as a treat
- Bugs it should be fed only as a treat
Any difference between baby & adult diet? Hatchling uromastyx species can be fed with the same diet as the adult. However, the food should be chopped into smaller pieces.
Furthermore, it is necessary that you dust their food with a calcium supplement. You will also need to feed Mali Uromastyx with about one to two tablespoons of food every day.
Do Uromastyx Mali Need Water?
No. Uromastyx species usually get the water that they need from their diet. However, you can occasionally offer water to them in a small container that cannot be tipped over and leave it in their enclosure for a few hours.
Do you Need to Bathe your Uromastyx Mali?
Despite what you may find on other care sheets for Uros, you need to avoid bathing your Uromastyx Mali. This is because they originate from naturally low humidity, and high humidity levels can lead to medical conditions like tail rot and respiratory infections.
Furthermore, all healthy fluid intake for Uromastyx is gotten through their diet. You should also ensure that you measure the air humidity in their tank every day with a hygrometer.
Common Diseases of Uromastyx Mali
Uromastyx Mali is a hardy creature and can live long and healthy lives with proper care. However, some of the common diseases that can happen to your Uros are stated below.
Metabolic Bone Disease: This is a common health problem for Uros, and it occurs when your Mali spiny-tailed lizard is deficient in calcium or vitamin D3. Some of the symptoms of MBD are partial paralysis, lethargy, deformities, constipation, and seizures.
Digestive Tract Obstruction: This is also called impaction, and it happens when your Uros eats something that it cannot digest. This can be substrate, sand, large food, gravel, etc. Furthermore, these items will then lead to the blockage of their stomach and can even be fatal.
Injuries: Injuries can occur from fighting, accidental fall, or from sharp objects.
Mouth Rot: Mouth rot is known as an infection that can lead to a reddening of the mouth, mouth ulcers, pus, and swelling. This is a health problem that happens when you keep your uromastyx in an enclosure with a low temperature.
Nose Mucus: This is a health problem that can happen when your Uros are excreting excess salt.
Respiratory Infection: This is another common health problem that is caused by too much humidity or too little heat.
Wrapping Up
Uromastyx Mali is a perfect lizard pet for beginner hobbyists due to the friendly and docile temperaments. Furthermore, they are also easy to care for, and providing them with a good home can make them live a long and happy life.