PROCEEDINGS OF THE
NORTH AMERICAN VETERINARY CONFERENCE
VOLUME 20
JANUARY 7-11, 2006
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
SMALL ANIMAL EDITION
Reprinted in the IVIS website (http://www.ivis.org) with the permission of the NAVC.
For more information on future NAVC events, visit the NAVC website at www.tnavc.org
The North American Veterinary Conference — 2006
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WORKING WITH UROMASTYX LIZARDS
Kevin Wright, DVM
University Animal Hospital
Tempe, AZ
Uromastyx lizards are among the more popular pet
lizards. There are at least 14 different species of these
desert-adapted lizards, although only a few are being
regularly imported or bred in captivity. The dull-colored
uromastyx belong to two different species. The Egyptian
uromastyx (U. aegypticus) is a large animal, often more
than 15 inches in length, with exceptionally large
specimens sometimes exceeding 24 inches. Some male
Egyptian uromastyx may turn yellowish when warm and
the females may turn white. The Indian uromastyx
(U. hardwicki) is one of the more primitive forms with
short rounded spines on the tail. It is a smaller species,
and seems to be especially adaptable to being a
“companion animal.”
The more colorful uromastyx lizards require daytime
levels of high heat, bright light with a high color
rendering index and temperature, and high levels of
ultraviolet-B light to show their full colors. The mali
uromastyx (U. d. maliensis) and the Moroccan
uromastyx (U. acanthinurus) can be yellow, green, red,
orange, or a combination of colors. The Somalian
uromastyx (U. macfadyeni) is blue while the Saharan or
Niger uromastyx (U. gehryi) is red. Juvenile uromastyx
can be difficult to identify and lack the brilliant hues of
adults. Females tend to be much less colorful than
males.
Most health problems are due to inappropriate
husbandry conditions. A significant variation between
day and night parameters is essential. Day temperature
should have a hotspot that reaches 110–130°F with the
cool end of the cage being 80–90°F. Night temperatures
should drop to 60–80°F. Uromastyx housed indoors
need ultraviolet-B bulbs with high output for at least 4 hr
a day with lower intensity ultraviolet-B bulbs on for at
least 8 hrs. Additional lighting may be provided with
fluorescent tubes that have high CRI (95 or higher) and
temperature (5500–6000°K). Dim light often results in
poor appetite, poor colors, and abnormal behaviors. The
photoperiod should change over the year, consistent
with outside lighting, and many uromastyx benefit from a
brumation period for 8 to 12 weeks during the winter.
The uromastyx diet should be primarily salad-based
with dark green leafy vegetables accounting for the bulk
1692
of the items fed. Romaine, escarole, kale, cabbage,
turnip greens, collard greens, mustard greens, dandelion
greens, and cilantro should be about 70 to 85% of the
diet. Green beans, corn, peas, and other produce can be
used as treats. Uromastyx usually eagerly eat dried
beans, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and seed
sticks designed for parrots. Supplementation with
calcium is essential, at least 1–2 g/kg of wet produce.
Multivitamin supplements should be added to the food
every 1 to 2 weeks. Ornate and Moroccan uromastyx eat
insects eagerly, and juveniles of all species may eat
insects. The Egyptian uromastyx is more finicky and
typically only eats plant material.
Water should be available but most uromastyx only
drink from fog condensing on their bodies or from rain.
Once or twice a week it is a good practice to fog a
uromastyx enclosure at night with a humidifier to
adequate opportunities for the lizard to drink. In the wild,
they maintain their hydration by retreating to high
humidity burrows or crevices. These are lacking in most
captive enclosures. Occasional soaking in a shallow
pool of water may be helpful.
Signs of illness include lumps and bumps in the skin
and joints (often a sign of bacterial infection, gout, or
nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism), runny stools
(parasitism,
gastroenteritis),
dark
dull
colors
(immunosuppresion, infection), and sunken eyes
(dehydration, gout). It is normal to have a ring of white
crust around the nostrils as this is expelled by the salt
glands inside the nose.
Unless you know this trick, you will be frustrated trying
to orally medicate a uromastyx. Their jaws close
extremely tightly and the teeth interdigitate in a manner
that makes them very resistant to the usual tactic for
opening a lizard’s mouth (i.e., inserting a speculum at
the corner or tip of the jaw). However, all the commonly
kept uromastyx lizards have a small gap between their
two front teeth that is large enough to accommodate the
passage of a small catheter. Liquid medications can be
trickled into the mouth through this dental gap.
There are no unusual dosages for uromastyx but I do
tend to provide intracoelomic fluids along with all
medications that are modified or excreted by the kidney.
I use a reptile fluid developed by Dr. Jim Jarchow —
1 part 2.5% dextrose and 0.45% saline with 1 part
Normosol or Plasmalyte-128. This provides a solution
that is closer to the osmolality of reptile plasma than
lactated Ringers, 0.9% saline, or the commonly used
fluids for mammal therapy.