The warm side should be between 95F and 100F with the surface temp of the basking rock being between 120F and 130F. The cool side should be in the 80s. You should also have a UV-B bulb within 12" of the basking rock. The subtrate should be birdseed without sunflower seeds. Millet works well.

You should be feeding a variety of foods. I recamend going to www.deerfern farms.com and reading the care sheet as their are certain greens that other sub-species of uromastyx can eat that ornates cannot, but I can’t remember what those greens are right now. I believe it was collard,kale and mustard greens. Bok choy,dandelion greens,escarola and endive. Cactus pads are also accepted but the needles need to be pulled out. Also the occasional mango.papaya and apple is appriciated.Do not feed any kind of animal matter.

Uromastyx grow very slowly. It takes some close to 4 years to reach full size. Because of this they are expected to live very long, up to or evan past 30 years. Ornates only grow to about 11". I would not be worried about you uro.

The water bowl in my opinion is asking for trouble. Uromastyx come from very arid climates and adding any humidity to an enclousure like that from a water bowl can cause respitory disease. Now there are some that have in recent years have started putting water bowls in their uro’s cages. Their argument is simple: Uromastyx are burrowing lizards and burrows most likely had moisture in them. In fact the site expert, uro_fan has started putting water and including a moist hide in some of her uro’s cages. To me it is too early to tell if this will in the long term have negative effects. I would ditch the water bowl. Tell your mom that uro’s get all their water from eating their food much like they do in the wild, not much water in the sahara desert. Uros are so well adapted to their nateral enviorment that changing it even slightly is a bad idea.

One again, I feel the need to address a few statements from your post:

“their are certain greens that other sub-species of uromastyx can eat that ornates cannot”

This is a new one to me. I have not heard of greens that are specific to certain species. Considering we feed nothing to these animals from their native habitat, how were you able to determine that one animal could eat certain items and another could not? Help me here on where you obtained this data.

“I believe it was collard,kale and mustard greens. Bok choy,dandelion greens,escarola and endive”

Doug does not feed mustard greens (nor do I) so please do not guess at things. Look facts up rather than state them incorrectly with a ‘guess’. Most people will not take the time to look up information that other people are giving so listing something that is incorrect can do harm. You are the one publishing this information out here- you should look it up and get it right before posting it or just leave it at: ’go to this site".

“The subtrate should be birdseed”

No rcb, the substrate ‘can’ be birdseed. “Should be’ is just your opinion.

“not much water in the sahara desert.”

Compared to what? I guess this is all relevant. Do you know anything about the specific habitat of the animal you are speaking about? Do you know that ornates travel down to wadies to eat and build their burrows in the wadi to lay their eggs? Do you know what a wadi is or the humidity level of burrows dug in this area? Do you know how long the rainy season is in this area or how these burrows retain moisture? Do you know what the humidity level is of the deep rock crevices these animals sleep in or how the daytime/nighttime temperature fluctuation might result in moisture on the rock surfaces? Do you know whether ornates lick this moisture in the early morning hours? Do you know anything about what you type other than what you have heard (and often misinterpret) from others?

“Their argument is simple: Uromastyx are burrowing lizards and burrows most likely had moisture in them.”

There is no ‘most likely’ about it. Burrows can contain a fair amount of humidity- this is researched and documented. (not all uromastyx use underground burrows for sleeping chambers either.)

“uro_fan has started putting water and including a moist hide in some of her uro’s cages. To me it is too early to tell if this will in the long term have negative effects.”

Negative effect of what Rcb? Do you know the humidity level of my enclosures? How about the humidity level of the hides I am using? Do you know how much time my uromastyx spend in the hides? Do you know whether the hides or water dish raises the humidity level in the enclosures or how much they might raise it? If not, then negative effect from what? What if the humidity level in my enclosure’s with a water dish is no greater than yours without? Again, negative effect from what?

“Uros are so well adapted to their nateral enviorment that changing it even slightly is a bad idea.”

Hmmm…. Well, if we have established that some uromastyx spend nights and partial days in burrows with a fairly moderate humidity and if you are keeping your humidity level low (lets assume 20%) at all times and not offering a humid hide then wouldn’t YOU be changing something (more than slightly) from their natural habitat?

If I remember correctly, fifty percent of your uromastyx diet consists of frozen vegetables made up of corn and other non-green leaf items. Wouldn’t feeding a diet of fresh greens rather than one made up of a significant amount of frozen vegetables be more geared towards their natural environment? Aren’t you changing what these animals are adapted to more than slightly?

You see rcb, we took these animals out of their natural environment so we need to think about what their needs are rather than following blindly. We need to constantly think about why the mortality and health problems for captive uromastyx is so high. Keeping these animals in hot dry cage with low humidity 24 hours a day is not like the natural environment you are telling us they are adapted for just as throwing a uromastyx in an enclosure and subjecting it to 60% humidity 24 hours a day is not what they are adapted for. Why wouldn’t keeping a lower humidity in the enclosure and offering a humid hide so it has a ‘choice’ be more realistic when comparing to their natural habitat?

You need to start thinking rather than just posting. You need to do some of your own research (credible research such as educational studies and sites) and start thinking on your own rather than repeating what someone says. You have misinterpreted quite a few things that I have said on this forum along with quite a few things that Doug Dix has said.

This recent post has caused concern for someone new who came here to learn. In more than one post you have stated that offering a water dish is dangerous and will cause respiratory infection. This is just not always the case. While the humidity level must be taken into consideration, a water dish will not necessarily always cause problems. You need to look at the entire picture- what species, the gradient, overall humidity level of the enclosure, ventilation of the enclosure, health of the animal….ect. If a uromastyx constantly lays in its water dish then yes, remove it. If you want to leave a shallow bowl in the enclosure and your temperatures are correct and the humidity level is not elevated significantly, then do so.

I personally have seen an improvement in shed times with the addition of a humid hide. Although I feel uromastyx do get enough moisture from their diet for digestion and such, what if direct humidity on the outer layer of the skin (such as what a burrow in nature might provide) is necessary for proper shed?

My six month old geryi regularly drink water from a shallow lid in addition to a diet primarily consisting of fresh greens.

This is not always a black and white science.

The funny part is that I read ornate friend’s post as saying his/her enclosure is only 4x2x2 ’inches’.

I re-read that post several times to try and figure out if ’in’ meant inches but based on the structure of the sentence- I think this was the intent. This of course is not possible but at the same time, I wonder why the extreme exaggeration and how large of an enclosure ornate friend really has?

Never seeing a tank as big as a 40 gallon, the basking bulb four inches from the basking spot, owning a uro for six months and not knowing what a gradient temperature is….just all seems a little strange to me.

You said that the 4x2x2 was a typo.

Now my curiosity is up, what did you mean to type when you accidentally said " because mine is only a little bigger than 4x2x2 in."

Tell your mom that this isn’t your normal chat room. It’s really a forum that exchanges information, we argue a bit, we laugh a bit and we care a lot. My youngest son is 12, Pogo’s his baby but I’ve taken over the care of him while he’s at school. That’s why my name is Pogo’s grandma. Maybe Rex’s grandma will come on here to "chat" with us sometimes. I started on here just like everybody else to learn about the care of my uro. To answer your question:

Good for your mom- I agree with her.