Getting one uromastyx is exciting for most owners, but there are many who can’t stop at only 1 uromastyx and want to keep two or more. But here comes the question: can uromastyx be housed together? In this post, you will find if cohabitation is an option with uromastyx, important rules and other tips for housing uromastyx together.
Can uromastyx be housed together?
While it is possible to house two or few uromastyx together, it’s not the best thing to do. No more than 1 male per tank is crucial, but even females might not get along. While housing uromastyx together can work, always be ready to separate them if needed.
Uromastyx don’t need companions or cage mates to be happy. Also, housing two or more uromastyx together might mean stunted growth of one or all of uromastyx. That’s because they can compete for food and space, and cause each other a lot of stress.
Finding out uromastyx gender is not easy and requires them to be adults too, so there’s a big chance you will have to separate them in the future if you are getting babies now. Uromastyx take 3-4 years to mature.
Important things to know before housing uromastyx together
Tip 1: Think about gender suitability
A big problem with housing uromastyx together is that they take few years to mature and you can’t tell their gender before that. This means that housing babies and juveniles is somewhat a mystery, as you don’t know the gender. If both turn out to be males, you will have to separate them. So be prepared for that.
Never house males together. That is dangerous, as both can cause serious injuries to each other, as well as lots of stress. Males will be fighting for dominance, and a submissive one will eventually get stressed and sick.
Housing two or few females is the best choice, if at all. Even females sometimes don’t get along. Also, housing a male and a female is not a good idea unless you wish to breed them. After breeding, females become aggressive towards a male, so you will have to separate them.
Tip 2: Make sure the tank is big enough
While it might be exciting to get another uromastyx, please keep in mind that you will need a tank for two or more uromastyx. It must be much larger to accommodate more climbing, hiding and feeding spots. A single uromastyx needs a 4x2x2 LxWxH feet tank (122x61x61cm), and two – at least 5x2x2 (152x61x61cm).
That is for small-medium species of uromastyx. Large Egyptian uromastyx are not suitable for cohabitation, as they need a lot of space. A single Egyptian uromastyx needs at least a 6x3x3 tank, and two would need a tank that is 1.5-2 times the size of that.
Tip 3: Make sure each uromastyx has enough resources
Following from the previous point, please make sure that each uromastyx can comfortably bask, hide and eat. For this, include lots of hides. Offer lots of food, so that each one can eat enough. A good tip would be to have few spots for feeding your uromastyx. Uromastyx often have preferences of where you put the food – so this can both help with feeding and reducing competition.
Make sure that the basking rock/platform is large enough to fit two or few uromastyx. If you notice that uromastyx start stacking (laying on top of each other), that’s not a good sign. That means that the top uromastyx is a dominant one, trying to get more heat and light.
To fix that, make the basking area larger. If you are using only 1 basking bulb, you can have two fixtures next to each other, but use 2 bulbs (two 50watt heat bulbs instead of one 100watt, for example). This will allow to enlarge the basking area and reach uniform temperatures across a larger area.
You can read a full tank setup guide here (new tab).
Tip 4: Don’t mix species together if there’s a chance of breeding
If you are housing a male and a female for them to breed, make sure there are same species. When there is a chance of breeding and you wanting to incubate eggs, please never mix species. Mixing species is not right, as maintaining the bloodline is crucial. Hatchlings might also develop serious health issues.
Please never house a male and female together if you don’t wish them to breed. Even if you do, you need to separate them after mating so that she can peacefully grow and then lay her eggs.
That’s because male will try to mate more times, causing her a lot of stress. Female is also likely to become very aggressive towards the male after becoming gravid, so you must separate them.
Tip 5: Watch their behavior
You must not house two males together, as they are very likely to start fighting. But however, even females might start getting aggressive towards each other. With hatchlings, some might become stressed and eat/bask less, resulting in slow growth and stress. Make sure there is enough space and that all get to eat and bask equally.
But please note, that some uromastyx can be lazier and sleep more naturally. Weighing and measuring uromastyx can be a good practice to tell how they are growing.
Or, a male can stress a female out when trying to breed. A big sign that female is stressed if when a male is constantly trying to chase and mount her, but she flips on her back. This shows that she doesn’t want to mate.
If you still keep them together after this, she might become very stressed. But also, she might start behaving aggressively towards the male.
Tip 6: Not all uromastyx species are suitable for cohabitation
While uromastyx can generally live together, not all will have the same suitability for that. For example, larger uromastyx species can be harder to keep together, and can be more territorial.
For example, Egyptian uromastyx get very big and single animal needs a lot of space – at least 6x3x3 (LxWxH). Now two Egyptians would need a massive enclosure that is at least 1.5 times this size. Other species, such as Moroccans, Malis and u. acanthinura will also need quite a lot of space and can get extra competitive.
U. geyri tend to be one of the most laid back species of uromastyx. They are smaller and seem to be more tolerant when put together. But everything will depend on each individual’s personality and gender.
Tip 7: Never mix uromastyx and other pet lizards/reptiles
Please do not mix uromastyx and other lizards, such as bearded dragons in one tank. Even though they both need high temperatures, they are still very different.
First of all, bearded dragons need live bugs, and uromastyx do not. Basking temperatures must be higher for uromastyx. There are always some differences in husbandry that makes cohabitation of different pet lizards almost impossible. Bearded dragons are also rather competitive. Don’t mix uromastyx with tortoises or other agamas, either.
All those differences will cause improper living conditions for your pet lizards, and a lot of stress.
Summary – can you house uromastyx together?
While it is possible to house two or few uromastyx together, it’s not a good idea. Uromastyx don’t need a cage mate or a ‘friend’. Living alone means that your uromastyx gets a proper chance to fully develop in a stress-free environment.
Unless you need to breed uromastyx (which also means you remove the male right after mating or few), you should avoid keeping few uromastyx together.
Avoid keeping larger or more competitive uromastyx together (Egyptian, Moroccan etc.), and always be prepared to separate uromastyx if you decide to have few together. And also, never mix reptiles – it’s never a good idea.