After getting a tank for your uromastyx, you need to decide which substrate you will use. Choosing the correct substrate is very important to keep your uromastyx both happy and healthy. In this post, you will find a list of best and worst substrate options for your uromastyx.
Best substrate options for uromastyx
Paper towels
First of all, let’s start with paper towels. Paper towels are cheapest and safest substrate for all lizards. You should definitely consider having paper towel as the substrate in the portion of the tank for an adult uromastyx.
However, you should keep a baby uromastyx entirely on paper towels until it reaches 3-4 months old. After that, you can add burrowing substrate in the tank. This will help avoid any ingestion and impaction.
Playsand mixed with topsoil and preferably topped with granite or large rocks
Playsand mixed with topsoil for aeration is a great burrowing substrate. Make sure your uromastyx is at least 3-4 months old before you introduce burrowing substrate.
You will need to get soft play sand. Make sure to get washed play sand like this. Don’t get calcium sand or very fine sand. Most uromastyx in the wild are found on rock outcrops and not on pure sand. Mix around 40% sand and 60% soil.
Instead of topsoil you can also use pure soil without plant food, or soil for reptiles like this. Don’t buy soil with additives, such as perlite, vermiculite or plant food. Before using any soil, make sure to sterilize it by baking for 35-45 minutes at 200-220 F (93-105 C). Avoid using coconut coir (fiber) as it’s better suited for higher humidity requiring reptiles.
Top the substrate with some large granite rocks, and not small pebbles that can be swallowed. Make sure to scoop out any poop and urates daily, and replace the substrate fully each month.
Playsand mixed with clay and topped up with granite or large rocks
Once again, washed play sand mixed with some clay like this can make good substrate for your uromastyx. Addition of clay will make the sand feel more ‘rocky’ and add some roughage. Make sure not to use the dusty parts of clay substrate.
Mix around 70% sand and 30% clay. Also a good idea to top the substrate up with granite rocks like this. This will imitate the natural substrate. Don’t use small pebbles or rocks that can be swallowed. Similarly to sand + soil, scoop out any waste daily and replace the substrate with fresh once a month.
Ceramic or slate tiles
Ceramic or slate tiles are ideal to use for substrate in the tank, at least on one side. Choose unglazed tiles or something like a ceramic baking stone like this. The best spot to use the tile is in the basking spot or the middle, where it will hold the heat well to help increase basking temperatures.
The mix of substrates – the best choice
Mixing different types of bedding on various tank sides is the best choice. To do that, divide the tank into 3 sides – hot spot, middle, cool spot.
The best substrates for hot spot are paper towels or tile. If using tile in the basking spot, make sure it doesn’t get too hot. Slate tile can get too hot, while ceramic should be fine. If it gets too hot, replace with paper towels for that side. Make sure to also include hides on the hot, middle and cool sides.
One large tile piece might be enough to cover one side (make sure to measure). If you can’t find the rock or tile of the right size, you might try a shop where a piece can be cut for you for free.
For the middle, you can also use tiles or some paper towels, and that’s where you will place the food. Lack of any loose substrate here will make sure that your uromastyx doesn’t ingest it and get impacted.
On the cool side, you can have loose substrate, such as play sand mixed with clay/topsoil and topped with rocks. To allow your uromastyx to dig, add loose substrate to make it at least 6-8 inches (15-20cm) high. In the wild, they dig up to 4-6 feet (121cm-183cm) under the substrate and even more!
For babies under 3-4 months old, avoid loose substrate. Instead of loose substrate, you can place hides with some crumbled paper to allow digging.
You can of course change the positioning of substrates in the tank. You might only have loose substrate topped with rocks, and have some paper towels or a small piece of tile under the food dish.
Bad substrates for uromastyx
Millet
Millet has been used a lot as substrate for uromastyx tanks. That’s because it’s loose and allows digging, and won’t cause impaction if ingested. However, millet is not good as substrate for uromastyx because most will eat millet and fill their stomach with it, ignoring other food.
This can then lead to dehydration because your uromastyx doesn’t eat enough vegetables and greens. It can also lead to obesity, if your uromastyx eats too much millet on top of other foods. Offer millet rarely as food, not substrate.
Hay
Hay is not the best substrate for uromastyx, either. This is because uromastyx can also eat hay and fill up on that. Hay is also not the best for digging.
Moss
Moss on its own retains too much moisture, which is not good for uromastyx. Uromastyx need very low humidity levels (20-30%). You can place some moist moss in the hide when your uromastyx is shedding, but don’t use moss as substrate on its own. You can add some moss to the soil + sand substrate, but make sure it’s dry.
Bark chips
Bark is a bad substrate for your uromastyx. Bark won’t allow proper digging and can cause damage when your uromastyx tries burrowing. Cypress mulch is commonly used for other reptiles, but is not good for uromastyx because doesn’t hold heat well at all.
Seeds
Similarly to millet, using seeds for substrate is not a good idea. This is because your uromastyx will fill up on seeds, ignoring other foods. With time, this can cause dehydration or obesity. Offer various seeds as a snack few times a week.
Construction sand
Construction sand is very rough, and can also be contaminated and sharp, so avoid altogether. If you decide to use sand, please only choose play sand and non-silica sand, which you must buy washed or wash it yourself. That’s because it contains a lot of dust and can cause irritation or respiratory issues.
Walnut shells
Walnut shells is a bad substrate for your uromastyx, so please avoid. The shells are very sharp and can easily scratch your uromastyx. It can also cause damage to internal organs if your uromastyx accidentally swallows it.
Corn cob or oats
Please do not use corn cob or oats as substrate for your uromastyx tank. That’s because both substrates can swell inside the intestines of your uromastyx if it swallows them. Swelling of the substrate can cause intestinal blockage. Will also harbor lots of bacteria and can have mites.
Cat litter
Please never use cat litter as a substrate for your uromastyx or any other reptile that you might have. Cat litter will clump and cause intestinal blockage in your uromastyx. What is more, cat litter is dusty and will cause respiratory issues.
Coniferous tree shavings
Coniferous tree shavings – such as pine, cedar, spruce, larch and others, are not safe to be used as substrate for reptiles. The shavings of those trees contain oils that are harmful to reptiles and their respiratory system. Please avoid altogether.
No matter what substrate you choose, make sure to always try to imitate the living conditions of uromastyx in the wild. To learn more about uromastyx care, please visit this resource page!