Its natural range is the northeast of the Red Sea, from the Sinai Peninsula in the north to northern Yemen in the south.

This species does not occur in pure sandy deserts. They inhabit the cracks of rocks and caves of their biotopes or use burrows dug by themselves.

The Ornate mastigure reaches a maximum total length of 37 cm., although animals in captivity rarely exceed 32 cm..

Is a sexual dimorphism recognizable, males being much more colorful than females. But, are common to both sexes yellow dots or transverse bands that are visible from the neck on the back to the base of the tail. It also, females have a rather smooth cream coloration in the throat and belly.

The large enclosures are suitable for keeping this species of lizard, dry and spacious terrariums are suitable. I believe that 140 x 60 x 60 (long, width, alto) is the absolute minimum size for a single animal/pair. It's not always easy to find a harmonious partner, but most of the time the animals harmonize very well, and you can keep them as a couple throughout the year.

But, it should be possible to separate them at any time. If you don't want to breed, to the Uromastyx ornata can also be maintained individually, since they are actually solitary by nature. This avoids conflicts within the species.

The most colorful males are especially suitable for this, as they are usually more confident than females, but even a female does not feel alone, but it may happen that it forms unfertilized eggs without a male, which can lead to problems when putting them.

The most suitable as substrate is a mixture of sand and mud suitable for excavation. To create additional space it makes sense to design the rear and side walls of the tank with “rock walls” modeled from polystyrene., adhesive for tiles and epoxy resin. Other suitable furniture elements are secure stone structures with quarry slabs, the roots, cork tubes and various climbing branches.

It is also important to create several hiding places, but they must be controllable at all times without having to completely disassemble the terrarium. To avoid molting problems, a part of the terrarium may also have a slight moisture of the substrate, but not too much. You also have to spray from time to time. A bowl of water completes the installation.

The Temperatures should be 28-35°C in summer, with 12-14 hours of illumination, and up to 60°C in the sunning place. At night, the temperature can drop to room temperature. In winter, lighting is gradually reduced to 8 hours, and slowly increases again after a few 8-12 weeks. In winter, the temperature should be 20-28°C during the day and 18-20°C at night. A sunny spot should reach about 40-45°C for about 4 hours in this time.

The Ornate mastigure they have an omnivorous diet, that is to say, eat both plant and animal foods.

Should not be fed animal feed too often, once or twice a week is enough. An exception must be made with pregnant females, which must be given a lot of animal protein. You can also feed them more “unhealthy” treats., such as rose beetles or wax moth larvae.

It can be given fresh vegetable food to adult animals about 3-4 times a week. Grain mixture and dried herbs/flowers can always be available to animals. But, in the case of particularly voracious specimens, you also have to ration this food to prevent them from getting fat.

All common types of insects available in specialized stores are suitable as animal feed, as well as self-caught prairie plankton. Grasshoppers, crickets and cockroaches are the most suitable.

All insects should be fed a high-quality diet 1-2 days before feeding, and dusted with a high-quality calcium vitamin mix about once a week. The fat larvae of the wax moth, zophobas and rose weevils should rarely serve as food as treats.

Young animals can be fed green food and insects daily. Subadults feed on green food on a daily basis, of insects on alternate days and a weekly fast.

The cereal mixture adapted to size is also always available for young animals and subadults.

Depending on geographical location and weather conditions, the mating season occurs in the spring months of March and April. Sexual maturity occurs among 3 and 5 years of age and probably a little earlier in females. During reproduction they are oviparous, the female usually buries some 15 – 20 eggs in the sand and after an incubation period of some 3 – 4 months the pups are born.

The price of a Ornate mastigure bred in captivity in the exotic animal market ranges from 350 – 400 EUR.

The Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) attains a head-torso length of up to 75 cm with a body length of 45 cm., which makes him the greatest representative of the Spiny-tailed lizards. Adult animals reach a weight of 1,5 – 1,6 kg.

There are two subspecies of Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard: Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia and Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis. In both subspecies the body scales are remarkably small and smooth.. The Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard can change the color of his body. At high temperatures it is light brown to light gray in color and at low temperatures it can turn a dark gray., almost black. The juvenile color consists of 5-6 crossed yellow bands on a gray-brown background color. In the Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis, there are also slightly yellow or green animals.

The Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard is found in North Africa, from Algeria to Egypt, in sinai, Israel, Jordan and on the Arabian Peninsula, which makes it the only species of Spiny-tailed lizards which is common in both the Asian and African continents.

The Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard It is the largest species of Spiny-tailed lizards and therefore require a larger environment. A baby or a young (up to about 3 or 4 years of age), can be housed in a temporary terrarium 120 x 60 x 60 cm.. But, an adult will need a much larger terrarium.

We recommend a terrarium of about 150 x 90 x 60 cm o 180 x 75 x 60 cm.. You will have to make this terrarium to measure because there are no commercial terrariums with these dimensions.

In early times nicknamed as pure herbivores, it soon became clear that the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) they also like to eat foods of animal origin. It is not strange that each Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard develop your own preferences over time. They can get excited about all kinds of worms (zophobas, meal worms, caterpillars of tebo), or preferring grasshoppers and crickets and disdaining altogether the mentioned worms.

Of course, the supply of calcium and vitamins should never be neglected with all reptiles. Sprinkle green food daily with cuttlefish powder and animal food twice a week with vitamins.

The reaction to food given with tweezers is particularly noticeable: Disliked insects are repelled with a clear shake of the head and closing of the eyes. It also, feeds on various grains and herbs such as lentils, oats, corn, millet, various seeds, peanuts (use sparingly), dried carrots (available at pet stores), carrot herb or kitchen herbs. It also, of course, there are fresh green food every day: here you can resort to high quality salads (lamb's lettuce or arugula), but also prairie vegetables such as dandelion or chickweed. Instead of the salad, homemade sprouts are also very popular. It also, the little ones seem to be magically attracted to the color yellow, so dandelion flowers seem to be quite the event.

The price of a Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard at the exotic animal market, captive bred, ranges between 200 – 250 euros.´

The North African mastigure (Uromastyx acanthinura) It is a lizard native to North Africa. (northwest africa).

Their habitats are usually in the mountains and consist of rocky desert and sandy stony desert., not found in purely sandy deserts.

They reach a head-torso length of up to 28 cm and a total length of 45 cm.. To the North African mastigure likes to sunbathe and can change color to regulate temperature. In their native habitat they live in rock deserts and scree, that is to say, in very rare habitats called hamada, and they like to dig. They make their own burrows, have a relatively constant climate.

The North African mastigure it is very territorial in nature and keeping one male and several females is only possible in a large terrarium. It is best to keep them in pairs..

To keep the North African mastigure, we recommend the following conditions. Especially when the minimum size is specified, note that optimal conditions can only be achieved in much larger terrariums.

• temperatures during the day: 28° a 40°C (locally at least 45°C)
• Night temperatures: 18-22°C
• Humidity: 20-30% during the day and 60-80% At night
• Minimum size of the terrarium: starting at 160 x 120 x 90 cm for a couple

You have to let the animals hibernate for three or four months. The North African mastigure needed between 12 and 18°C ​​for it. Hibernation is very important for animals to regulate their bodily functions and stay healthy. It's also a good way to prevent obesity.

hibernation is very important. The North African mastigure puts up to 26 eggs. These should not be incubated too wet, otherwise they will easily turn into fungi. The pups of Uromastyx acanthinura can be bred together in a group for up to two years, provided they are compatible. It is essential to provide enough calcium and vitamins.

The diet of the North African mastigure includes banana, vine leaves, dandelion, margaritas, clover, pamplinas, sometimes kitchen herbs and grains like corn, rice, millet, sunflower seeds and others. Young animals feed up to a 75% of animals. These may include, crickets, grasshopper, cockroaches, sometimes zophobas and other live food. Adults should be fed little or no animal food to prevent fatty degeneration..

no lettuce, iceberg lettuce or similar, since its calcium-phosphorus content is unfavorable. And cabbage or spinach should only be fed rarely due to oxalic acid…

Fruit should also be provided only in moderation., if it is accepted.

Additional vitamin and mineral supplements are recommended.

The price of a "North African mastigure" bred in captivity in the exotic animal market, ranges between 150 – 200 EUR.

1. North African mastigure (English).
2. Bell's dabb lizard (French).
3. Nordafrikanische Dornschwanzagame (German).
4. Lagarto-de-Cauda-Espinhosa-Norte-Africano (Portuguese).
5. "Lagarto de cola espinosa del norte de África" (español).

The Saharan spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx geyri) is a lizard native to the north of Mali, southern Algeria and northern Niger. Two different color shapes are known (red or yellow).

The Saharan spiny-tailed lizard it is a relatively small and slender species for the genus, with an average total length (including the queue) of about 34 cm.. This lizard is usually beige or orange with lighter spots.

It is one of the brightest colored species in the genus. Uromastyx. There are two colors of the Uromastyx geyri, the "red" and "yellow" variety, being the color its only difference.

The variety red it is often reddish in color almost solid to orange neon pumpkin, and the yellow phase is in or near a neon range. Females are a paler color than males, showing more variations of tan coloration and much less coloration in the belly, as well as less vivid patterns, most females have a simple "freckle" on their back.

The Saharan spiny-tailed lizard are medium-sized lizards, many of them with an average of 28-36 cm of total length and a weight of 250 grams or more as adults.

The Saharan spiny-tailed lizard they are very territorial in nature and keeping one male and several females is only possible in a large terrarium. It is best to keep them in pairs..

• temperatures during the day: from 28° to 35°C (locally approx. 45°C)
• Night temperatures: 18-22°C
• Humidity: 40-60
• Minimum size of the terrarium: starting at 140 x 100 x 120 cm for a couple

The terrarium must be furnished with numerous stones, some climbing possibilities such as thick branches, cork or bark tubes, which also offer many hiding places. To maintain this species properly, the terrarium needs a substrate of at least 20-30 height cm. Spray a little several times a week.

For your well-being, good lighting and ultraviolet light are necessary (30% of UVA rays and 10-12% UVB), as well as a place to sunbathe. UV radiation is extremely important and absolutely necessary. In the case of females, it is absolutely necessary to have a suitable place for laying eggs or with several possibilities.

A lighting period of up to 14 hours a day (except during hibernation).

You have to let the animals hibernate for three or four months. As such, the Saharan spiny-tailed lizard they need between 12 y 18°C. Hibernation is very important for animals to regulate their bodily functions and stay healthy. It's also a good way to prevent obesity.

The diet of the Saharan spiny-tailed lizard includes banana, vine leaves, dandelion, margaritas, clover, pamplinas, sometimes kitchen herbs and grains like corn, rice, millet, sunflower seeds and others. Young animals feed up to a 75% of animals. These may include, crickets, grasshopper, cockroaches, sometimes zophobas and other live food. Adults should be fed little or no animal food to prevent fatty degeneration..

no lettuce, iceberg lettuce or similar, since its calcium-phosphorus content is unfavorable. And cabbage or spinach should only be provided rarely because of oxalic acid.…

Fruit should also be provided only in moderation., if it is accepted.

Additional vitamin and mineral supplements are recommended.

For liquid intake, you can place a bowl of water that is cleaned daily.

Winter rest is very important for the young. The "Saharan spiny-tailed lizard" lay eggs. These should not be incubated too wet, otherwise they will easily turn into fungi. Young Uromastyx geyri can be raised together in a group for up to two years, provided they are compatible. It is absolutely necessary to take enough calcium and vitamin supplements.

The price of a Saharan spiny-tailed lizard, captive bred, at the exotic animal market, ranges between 100 – 120 EUR.

1. Geyr’s dabb lizard, Geyr’s spiny-tailed lizard, Sahara mastigure, Saharan spiny-tailed lizard, Yellow Niger Uromastyx, Saharan yellow uromastyx. (English).
2. Lézard de Geyr, Lézard à queue épineuse de Geyr, Mastigure du Sahara, Lézard à queue épineuse du Sahara, Uromastyx jaune du Niger, Uromastyx jaune du Sahara. (French).
3. Geyr-Krusteneidechse, Geyr-Stacheleidechse, Sahara-Mastigure, Sahara-Stacheleidechse, Gelber Niger-Uromastyx, Sahara-Gelb-Uromastyx (German).
4. Lagarto do Geyr, lagarto de cauda espinhosa do Geyr, mastigure do Sara, lagarto de cauda espinhosa do Sara, Uromastyx amarelo do Níger, uromastyx amarelo do Sara (Portuguese).
5. Lagarto de cola espinosa de Geyr, Lagarto de cola espinosa de Geyr, Mastigure del Sahara, Lagarto de cola espinosa del Sahara, Uromastyx amarillo del Níger, Uromastyx amarillo del Sahara (español).