ALL THINGS EGYPTIAN UROMASTYX
Outline
​Egyptian Uromastyx are a very popular species of Uromastyx due to the outstanding size adults can reach. There are a total of three recognized subspecies of Egyptian Uromastyx:
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Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia
Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni
Uromastyx aegypia microlepis
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I personally only keep the U.a.aegyptia subspecies, this subspecies can grow the largest. Most of the animals from this group were imported back in the 1980's and 1990's, and all true giant Egyptian Uromastyx are from offspring of these groups. In more recent years, the Egyptian Uromastyx currently in the country and being actively imported are of the U.a.microlepis subspecies.
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Coloration & Characteristics
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Egyptian Uromastyx have one of the simplest color dynamics. They are tan as adults, either a light yellowish tan or white-gray tan. The hatchlings are born with speckling along their backs which fades as they grow. The yellow speckles color is usually gone within the first two months. Under extreme heat and sunlight, Egyptian Uromastyx 'bleach' in color. This is an adaptation seen in animals to help cool off in extreme heat. This 'bleaching' is where you see all of the patterns and markings of your Egyptian Uromastyx. 'Bleaching out' -- as we call it-- is also one of the final signs of a sick animal who's about to die. Animals that show signs of sunken in eyes or visible hip bones are unable to thermo-regulate their body temperature, causing them to overheat at "acceptable" temperatures and will also cause them to become extremely vivid or 'bleached' in coloration.
The Male Egyptian as full-grown adults will develop a dark black throat. It is one of their masculine characteristics developed due to testosterone production. This does not mean it is a reliable way to determine the gender of the Egyptian. Females have been observed with a dak throat also. Male Egyptians will also develop a large head in comparison to a female the same length. They have a large hemi-penile bulge and pronounced femoral pore. Although females will produce false bulges, females rarely show femoral pores or have visible femoral pore secretions along their hips and belly.
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Once you begin to see these pronounced sexually dimorphic characteristics, it is a good sign your male is ready to breed. Testosterone production is a key factor on breeding for these animals.
Comparatively, a female Egyptian should always be around the same weight as the male Egyptian to healthily carry and survive after laying eggs. Most of my females began to lay eggs once they were more than 1,000 grams in weight.
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Breeding is not a marker for success in these animals; it is actually measure by long term care and long lifespans.
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On average, Egyptian Uromastyx should live for approximately 30 years to measure success. Although, with the progression in cares in captivity, I expect to see some individuals have the potential to live up to 40 years or more.
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Egyptian Uromastyx are very large. Most males will reach 30-inches snout to tail length, with a body length about 19-inches snout to vent of that total. Most females stay around 25-inches snout to tail.
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These animals are a lot of work and establishing a breeding program for these should be recognized due to how difficult it is to actually house multiple healthy adult animals.
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The main characteristics for the U.a.agyptia is the enlarged tubercular scales along the mid-section of their body. These scales span from the armpit to the hip joint. U. microlepis and U. lepteini do not display these scales as much as the Giant aegyptia. Though they will be present, their presence is usually up to the mid-body at most, or not visible at all.
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Behavior
Egyptian Uromastyx are a relatively docile animal as adults. Full grown adults appear more sedentary in comparison to the hatchlings who are very wild. But then again, the hyperactivity is also observed in every species of baby Uromastyx. That's just how babies are. A smaller stomach means more necessity to forage more often in order to grow. In the wild, it is highly beneficial to get out of that hatchling stage as quickly as possible before winter comes and escape predation.
Although it does take working with your animal, Egyptian Uromastyx can learn to be friendly in captivity. Highly desirable food also helps long term in building a bond with your animal. Males tend to be more friendly than females are, and more sedentary.
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It may seem like your adult Egyptian is lazy, but this laziness is due to their sheer size. They eat a lot. They bask a lot. Most of the time, they just kind of hang out and watch the world around them.
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Like some of the other species of Uromastyx, natural sunlight can trigger a flight response in them. It is a part of their nature. Sometimes slow and deliberate movement can curb this innate behavior. This is due to their third eye atop their head which can sense a multitude of things but in this instance, it senses UV and Sunlight. The sudden shadow of movement triggers that flight response almost 95% of the time. Understanding your animal will always help, understanding their specific biology will help also. Your animal is not mean; it is just doing what it was built to do.
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Most of the Egyptian Uromastyx on the market right now are all wild animals. They are extremely shy and scared animals. Always be aware how cold an animal at a trade show is because a cold Uromastyx will not show their personality. Most of the time they are cold for a reason, because they are not friendly.
Egyptian Uromastyx can have a very mean tail thrash and a very bad bite.
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Breeding
Egyptian Uromastyx are known to be aggressive breeders.
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For the health and wellness of long-term captive bred programs, it is suggested to keep adults by themselves with very short and monitored breeding introductions. An Egyptian Uromastyx jaw structure is very latent with muscles and strength. All it takes is for one bite to disable your Uromastyx. There has been documentation on males fighting and even taking off an arm during these fights due to their muscle mass and strong jaw structure.
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It is one thing to keep adults by themselves. But we also recommend keeping hatchlings by themselves. The hatchlings are also very strong, and it is not worth an animal losing a couple fingers or toes because they were kept together. They can cause tail damage if they bite each other's tails and can permanently damage the whorl structure. You will also observe black semi-circles on their stomach, chest and underside of their legs. These are all bite wounds.
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Once a whorl is damage, there is no real repair of it.
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Like most Uromastyx it is recommended to keep the eggs on a 1:0.5 ratio of vermiculite to water weight. Egyptian Uromastyx incubate the hottest of the species. Our incubator has a natural flux of 93-95F with an average of 93F. The eggs incubate for 67-69 days.
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Egyptians are very large animals, so any female which is over 20-inches long will have a large clutch of eggs. You should expect 20 eggs as a minimum and 25 as an average. At most, the record was a single female laying 40 eggs.
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Overall, with hatchlings, have the space to give each baby their own enclosure. They eat a lot of food in the first 6-months. They also do a lot of growing in that time frame. In the first year, a captive bred Egyptian Uromastyx should be between 8-inches to 10-inches long due to their personality and drive to eat. In approximately five years, you should have a Uromastyx which is already about 18-inches long.
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Egyptian Uromastyx grows in spurts. Since I keep my animals outside and let them naturally brumate, the bulk of their growth always happens between July to October.
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As always, brumation is a biological response to colder weather for cold blooded animals only. Mammals cannot brumate. It is where the body slows and stops processing foods. Natural environmental queues will help your Egyptian Uromastyx know when to slow down and stop eating. If your Uromastyx continues to eat into brumation, a variety of health complications may occur.
Habitat
Egyptian Uromastyx are found in Egypt (east of the Nile), Israel, N Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Jordan. Most of northern Africa and the Middle East.
These locations are classed as a dry desert climate, with extremely hot
and dry summers. The average daytime summer temperature is
between 90F to 100F. Winter has a mild temperature and usually
ranges between 55F to 75F. Nighttime winter temperatures usually will
not drop below 40F.
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Egyptian Uromastyx in the wild make intricate burrow structures. The
burrows have been recorded facing north to northeast, causing no
direct sunlight to pernitrate the entrance. This allows for even
temperature regulation within the burrows for both summer and
winter.
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Temperatures inside of their burrows from both winter to summer stay
consistent. Even in the highest temperatures of summer, the Egyptians
burrow will stay a consistent 85F to 95F. In wintertime, the burrows will
hold heat and read in the mid 60F.
Wild populations of Egyptian Uromastyx rarely live in close proximity to one another. Usually burrows and dens are located with single animals inside them, and the second nearest Uromastyx will be at least at least 50 yards away, but as wide ranged as up to a mile away. Overall, the majority of the mingling these animals will do in wild populations is during courtship.
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