These lizard inhabit, extremely arid open sandy desert or rocky areas; they dig burrows up to 5 feet deep in order to escape harsh conditions at the surface. They obtain almost all their water from the food that they eat and reabsorb the liquid part of their urine to further conserve this precious resource. They also can be seen lapping dew or drinking rain drops that fall around their heads.
Some species are gorgeously colored in mosaics of green, red and yellow, whereas others are drab and sandy or brown colored. Among the least expensive and most commonly offered is the dark brown colored Egyptian Mastigure (Uromastyx aegypticus). More expensive and more rarely seen is the patterned and colorful Ornate Mastigure (Uromastyx ornatus). Its colors are so striking that it’s hard to believe it is real, live lizard and not an artist’s conception. Another very colorful species is Dabbs Mastigure (Uromastyx acanthinurus), which is dotted with bands of black spots on a yellow background blending to orange-red.
Mastigures are herbivores ( a few are omnivorous) and are not difficult to feed. They will consume a wide variety of store-bought vegetables, greens and fruits, which should be lightly rinsed to provide water and then dusted with a powdered vitamin/mineral supplement. In the wild, mastigures endure a diet of desert scrubs, leaves, seeds and flowers. In captivity you can feed them collard greens, kale, mustard and dandelion greens with or without flowers. Do not collect leafy matter or flowers from areas that may have been sprayed with pesticides or other agricultural chemicals.
They require a sandy or rocky habitat heated to 100 degrees to 110 degrees F during the day. Like other lizards they should be given a choice of cool (85 degrees F) and hot spots (95 degrees to 105 degrees F) in order to thermoregulate. They will try to bury themselves in the substrate, mimicking their burrowing behavior in the wild, but unless you provide great depth they will not be able to completely submerge themselves.
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