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 #2007520


DeeRhoden
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 Found lizard

My husband and I help a local real estate company where we live clean out foreclosed homes. My husband came home with a new addition that he found in one of the houses that was abandoned. He said it stood up on its back legs ran down the hallway, up the wall and onto the ceiling. It said it took about 2 hours to catch it. I have looked at different pics of lizards and think it is a brown basilisks. We are interested in keeping it and need to know about cages, space acquired, food, and how to care for it. I do not have a pic yet but will tomorrow. We already have a leopard gecko.
05/19/09  12:40pm

 #2007566


AshleyShadows
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   Message To: DeeRhoden   In reference to Message Id: 2007520


 Found lizard

Wow what a find! You’ll find the basilisk a rewarding addition if you’re up to the requirements. These guys aren’t known for being nice. So either look but don’t touch, or try to slowly handle him as much as he can handle. Unlike leopard geckos, they’re considered an "expert level" lizard. So they’re not for everyone.

These guys require a lot of things:

1. A large, tall enclosure: 55 gallons is the absolute minimum, but bigger is much better! Mine is in a 94 gallon and is thriving. This generally will require you to build a custom enclosure. Wood and Plexiglas works well. Mess can be used up top to let light come in, but too much will mess up the humidity.

2. Lots of accessories: They need lots of branches to climb and bask on as they are arboreal. They will need at least one very large water source to bask in, but more is better. Foliage is necessary for hiding whether it be artificial or real. Since these guys are rather flighty, they’re known for tearing up plant life. The plants that seem to do best with them are from genus’ Dracanea, Pothos, and Philodendron.

3. Lighting: They need both UVA and UVB light. UVA is pretty standard for any reptile light. UVB usually comes from long fluorescent lights, but these really aren’t that great. The best bet you have for lighting is the PowersunUV mercury vapor bulb. This gives you UVA and UVb lighting and a heat source. Whatever you do, stray away from coiled bulbs. While these work ok in adults, they’ve been known to cause blindness in young animals.

4. Heat: Since they come from Central America, they need lots of heat. A gradient of low 80s to high 90s is needed during the day. Lower is acceptable at night and can be given off by a nighttime light for reptiles.

5. Humidity: This goes hand in hand with their natural habitat, and it’s one of the hardest things to achieve. They need it to be around 70-80%. This can be created by live plants, proper substrate, moss, large amounts of water, and manual misting. You may need to use an automatic mister, a fogger, or a humidifier to help.

6. Food: Most people consider basilisks as strictly insectivores, but this is far from the truth. In addition to the crickets or grasshoppers they eat, they need to be introduced to vegetables as quickly as possible. They tend to like mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, and carrots. Making a sort of mash with them helps. They’ll also enjoy mealworms, waxworms, butterworms, and earthworms. These should be given less regularly though as they’re fattier and like treats.


It seems like a lot, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really rewarding. The initial cost of the enclosure and accessories is a lot, but maintenance is low. I love my basilisk, and now I can’t even imagine not having one.

Hope this helps!
05/19/09  02:10pm

 #2007596


DeeRhoden
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   Message To: AshleyShadows   In reference to Message Id: 2007566


 Found lizard

Thank You so much. I already have a 100/150 gallon (not quite sure) tank that is empty and have been looking for something to fill it. My husband said he was going to building something bigger though. I really am interested in keeping the little guy/girl. I will take pisc and post to be sure it is a basilisks. Where can I get those lights. Will a good sized watering dish be good until the new cage gets built? Again, thank you for your help.



05/19/09  02:59pm

 #2007650


AshleyShadows
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   Message To: DeeRhoden   In reference to Message Id: 2007596


 Found lizard

Awesome! Definitely post pictures.

The light is available at Petco, but I got mine from here:

http://www.reptilesupply.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=powersun&=find

Get that baby now! They cost between $80-$100 at the store. They also come with a 1 year guarantee. It’s done wonders for my male, and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

And a bowl will be just fine. Just make sure that he’s able to get out of it.
05/19/09  04:46pm

 #2007663


DeeRhoden
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   Message To: AshleyShadows   In reference to Message Id: 2007650


 Found lizard

Thanks again and I will get it tonight.



05/19/09  05:00pm


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