Basilisk experience?

[oatmeal]

Hello!
I'm wondering if anyone on here has any experience with basilisks.
A situation has come up, and we may be getting one (a friend who has a reptile store is trying to rehome an adult female). She is healthy, beautiful and fairly well handled. My hesitation stems from there not being too much information on their care in captivity. We have cresties, beardies, and caudates currently, all of which have tonnes of information readily available regarding captive husbandry.

We have a large terrarium (5ft long, 3ft deep and 3ft wide) that could be turned into temporary housing; I know they love water, so humidity and access to a clean pool of water is essential; I've heard they are mostly carnivorous (insects); need uvb and basking spots; they are arboreal and love to climb; they are flighty in general and more of a display animal than a companion. Beyond these little snippits, there is such a wide range in advice regarding husbandry that I would feel a little uncomfortable bringing one home right now.

If anyone who has a basilisk reads this, would you be able to tell me a little bit about your husbandry and general maintenance? Or perhaps point me in the direction of some good resources?

Thank you

PS Yes, I realize this is a beardie forum, but I honestly can't think of another group of people I trust enough to ask!

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh Basilisks are so beautiful, I love them! You are referring to the ones from Florida, the green ones?
Their care is very similar to an iguana, they are a little more tropical than beardies are.
They only need a basking around 95F or so with an ambient daytime temperature around 85 or so. The nighttime temperatures can be 75F or so roughly.
They definitely need a UVB Light as well, for optimal health too.
What type of UVB do you plan on using? A calcium supplementation just like with dragons is essential.
They are not a fan of greens/veggies most of the time & are almost solely carnivorous.

Do you have pictures?

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

Hi there....is this a green or brown basilisk ? I agree with Tracie, the green are beautiful. I had 3 of the brown ones when I was a young teen. They were pretty hardy and even produced eggs at one point. My dad made a large tank for them, I think I just put soil from outside, peat moss and some climbing logs. I fed them mostly mealworms and wild caught nightcrawlers, [ but you'll have crickets, dubia + other bugs to choose from now ] took them outside all during the summer and they did well for a while. It was fun to watch them sprint across the yard on their hind legs ! I just don't remember how long we had them, they had no UVB [ back then we knew nothing about that ] but still thrived because of getting them in the sun. As long as you have her set up in a humid tank with proper UVB and she eats well she should do well for you. You might Google basilisk care and see what else turns up. There will def. be an article somewhere in the " Reptiles magazine" series if you can find it.

 

[oatmeal]

Hello,

Oh Basilisks are so beautiful, I love them! You are referring to the ones from Florida, the green ones?
Their care is very similar to an iguana, they are a little more tropical than beardies are.
They only need a basking around 95F or so with an ambient daytime temperature around 85 or so. The nighttime temperatures can be 75F or so roughly.
They definitely need a UVB Light as well, for optimal health too.
What type of UVB do you plan on using? A calcium supplementation just like with dragons is essential.
They are not a fan of greens/veggies most of the time & are almost solely carnivorous.

Do you have pictures?

Tracie

Tracie,

Yes, the green ones As I said, she's absolutely beautiful (bright colour; healthy weight; bright eyes; alert, but not too alarmed by humans around her tank). There is also a young male available who came from the same person, but he is just a baby still.
I wasn't sure about UVB. With my beardies I've been using powersun UVB, but if we were to get a basilisk I would think about a t5 tube (arcadia or reptisun). Might make for better lighting in a more "tropical" vivarium. What do you think?
The more I research them, the more interested I am! I realize they aren't the best for handling, but they're just gorgeous to look at!

 

[oatmeal]

Hi there....is this a green or brown basilisk ? I agree with Tracie, the green are beautiful. I had 3 of the brown ones when I was a young teen. They were pretty hardy and even produced eggs at one point. My dad made a large tank for them, I think I just put soil from outside, peat moss and some climbing logs. I fed them mostly mealworms and wild caught nightcrawlers, [ but you'll have crickets, dubia + other bugs to choose from now ] took them outside all during the summer and they did well for a while. It was fun to watch them sprint across the yard on their hind legs ! I just don't remember how long we had them, they had no UVB [ back then we knew nothing about that ] but still thrived because of getting them in the sun. As long as you have her set up in a humid tank with proper UVB and she eats well she should do well for you. You might Google basilisk care and see what else turns up. There will def. be an article somewhere in the " Reptiles magazine" series if you can find it.

Thank you! I checked out the reptile magazine series, and there was tonnes of info on basilisks! Thank you! I think I'm most concerned about the tank size at this point. Right now we have a terrarium empty that is 5ft long, 3ft deep aand 3ft tall. I feel like for a mostly arboreal species that this is too short, but am hoping it would be a sufficient set up to bring her home in (if we decide to take her). I saw in the reptile magazine series it was suggestion to "gut" a cabinet and turn it into a vivarium! Good idea!

Thank you again, so much, for your feedback. I'm lucky that beardies are such a common captive herp. I'm just nervous venturing into something a little less common. I don't know what it's like where you all live, but in BC, Canada, you never ever see basilisks around. I see a lot of water dragons, but this is the first time I've seen a green basilisk in person They are stunning creatures!

Sounds like you're also one of those people with lifelong affection for reptiles! They're so much fun I told one person at work about all the critters I have, and I'm now known as "the lizard lady" :roll: Oh my!