Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Reptiles > What to feed my Brown Basilisk?

What to feed my Brown Basilisk?

22 14:48:20

Question
I just got a Brown Basilisk and I wanted to know what to feed it. If you can help me with that I would like that a lot thank you so much.

Answer
Hi Melissa,
Congrats on your new pet.   The basilisk does has some very specific care needs with temperatures and correct uvb being vital to their health.  
They are omnivorous meaning they eat both animal protiens and plant matter.  Crickets, mealworms, waxworms, superworms are a few of the insects they eat....collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, endive, escarole, green beans, winter squash and fruits are all part of their healthy diet.
I;ve included some information on proper uvb sources for you.  Also, at the end of my answer is a link to more information on the Basilisk.
LIGHTING:
Supplying uvb can be done in a few ways. By special lights
that come in fluorescent tubes or special screw in bulbs
(mercury vapor)that are designed to produce uvb and heat.
The tubes do not produce heat. UVB is needed by the lizard
to be able to absorb the calcium in the foods they eat.
With out the uvb, they will develop metabolic bone disease.
With the tubes, they must say that they produce BOTH uvb and
uva. The uvb needs to be 5% or higher. Repti Sun 10.0 and the Repti Glo 8.0's
are a great source for uvb.  The old "favorites" are the repti sun 5.0 or the
Iguana light..which are the same tube, just different package.
There are tubes
that say ''full spectrum'' but they do not produce any uvb.
These need to be positioned 6-8 inches over the lizard for the 5% and 8%
and 8-10 inches for the 10% so
that they get the uvb that is needed. The tubes need to be replaced every 6-9
months as that they stop producing UVB long before they stop producing
light.
Using a fixture that is at least 18-24 inches in length will
provide adequate uvb for your lizard. Do not use coil lights that are sold as
that they do not produce the uvb in the fashion needed for many lizards.

On the mercury vapor , they also produce heat. They also
produce the uvb and uva. The best on the market now are the
Mega Rays.(http://www.megaray.com) The distance from these are greater
than the uvb tubes and the directions must be followed that
are listed for the light. When using the mercury vapor
lights, you don't need to have one light for uvb and one for
heat. The Mercury vapor lights provide both.
Here is a link to more info on the basilisk.
http://www.lizardcaresheets.com/brownbasilisk.html