Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, just hatched 5 babies in the last two days. They are currently still in the incubator in a tupperware with wet paper towels sitting at a comfy 78-80. They have all absorbed their yolk sacks and are EXTREMELY feisty little creatures. One even leaped out of the egg at me!

Anyway - I'm new to baby lizards and am quite worried about overheating/underheating, etc. I have a cage setup for them, it's an 18 gallon high tank/screen top. I've positioned a 50 watt heat lamp about 1 foot above their basking area(made of silk plant pothos) and also have a 10.0 uvb bulb on the top.

I also covered the sides with an aquarium background(blue) to prevent glass ramming/injury, etc. The bottom is cage carpet with a large water dish and shaded areas under the plants.

Should I put them in the cage yet? Or wait another day? When should I start to feed? How sensitive are they going to be to temperatures? Does it have to be spot on perfect?

I have no temp gun or anything so I kinda have to wing it. I'm probably just being overly paranoid, but I'd hate to lose any of the little ones. Thanks in advance!

Hi,

sounds all fine.
Once the belly is closed, they are ready to move. Take care to add a bush with many thin branches and leaves (like a sturdy Ficus benjamina) to their cage.
They need this to be able to hide and feel secure as well as for sleeping.
Otherwise they are quite hardy little creatures and easy to raise.
Growing up in groups is beneficial but take care to remove overly agressive individuals. These do occur from time to time and can stress their siblings to death.
When the belly is closed, you can also start feeding.

Good luck with the babies.

Ci@o

Ingo

with pretty much any baby, it will not eat until it's first shed, and that is usually around one week, that should be a big enough tank for about 1-2 months, then they will need at least a 30, and eventually - well, very big, i'm not really sure exact size though, and temps don't have to be perfect, make sure that the basking bulb is only on one side, not in the middle, it is important to have a temperature gradient, and just make sure it doesn't go below 70, and have a hot spot of at least 85, and then you should be fine, pothos are perfect to use with babies, good luck!!!!

Obviously you do not have personal experiences with breeding basilisks.
Basilisk babies do not shed the first time before the age of 6-8 weeks!
And of course they start feeding much much earlier!

Ci@o

Ingo

ok, never bred them before, but that is true with a log of other stuff, jeez, i'm 13, don't need to go yellin, and i'm pretty sure i was right about the other stuff

Did I yell?

If so, sorry.
I just wanted to say: Think twice...

Ci@o

Ingo