hello,
my juvenile basilisk needs some unfiltered sunlight. im tired of keeping him inside where size requirements cannot be met. i know they do much better outdoors but i am confused as to how the climate here will work with him. its super dry here and our monsoon season is a joke, so absolutely no humidity. also its about the right temps out now, but in july itll be around 110! i was thinking id just put him where only the sunlight from the east would hit him and not from directly overhead ( when it kills even old people)and of course provide shaded areas. also i was told that by putting the cage a little below the ground level will help keep humidity, but we have so many ants and scorpions im not sure what to do. maybe keep it off the floor and just have a mist system going? sorry for the long explanation, but i just need some advice if im doing the right thing or if i should just let him stay inside? i really think i shouldnt though.
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Basilisk in Arizona
Replies (2)
Well why does he need unflitered sunlight? I live in Arizona (phoenix) also and I have a water dragon enclosure set up in my room with a Power sun and a basking light. Although unflitered sunlight is probably better. If your going to do it outside, I would you a fiberglass meshing of some sort on the sides to keep bugs and stuff out. I'd maybe dig it 2 feet underground so if he wants he can cool off at the bottom. Make sure use use some sheets of metal or something strong that you can put on the bottom and sides of this hole to keep snakes and scorpions and ants from coming in. On top I'd use a tight wire sort , like chicken wire buy much stronger and smaller holes. That way he wont get direct sunlight all day, mornings and evenings he'll have it filtered through screen, although he'll still get some UV. Provide plent of plants for shade, and a water area of course.
However.... I hope this isnt a year round thing and more of a summer vacation home. Winter would probaly be too much for the dragon. With temperatures dropping to 30 at night sometimes, your dragon wouldn't last long without some sort of non UV emiting heat lamps.
Good luck!
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www.mplionhearts.com
I am also in AZ (tucson) I don't think our conditions work well for a basilisk. Larger species like monitors can be acclimated if given enough thought. Personally I 'sun' my water dragon during the warmer part of the day by putting her outside in a box with a mesh covering, but I wouldn't be able to keep her outside 24x7 in a habitat, the cost to implement support systems like thermostat and heaters would be huge. Just some thoughts.
