Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello,
i was just wondering if you guys had any good ideas on how to take my basilisk out of the cage in order to clean it? i usually just pick him up but he hates it and usually freaks out for days afterwards. i was wondering if you would reccommend me co-ercing him into like a mesh outdoor cage w/o even touching him? what methods do you guys use in cleaning their setups?

I can give you some tips on handling. Hopefully you have a cage that opens from the front and not from the top. The best way to pick up a basilisk is from underneath. For most lizards their number one preditor, is a bird of prey, so swooping down from above to grab him is just going to set off all kinds of instincts to flee, hide and fight. Its best to gently restrain him, but if he fights, do not let him go or allow him to thrash. Turning him upside down will help to relax him. If you let him go he will learn that he can escape you and fight even worse next time. If he's an aggressive eater, try to get him to take food from your hand and coax him to climb on your hand or arm with food, do this when you are not taking him out so that he gets used to it. Another thing you can do is shut off the lights and heat for awhile prior to handling, this will cool him off and relax him for handling.

rick: What great suggestions for handling the basilisk! when my CWD were small I used to "crawl" into their room so I'd be lower than they were and not so intimidating. The basilisk that I had, oh so briefly, was much more timid and flighty than the water dragons, so I can see how getting them calmed down for cage cleaning would be a problem. I warm my bathroom by running a steamy, hot shower and put my 3-CWD in the bath tub while I clean.
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

a warm bath is good way to keep them relaxed, you have to be careful though, cold blooded herps can literally be relaxed to death. What happens is they can become too relaxed to hold their heads above the water and drown. Its rare, but I've seen it happen, so always have something they can rest their chins on that keep their heads above the water, if they need it they'll know to use it.

Thanks, again. You are a fountain of knowledge! When I clean the cage and put them in the tub, I have a couple of manzanita (?) branches that I put in the tub, in case they want out of the warm water. Sometimes all 3 of them will be clumped up on 1 branch, even though there's plenty of space on the others. Most of the time they ignore one another, but not in the tub.
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dianedfisher@yahoo.com

My 3 CWD-Avanyu, Tripod and Drago

those are some great suggestions, just what i needed. well, i do have a tank that opens from the top, so thats gonna be tricky, and i also dont have a bathtub (standing showers). but im sure i can figure something out with the tips you have given me. i plan on getting a front-opening cage when i get more money. thanks again!