Green Anole Care

BenjaminBoa

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
117
Alright so when I got my haplopelma lividum she was very emaciated, I didn't know this when I bought her because she was curled up underneath substrate, anyway I would feed her crickets but her opithsoma was not getting any bigger so I went out and bought her an anole to eat. She took the anole on day three after putting it in there, she struck it, backed away and waited about three seconds for it to die before dragging it into her burrow and getting fat again. (since then I returned to feeding her crickets) I don't know if she had just given birth or moulted or just was ill kept before I got her but shes been great now.

Anyway after buying that anole I did notice before he was eaten how surprisingly interesting they are with their curious behavior and color changing and I wanted to turn one of my aquariums into an anole tank.

The tank is about 20h x10w x10d It has a block of styrafoam in the back that was used to anchor pathos (which has covered it in leaves and areal roots) (it used to be used to anchor an orchid before it died) so the whole back wall is a thick matt of pathos, the bottom has hydro balls and coconut husk bedding topped with pillow mosses and lichens. After all of this planting the available space left for animals would be 16h x 10w x 8dx how many anoles could I keep in there, the tank is inside a closed system which is lit and heated to maintain 80% humidity and 75-80 degrees. (I have it inside a much larger insulated enclosure where I also put the enclosures for slings and iso tubs for my humidity loving tarantulas)

I know in the anole tank I will need a UVA UVB bulb and a basking spot in the day between 80-90 degrees, but would this tank be suitable for them? and how many could I house? All the care sheets I've seen say a ten gallon turned on it's side can only house two green anoles, that seems like a very small amount for such a large amount of open space.. is this true? If so are there any other animals I can house with them to add more to look at like giant milipedes, tree frogs, long tailed grass lizards, green grass snakes or anything?
 

Ben Oliver

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 5, 2011
Messages
0
anoles are arboreal and semi arboreal they will stay in bushes and in trees. the brown anole is more likely to be found on or near the ground. if you have photos in your tank you should almost have a perfect enclosure for them. all you have to do is to mist them every day and you should be good. now to add different species you could add a small toad or small frog ( tree frog ). all you have to watch out for is that the other species you put with the anoles can't get big enough to eat them or they will. well good luck and enjoy your little lizards. To give some heads up the anoles only live for about 3 years or so.
 

BenjaminBoa

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
117
Thanks Benoliver =) I don't have pics right now, my camera is broken but I think I can find the model online, it's a Marty Made tank.
How many do you think I could keep in that tank?
 

TreeGuy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Messages
24
If I was you I'd do yourself a favour and opt for something other than an anole.

All cheap petstore anoles are wild caught, full of parasites, and usually well on their way to dieing.

Look into something captive bred, there's lots of lizards of similar size, with similar nifty behaviors as anoles.

House geckos, crested geckos, leopard geckos, skinks, leaf tailed geckos. Do some shopping around and look for something captive bred and healthy. It'll be cheaper in the long run because your new pet will live much longer than a WC anole, and it's the right thing to do morally as well.

It's a shame importers still feel the need to take these animals out of their natural habitat when so many species are being bred in captivity.

Good luck with your search! Any questions feel free to PM me
 

Robotponys

Arachnoknight
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
172
Just a reminder, they poop a lot...Also, they will not drink from a water dish, only from dew on the sides or moving water. they will only eat live food, unless trained. Get a male and female pair, they will readily breed and captive bred specimens are way better as mentioned above. I don't think keeping other species is good, since many amphibians have toxins in their skin (firebelly toads). Go with a breeding pair from the LPS, cheap and the next generation should be nice and healthy. Don't get two males, they will probably fight over territory. You could probly return the adults too. I kept an anole which lived happily pregnant in a big Poland Spring bottle for a science project. Unfortunately, it died, probably of over handling and improper lighting, etc. We were uneducated, to say the least. It was a nightmare, someone broke its tail!! :( But I've done way more research and decided they're not for me.
 

Ben Oliver

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 5, 2011
Messages
0
if you have enough hiding spaces you should be able to keep one male to 3 females in that size of enclosure. anoles are super pets yes most are wild caught but the interresting thing is that you should be able to tell if the anole is sick by the way it moves and if it feeds. the green anole can change color from green to brown, they will also change color if messed with. these little guys will bite if you have to pick them up, it doesn't hurt at all its really funney they don't let go. as for the suggestions treeguy gave there is only 2 with the size of anoles, house geckos, and some species of skink. the rest of the species treeguy gave can be fairly expensive and harder to care for. crested geckos can range from $55 to $200+. leopard geckos are $25. to $200+. skinks there are so many they can range from $4 and up. now the leaf tailed geckos is one of the coolest geckos around but they are expensive and hard to care for if you are not used to them.
 

Robotponys

Arachnoknight
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
172
Oh, also NEVER pick an anole up by its tail. It will either break, cause it lots of stress, or fall off. They won't bite unless you just swoop in and grab them. Gently pick it up around its body, after letting it know you are there and cup it so it won't run off. I don't know about males however, they are a bit more aggressive. They can be "tamed" to an extent where they will sit on you without freaking out completely. Enjoy!
 

findi

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 31, 2009
Messages
698
Hi,

Please see other's comment re different species; good advice. Here is a 4 Part article I wrote on anole care http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/page/2/?s=anolis+carolinensis

The tank you describe is a bit small even for a single animal; one problem is that it will be difficult to arrange a thermal gradient...tank will take on temperature of basking spot. Please check article and post questions here or there if you'd like, best, Frank
 
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