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Tips on Taking Care of Your Anoles

March 10, 2010 by Elizabeth  
Filed under Tips

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Taking care of Anoles

Anoles, pronounced as /e-noul-iz/, belong to the lizard family. They are the most common pet lizard in the world, often called American chameleons for their ability to change color. Anoles are intelligent but shy creatures and, though best left in their housing, can become somewhat comfortable with being handled. However,  they require very gentle handling and can easily be crushed and stressed. Never pick them up by the tail as they may drop it. The tail will grow back but not the same as before. Unfortunately, because they are so readily and inexpensively available, there are still a huge number that suffer inappropriate care, either because of ignorance on the part of the owner, laziness or downright apathy.

green anole

WildRescue, Inc of Lewisville, Texas, recently rescued over 1,000 animals such as this Green/Bahama Anole from a raid on US Global Exotics. Find out about adopting by calling Wild Rescue at 940-442-8289.

HOUSING

Tank: One of the most important needs of the anoles is housing space. Anoles are quite territorial creatures; females will get along fine with enough space but never put more than one male with them.
An anole needs at least 10 gallons of aquarium space with a secure mesh top, though bigger and taller is better, especially if you have several lizards together.
Lighting: The aquarium allows sunlight to pass through and, being a cold-blooded creature, the anole depends on external sources of heat for its body heat. However, you don’t want to bake your pet by putting his aquarium in blazing hot direct sunlight, so light from artificial sources will do as well, especially full spectrum UVA/UVB lighting. Without this the anoles become sluggish and pale.

HABITAT

Foliage: In their natural habitat, Anoles live in low bushes and on the ground beneath, so it’s essential that you provide appropriate foliage. Ideally, live plants such as Sansevierias (snake plants), bromeliads, philodendrons, ivy, orchids and vines can be used. However, artificial plants can also be used and are readily available and easy to care for. Don’t make the mistake that others do by hanging plants from the tank cover.
Temperature: Your anole will require a semi-tropical temperature with a daytime gradient of 75-80F and, preferably, a high basking spot of 85-90F. Night temperatures should not drop below 65F.
Humidity: The ideal humidity level is 60-70%. Live plants will help provide humidity but you should check the humidity level regularly and mist the inside of the tank with purified water when necessary, sometimes twice a day.
Substrate: Peat moss and soil with a little bark is ideal. It should be slightly moist (not wet). This will help with the  humidity and is also important for breeding. Once the female is pregnant, she lays an egg in the soil and just leaves it there. This is why it needs moist soil to allow proper heat to incubate the egg until it hatches.
DIET

Food: Feed daily, preferably only enough for consumption. The diet should consist of gut-loaded small crickets and a variety of mealworms, wax worms, cockroaches, fruit flies and other small insects. Keep in mind that anoles will only eat an insect that is less than half the size of its head. It’s also important to feed any live crickets that are left in the tank or they will start feeding on your anoles. Fish flakes will do quite well.
Water: Anoles will not usually drink from a bowl, so maintaining the humidity level and misting regularly are important to allow the lizards to drink droplets from the leaves.

Anoles that have been bred in captivity generally make better pets than wild-caught lizards as they will be less stressed. Just remember, they still require a commitment to their continual care (they can live 4 – 8 years) and don’t assume they are less expensive than larger, more exotic reptiles. The initial set-up of their habitat will be just as costly. But once your anoles are happily ensconced in their abode, you will be able to enjoy a wonderful slice of tropical landscape in your home.

Other resources:

http://www.anapsid.org/anole.html

“Precisely the least, the softest, lightest, a lizard’s rustling, a breath, a flash, a moment – a little makes the way of the best happiness.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

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Don’t Just Leap Into Lizard Ownership

June 12, 2009 by Elizabeth  
Filed under Animal Talk

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Things to Consider When Adopting and Rescuing Pet Lizards

Lizard

Lizard

Lizards are an extremely popular pet. Bearded dragons, Skinks, Geckos…the list goes on and on. Most commonly, parents will purchase a lizard as a pet for their children, without realizing what exactly is involved with the care of these animals. Many of these lizards then end up in rescue organizations or up for adoption.

Before You Adopt or Rescue a Lizard

There are a number of things that you need to do before you commit to adopting or rescuing a lizard for a pet. Just a few of these things are:

-Ask yourself why you want the lizard? Is it only because your child has been begging you for one, or because you truly love animals and want to provide a good home to the lizard.
-Determine whether you have the means to truly care for the lizard. Can you afford the expenses of the proper cage, food, veterinary care and time that is involved with caring for it?
-Decide what kind of lizard you want, and learn all you can about the species before you go and adopt. Each lizard species has its own special requirements, and you need to make sure that you are going to be able to meet their needs.

Once you have evaluated these things, you may decide your next step is to find the right lizard for you. When browsing through agencies that offer animal adoption, you will find an extremely large number of lizards that are in need of a good home. Many of these animals will be perfectly healthy, perfectly friendly pets that will make a great addition to your home without any trouble at all. But, it is important to keep in mind that a number of these pets are also in rescue centers for a reason. They may have behavioral issues or health problems that have caused them to be rescued, and these are issues that you must be aware of before adopting.

Questions to Ask the Adoption Agency

-Does the lizard have behavioral issues? Does it bite? Is it afraid of other animals or children?
-Are there any extensive health problems? Will the lizard require frequent trips to the vet, or daily health care?
-If you are adopting more than one lizard, what are the sexes of each lizard? Putting two males together in a cage can cause fights that may kill one of the lizards. Putting a male and female together, well, you can probably figure out the dilemma with that!

Chances are, if you are adopting the lizard from an adoption agency, they will ask you a number of questions about your ability to care for the pet. Don’t lie to them simply because you don’t want to be turned away! By answering the questions honestly the agency will be able to find a lizard that will best suit your needs, or may even recommend that you are not ready for a pet lizard. If this is the case, you should definitely reconsider your choice as to whether a lizard is right for you.

If you are adopting a lizard from a private individual that is just looking to get rid of the lizard they have, you should also not let yourself get pressured into taking an animal that is not really what you want. While it may be tempting for you to get the lizard out of the situation that it’s in, taking it from one bad situation and putting it into another is not going to help at all. Take your time, and find the lizard that is the right match for you.

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