Green anole care?

Question

Anyone have any tips on the best way to set up a tank for a green anole? I already have a tank set up but I was curious if there were any particular do's and don'ts to setting up a tank. I have the following equipment set up:

1 8" ceramic heat clamp lamp with a 100 watt bulb (although I can't really seem to find a good place to clamp it.)

10 gallon tank with terrarium liner and a little bit of beaked moss

1 light fixture with a 7% UVA/UVB desert fluorescent light.

Wire mesh top with lid.

Various branches, wood stuff for him to climb on.


Most of the websites have been to don't really tell you how to set it all up, they just tell you what you need.

Answer 1

you should get two thermometers on each side and also a humidity gage for both sides as well. the heat lamp, ive always put it directly on the mesh screen if its dome is really high up... this should go on the basking side...lets say the right side but you may want to decrease the wattage to 75 max. make sure its a UVA emitting one. . the uvb bulb should illuminate the entire tank when its the only one light...i put this twords the back. on top of the mesh screen.. this stays on 8-12 hours a day with the heat emmitter i would recomend getting a infared heat lamp for the left side for night so they can sleep this will help photoperiod needs and digestion needs.. the branches can be draped and decorated however you want it. remeber to mist generously to keep the humidity up and also anoles like moving water to drink. dont feed it too much, too many crickets will caused dehydration, try three at a time...to start off with. for more statistics and living needs www.wnyherp.org has a great anole care sheet.
good luck! and if you have nay more questions feel free to contact me at [e-mail]
and for the substrate i used cocnut fiber mixed in spanish moss on top of a humidity pad.

anoles have a cheap price tag but when added up they are extremly expensive and i am very pleased to see you researched anoles before buying one!

Answer 2

Sounds good except that I strongly think that a 100W bulb is far to much wattage for just a 10 gal tank. Is it an actual basking light from the pet store or a regular round incandescent light bulb that you would use in the house? It sounds like you got everything from the pet store.The heat should be toward one end so there is temperature gradient in the tank but a 100W (particularly a basking heat bulb) is likely to heat the entire tank to beyond what anoles need and tolerate. After you get the tank set up move the thermometer from one end to the other before you put your anoles in. The hot end can be in the high 80's or low 90's and should be about 10 degrees less on the cooler end.

Answer 3

Hmmm...you sound like you are on your way my friend. Green anole are one of the most popular lizards because they are easiest to care for besides a bearded dragon. I work at a pet store so here goes. it sound like you got the perfect set up except you wattage may be a little to high. A green anole can get burned and over heated. i would watch to see his reaction. You won't probably be able to tell for a few days because he will be hiding until he gets used to his surroundings but when he finally comes out if he keeps going to the bottom or has his mouth hanging open switch down to an eighty watt. if you had a twenty gallon it probably wouldn't matter but ten gallons tend to heat up quickly. Also you must mist his cage daily...JUST once a day at the most. People don't realize but lizards don't usually drink from a stagnate gathering of water instead they drink dew drops usually but it you over mist you could cause to much moisture and cause lesions on skin so just once a day maybe right after you wake up. Another problem is don't leave a ton of crickets in his cage. Cricket believe it or not can gang up on these guys and decide to have a little snack at night. Only put what he eats in around two minutes every three days. If you have any other specific questions i will be here or if you would like to know how to take care of his food source, the cricket. Almost like you’re having two pets just one is icky. : )

Answer 4

Here is how I currently have my anoles:

30 gallon tank with full spectum and heat lamps

1 inch gravel covered with 4 inches of peat moss and soil. The gravel helps in filtering the soil when I water the plants. Soil is kept moist but not drenched all of the time.

Live pothos plants planted directly into the soil on one side and large shallow water dish on other.

Also I have a few hand sized rocks.

I have kept anoles like this for years and have successfully bred them in this type of environment. Even though I have a water dish in with them I still mist them every morning and night b/c alot of anoles will not drink from a water dish..only from droplets.

If you need more indepth instructions LMK b/c I don't want to bore people with writing a book here! LOL :)

Answer 5

Don't forget to keep the tank humid all the time! Get a spray bottle to spritz water in everyday. Also, you can turn the tank vertically to give the anole more height to climb. They love climbing. They turn reddish brown when they become stressed out or unhappy.

Answer 6

Your set up is great! About the clamp, if you put your tank on a shelf or dresser with a mirror you can clamp it on shelf or mirror edge, most clamps have flexability, so you figure were to clamp it!

Answer 7

i would not recommend the liner and get just some bark ans dirt mixed and poor that in their. not to much though! and keep it humid all the time(get a spray bottle and spritz it every day or every other day if you begin to see water collecting at the bottom of the cage)

good luck!

Answer 8

sounds like your on your way to a great set up!!If you have it set up correctly they will mate