I have just got my second pair of anoles. I bought 3 juveniles when I was about 8, kept them in a 1 quart tank on gravel substrate. They died. Then, when I was about 12, I found one in a plant my neighbors bought, also kept him in a 1 quart tank on gravel. I took it to school to show my teacher, who then proceeded to leave it in a 50 degree room over the weekend. Also dead. Since then I have realized that was animal abuse, and I got a new set up for my favorite little lizards. When I purchased my second pair, I got a 10 gallon tank with coco husk substrate. About three days afterward I named them, Stella and Roxy. It was also on this third day I realized Roxy was never the green color Stella always exuded. After keeping them for a month, I cleaned their cage and added a few things. I found a log outside about 15 inches long, with a knot in the side and a rotted out core they could hide in. I was feeding them moths, mosquitoes,and gnats...Basically anything that would come to me if I left my porch light on. After studying them for a while, I saw Roxy was a voracious eater, whereas Stella was more of a sit-back-and-wait-for-food-to-come-to-me eater. This wasn't a problem, as I had fun providing them with as much food as they would eat. This was because before I bought them, I did some studying and found most anoles are wild caught and stressed/emaciated when they arrived at the store. About a month afterward I found Roxy had buried herself in the substrate, and was very floppy and cold. I took her into my hand and breathed on her to heat her up, and for the first and only time I saw her green. I sensed something was wrong but I ignored it and continued my normal regimen. 2 days later she did the same thing, now exhibiting black stripes across most of her body. The next day I found her curled around the base of her favorite plant, dehydrated, bones showing, dead... I began an inspection of the tank, and found that most of the dead material (a wood dish, the aforementioned log, and the dying plants that had stressed me quietly for weeks) had a sort of green-blue mold on it, the wood exhibiting spotty areas of it, and the plants with roots spotted with mold. I decided that I would immediately take Stella out of that environment, and bury Roxy. I gave her a Viking funeral pyre. I took the substrate along with her favorite plant, and set it ablaze with her (artificially) grasping her plant. After seeing her reduced to cinder, and making sure this mold had been disposed of thoroughly, I set to start a new tank, one with less risk factors (i.e. dead wood). I began with a soil substrate (found in the woods) and placed on that sand, and then more soil. I then placed on the substrate a piece of red volcanic rock, with the intent on obtaining some vine plants to grow on it. I then planted a few spider plants, a couple saplings, and some hens and chicks cactus things. So far it's doing well. Soft, loamy, and damp soil in which are several earthworms and burrowing insects. I now feed Stella with yard-caught crickets, spiders, roaches, and whatever those little green hoppy things are in the tall grass. Stella hasn't been brown since the day Roxy died, but the winter months are coming, and I need to buy the necessary heat lamps/ UVB lamps that come with not having the sun and heat of the Summer. So, gimme some feedback on my story. I don't care what part you wish to criticize me for, I take it all for constructing a better home or life for my lizard. (no longer lizards /sad )
Wow, well at least this has been a learning experience and now you've found this website and there's a ton of knowledge floating around on here so hopefully you can give your remaining little anole, Stella (cute name btw ) a great life! I don't happen to have anoles but I do know a great source for live vivariums... http://www.blackjungleterrariumsupply.com/ There is a ton of info on that site about creating and keeping a living viv... hopefully that will help at least a bit with your mold problem... good luck!
I filled her cage with lots of grubs crickets and spiders last night, but she seems more interested in watching them than eating them.
Hi, I've been researching for quite sometime and I did notice a few things that might 'stand out'. First sorry for the loss of Roxy. And as StikyPaws312 said, it is a learning experience. Being younger, you didn't know better, but that is all in the past now. Tank and lighting. The 10 gallon would be fine for 1 anole with 2 it is a little cramped. You mentioned at the end of your post about getting heat and UV. If they were kept inside on a sunny window, UV doesn't penetrate glass, or plastic for that matter. Not sure of your location, but it sounds like you've had this over the summer and cool side temps could be reached, but you need a higher basking temp. Substrate and cage furniture Gravel - they might eat it and become impacted (something stuck in the stomach/intestines preventing the normal movement of the way the stomach works when food travels through the body). Coca Husk, I believe is suitable. I am personally working on a natural environment with soils and all. Great book to read on it is The Art of Keeping Snakes. so I am not sure what type of 'other' types of substrate that can be used. The wooden log you put in. A natural piece taken from outdoors can work, but you must sterilize it. A few ways I've heard are freezing (put in freezer), heat (bake in the oven) and bleach (use a diluted solution of water and bleach and rinse THOROUGHLY! The soil you took from the woods, again, sterilize. Since it is soil from nature, I'd imagine there would be bugs and molds and such in the soil. I can't tell you how Roxy died, but you mentioned mold, that could of done it, she could have been impacted or had parasites. Other than that, you'll wanna get UV, without it, your anole will develop disease. Green Bean BTW: After writing my post I looked at the date of the original poster, oops, a bit late, they might be long gone, but hopefully this can help someone else.
