Hi everyone, I got my first (female) anole in August of this year. When I got her she looked healthy, however I mistakenly bought a male with her. She turned brown immediately when he tried to dominate her. After I returned him, she was the only anole in my medium sized Exo Terra Rainforest Kit. She stayed brown, and had always been skinny (could see her ribs) since I had gotten her. I tried feeding her a little more, but she hadn't gained any weight. I then bought a second female anole to house with her. They didn't fight and stayed fairly neutral towards one another. The first female anole died a few weeks ago. The second one (who was green when I initially brought her home) has turned brown and stayed that way. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or if I'm doing anything wrong. Can someone tell me what else I should be doing? I have a medium sized Exo Terra Rainforest Kit with the plants that came with it and a waterfall. The humidity is between 60-70% The temperature during the day is 75-80 degrees In the basking area during the day is 85-90 degrees The temperature at night is 65-75 degrees I feed up to 3 crickets every two days Thank you, I appreciate any help.
Hi and welcome to the Reptile Boards! So I am not very familiar with anole care, but one quick question that I was wondering is if you are using a UVB fluorescent bulb in your tank as well as the basking light. I know that anoles require UVB bulbs to help them process calcium and help to promote growth and general well being. If you don't have one of these, it could be the source of your problems. I would suggest a Repti-Sun Fluorescent UVB bulb. They come in various lengths depending on the size you need. I am sure other members will pop in and help you out, this is just one thing that I noticed. Hopefully we can figure out what the problem is so you can enjoy happy and healthy anoles.
Hello, and welcome back to the forums! There could be a couple of things going on here. The first issue is with UVB, as Jess mentioned above. Do you have a UVB bulb? If so, what kind and what strength? UVB is very important for keeping an anole healthy and happy. The issue with the Exo Terra tanks is that the smaller ones don't accommodate UVB bulbs very well. A Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) would somehow have to be suspended a foot above the tank, and would likely overheat it anyways, so one of those is not really an option. The other option is a tube fluorescent. It is going to hang over the edges of your tank, but again, it is essential for your anole's health. Unfortunately, the super fine mesh that the Exo Terra tank lids use is going to filter out a lot of UVB. This means you will need to either get a stronger strength UVB bulb (desert strength, even though it is for a tropical animal) or will need to modify the lid with a less fine screening. Even if you have a UVB bulb, it may not be strong enough to penetrate the mesh top if you are currently using a tropical strength bulb. Similarly, if you are using a compact bulb, these are generally unreliable bulbs--they stopped producing the proper levels of UVB after a couple of weeks in previous UVB bulb testing. Using no UVB bulb, or using an unreliable or weak bulb may have resulted in a calcium deficiency in your anoles. Let us know where you currently stand on the UVB issue and we'll let you know if any changes need to be made. Another thing I noticed is that your anole is getting very little to eat. Does she refuse to eat more or us that all you offer? A healthy anole can easily go through a dozen small crickets a day, so only three crickets every other day is not really enough to sustain an anole long term. Also, are you dusting the food with a calcium supplement? This, in conjunction with UVB lighting, is very beneficial for healthy bone growth and calcium levels. Finally, you noted that your original anole was skinny from the very beginning. It's possible that she was either ill cared for at the place you got her from, or she may have had some sort of parasitic infection or other disease. Most anoles found in pet stores are wild caught specimen,which means they are very susceptible to parasites and other issues. Even healthy individuals have a natural level of parasites in the gut, but they are developed to be able to maintain these infestations at a level that is not harmful to their health. However, if their immune system is compromised by stress, these natural levels of parasites can easily flourish to a harmful, and often fatal level if left untreated. Your temperatures are perfect, but what are you using to measure them? Make sure you use a temp gun or digital thermometer with probe so that you can get an accurate reading of surface temperature. Try to get back to us on these concerns and we'll see what can be done. In the meantime, you may want to start looking for a qualified herp vet in your area. http://herpvetconnection.com/ is a great place to find someone near you. Best of luck and hopefully we can help you out!
I own a healthy male anole and I had a female. They were very friendly and mated, but she was too small and couldn't lay the eggs(egg-binding)and died sadly. As @Cammy and @electrofelt said, you do need a UVB bulb, I didn't have one for the 1st few weeks, but when I got one, he was more active. Also, like they said again, the feeding is off, just my boy alone can eat 5 a day and the girl would always eat about 3 or more a day, so maybe she has a parasite or disease?,or not enough calcium(which could be from not having UVB or not coating the food in a supplement).Also, as a note, I saw @Cammy said a UVB bulb might not fit and your tank might be somewhat smaller than mine...., but I got an Exo-Terra fixture and a compact UVB bulb that fits in it. The fixture is designed for those kinds of tanks, but the mesh on your tank might not be as strong, since mines a differen't brand. Them changing colors has to do with if they have too much or too little heat(or also territorial, but that's not really a problem here). Does she turn light green when she sleeps? that generally means they're healthy. Maybe you could post some pics of the tank and her, we should have about the same size tank(it's a great tank for them), except mine's Zoo Med and he loves it, lots of room for him. Do you have a few plants for hiding and climbing and mist it regulary? I normally have my humidity about 70-80% and regarding temps, it seems about right, but do you also have a cooler side, cause maybe she's too hot. Here's a few care sheets that you can look over: http://www.petsuppliesplus.com/AnimalCare/Reptiles/greenanole.htm http://www.petco.com/caresheets/lizards/Anoles_GreenandBahama.pdf http://www.mypetsmart.com/care-guides/reptile/anole/setup-steps-0 I also have this book that has helped me-you can find it at a petstore or order it offline: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Anoles-Experts-Advanced-Vivarium/dp/188277065X I hope I helped!
Can you post a picture of your anole cage? it may be too small. you need a UVB bulb (it must say on the package that it has UVB wavelengths) and the right temps. They are arboreal creature so the enclosure must have branches to climb. A 20 gallon tall enclosure can house no more than 2 females or a male-female pair. however, male anoles need several females because they are aggressive breeders. You can not handle anoles either. You will always be able to see the ribs of an anole. Just feed it crickets (no bigger than its head) every few days dusted with calcium + vitamin D3. If you view my picture thread you will see pics of my anole enclosure. Also, how are you sexing the anoles? P.S. I hope this helps
