my son caught an anole...

Discussion in 'Anoles' started by MichelleS, Oct 7, 2013.

  1. MichelleS

    MichelleS Embryo

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    Hi, I would greatly appreciate your help to answer some questions... First, the background: My 10 yr old went to camp last week, and came home with an anole!! (Didn't even know what it was, but after searching online, have determined it must be a green anole.) The poor thing must have been majorly stressed out after 24 hrs with a 5th grader, but he must be pretty hearty because he seems to be doing well (he is missing his tail, which he dropped in the process of being captured). We put him (it appears to be male) in a makeshift cage, with some branches/leaves from a magnolia tree, a rock, a little water dish (don't know that he really needs that), and a lamp (regular lightbulb) on one end on a 12-hr timer. Also, the kids now know not to handle him unless necessary. We picked up some small crickets for him, and he ate 3 this morning (pounced on them!). We're misting twice a day also. The plan is if he lives a week, we'll get a better tank setup for him, and the other needs such as calcium, etc. His name is Snappy.

    My first question is, should we keep him at all? Do I really want to add this extra expense and hassle to do something for a creature that could do it for himself in the great outdoors? But I'm a little afraid to release him too, because he's now 100 miles away from where he lived...does that matter? We have woods behind our house, with a creek...probably a fairly similar landscape to where he lived. Also, what happens to anoles in the winter?? I'm reading all about how specific the terrarium needs to be...what do they do outside when it drops below 65? I don't want to turn him loose if he'll freeze to death this winter. Or if he'll be eaten by a predator...we have snakes and all sorts of wildlife in the woods. But will he be happier there than in an enclosure?

    Next, if we keep him, I need to understand the lighting better. Our house is kept at 80 degrees in the summer and 71 in the winter. Do we need to have a black light for overnight if the house doesn't go below 70? For daytime light, I've read that they need a particular UVB light to help with calcium absorption, is that all that they need or is that separate from a heat bulb? The lamp we have above the cage now is definitely putting off some heat, and Snappy will move around the cage, sometimes sitting near the light and sometimes on the other side.

    Last question, how often do you need to clean out the cage? Does it depend on the material you have on the bottom? We talked to our nephew who has a gecko and he said he scoops out the poop (from the sand) about every 2 weeks, and changes the sand every 6 months.

    Thanks in advance for your help. I already know way more about lizards than I did a week ago...
     

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