Hello all! I purchased 3 anoles for my birthday 2 green anoles (1 male (Cadence) & 1 female (Cruiser) and 1 brown anole named Cheech (because he sleeps, eats, and basks 99% of the day ). My 2 questions are: (1) I bought the substrate recommended by the reptile specialist store and it seems entirely too moist; it just does not seem natural for there to be a pool of water under the 2" of substrate in there - although the humidity of the overall tank is remaining adequate. (2) I attempted to buy 2 females and 1 male, although I ended up with 2 males and 1 female (which I know for sure). - I have enough room for 1 more lizard, would buying another female be beneficial to the terrarium? THANK YOU TO ANY RESPONSES Emma a.k.a ELF
Hi there, and welcome to the boards! To answer your questions first I have to ask a few of my own, haha. First, do you know what the substrate is? Is it a moss or soil or something else? Did it come in a bag or was it the kind you expand with water in a bucket? The substrate should be moist, but there shouldn't be standing water pooling at the bottom. It sounds like the substrate was just over wetted. As for your male/female issue, you never want to keep two males in the same tank, regardless of the number of females. Does the store you bought them from have any kind of return policy on their animals? Hopefully you can exchange one of the males for a female. If not, you will need to separate one of the males into another tank. How big is your tank by the way? (How many gallons/what are the dimensions?) Mixing species is not something I would recommend to a first-time reptile owner, even if you have experience with other animals. If you are going to try it, you need to have A LOT of space and plenty of plant cover. And, as I mentioned, there should only be one male in the entire tank. Keep in mind that even then there is still a risk of the two species fighting. Brown anoles can be quite the persistent little bullies and will sometimes terrorize the green anoles into submissions, causing them to lose their desire to eat and bask properly. Like I said, mixing species is something that should only be attempted by experienced reptile keepers who are familiar with each species' subtle indicators of stress, aggression, and illness. I strongly suggest you return the male brown anole and exchange him for a female brown anole. You can always try a multiple species tank later on down the road. If you'd like, I'd be happy to go over your setup and husbandry plans if you want any advice on how to take care of these guys. Just let me know. I'll check back for your response later so I'll be around. Once again, welcome to the boards and the hobby! =D
- My substrate is a mixture of 2 different kinds recommended by the store: The first is Reptile Bark and the other is the expandable kind called Tropical Soil. I added more of the Reptile bark and mixed it into rest of soil as best as possible. It does seem to have helped; the top few cm of substrate has dried up, but about 5 cm down/further I would consider the texture as “squishy.” The hydration seems to remain adequate even with a light misting; between 50 - 70%. - Unfortunately my return policy overdue . I will eventually be able to separate them, but am short on money to buy a whole new set-up at this time. - I believe the tank is around 10 gallons. The dimensions are: L = 24.5”; W = 8.5”; H = 10”. - As for what I thought was my “brown anole,” I’m now not so sure. He looks nothing like the photos of the brown anoles that I have researched; he also seems to have the exact same behaviors and body characteristics as the other 2 green anoles. I’m starting to believe that he is just an older green anole. - As for now I have attempted to separate the tank into 2 “living areas” that stay at about 90 - 95 F with a cooler area in between them which is around 75 - 80. There are multiple hiding spots, branches, basking areas and plants. I added a second basking light as well as second day, UVA-Lamp in the 2 largest and what seem to be the most desirable resting areas for the males. (which does not seem to have affected the warmth of the tank (there are 3 thermometers). - All of them seem to be eating and behaving normally. The bigger male has definitely established dominance- but does not seem bother either of the other 2 anoles. The female seems to rest with both of the males, although at separate times, which I have found on multiple occasions. (Is it normal for the female to sleep/rest on top of the males?) Thank you so much for the quick response. I love these little guys! -ELF
I had bought a "female" for my male green anole a few months ago that really turned out to be male...the first few months they did fine and got along well, but then territorial displays started to show and both were obviously unhappy...you might have some time still to seperate them, but with a female in the mix they will get even more competitive most likely. You could just put one male in a smaller tank for now if really needed and you can easily post an add online-there are many reptile classifieds sites and even on here you could post something. The setup sounds good, I too use the same bedding, but not with the soil-though, either way is fine-soil helps retain moisture better. You should upgrade the tank eventually if possible too, at first I had 2 in a 10 gallon, but I've upgraded to a 18x18x18 Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium-so there's more height too, which is much preferred, with them being arboreal. The temps are right and the humidity could be slightly higher during the day-I got a "repti-fogger" that really helps with humidity, though misting is still needed of course. Are they still pretty small? If they are, you have even more time before you "upgrade" and everything-at first when people told me I should, I didn't want to, but with time-I acquired better supplies and everything, so I'm just trying to help. I've almost had my guy almost a year now and it's surprising! You'll learn much from keeping them and they're fun little creatures(to watch)-good luck!
Hello again! The mixture of bark and soil is perfectly fine for your tropical setup. Just make sure the bark is large enough that the anole is not in danger of ingesting any if he accidentally picks some up when hunting for food. Hopefully the bark you added will help soak up a little of the excess water. The excessive moisture was probably from too much water being added to the soil when expanding, or not giving the soil enough time to have the water evaporate out and dry the soil up a little after expanding it in the water. Setting up your soil a day or two in advance can help with this problem. You don’t want the soil to be powder dry, but it shouldn’t feel muddy or “squishy” either; it should be just a little damp to the touch. Overly wet substrate often leads to the growth of molds or fungi and is a great breeding ground for bacteria, so keep an eye on it and change it regularly. That’s unfortunate about the return policy being overdue. =( Hopefully they are still very young, which will give you a little time to save up the money for another setup before they reach sexual maturity. And as for tank size, a standard 10 gallon is actually pretty small, even for a single anole, as it does not provide the height that they prefer. When you separate the lizards, aim for a 20 gallon high for the pair. You can keep the third wheel male in the 10 gallon by himself, although he would prefer a taller setup if you can afford it. Can you post any pictures of the anoles? If you can get us a good picture we can probably tell you what the anole you’re uncertain about is. And yes, it’s pretty normal for females to bask next to or slightly on top of the males. Just make sure she is not being dominant in her behavior and trying to compete for the basking spot. (If she was, she’d probably be pushing down on the males’ heads when she sits on top of them, and you’d probably notice a decreased appetite in the submissive anole. Since everyone is eating and basking normally still, all should be well; just keep an eye out for this behavior in the future.) Your temperatures, multiple basking spot, and climbing branch/plant provisions sound good. I notice you mention a UVA bulb, but do you have a UVB bulb? Can you show me what exact lights you have, maybe by posting a link to the product if you can find it? Sorry to throw more questions at you, but UVB is very important to the health of your anoles, so it can’t hurt to double check on this information. =D
Hello everyone, I apologize that I have not updated or responded (finals week and I am a veterinary technician in training, YIKES, very difficult); however, I have wonderful news! I was able to acquire a tall 40 gal. terrarium for my little ones. It is divided entirely equally giving my small male and female plenty of space in 20 gal., and my larger male his own total space of 20 gal. I replaced the soil and bark entirely in the new enclosure, adding more bark than soil, and adding sphagnum moss as well. This is certainly helping with heating as well as humidity. (no more pooling water squishy saturated soil =D) My basking areas for them remain between 90 - 95 degrees F. The cooler areas of the tank remain around 75 - 80. (during the day) I DO have an overhead UVB light source as well as a smaller "clip on" lamp for UVA lighting, I apologize for not having mentioned that earlier. I also have a night light for them which keeps the entire tank between 70 - 80 degrees . My humidity seems much easier to manage, and remains between 60 - 80 %. All of them seem to be eating/drinking normally. I've noticed that they seem quite lazy during the day and become more active around 5 - 6 PM. This is also when I have noticed them actively hunting on the ground. Is this normal behavior for my little ones? Also, they often remain light tan or brown while they are awake and basking, unless they are in there "leafy green" hiding areas. Is this normal coloration or sign of stress? They all are completely green when sleeping, and while in greener areas of the tank. Thank you for all of the advice, and quick responses. I have learned so much and my lizards finally seem content - ELF p.s. my "bigger" guy is a LOT bigger than the other 2 now that I can get a closer look at him. I would say he is about 9" long & the other two about 6". I will try to get a picture, but I think he may be a brown anole after all. Thanks again everyone!!
Yay! That's great! And also really cool you're gonna be a Vet Tech! I want to be some kind of biologist, not necessarily a vet-though I always used to want to, I could get squeamish and nervous actually operating. I'd rather just study and observe lol Your setup sounds good, I'm sure they'll do good with that much space, they shouldn't have to get in eachothers way anymore. And their color changes depending on temperature too. They don't really camo that I know, but mine's also always greenest when he's sleeping. Also varying humidity levels and their general mood can affect it. He is pretty long for one(a green anole)-they normally are pretty easy to distinguish apart though(green/brown, well all the different kinds). Posting pics would always be best anyways-so we can see the nice new setup and your nice anoles
Your setup sounds perfect! And the laziness during the day is perfectly normal. Usually they are more active and will come down from their basking branches to hunt in the morning and a few hours before lights-out. The rest of the day they are fairly content with hunkering down in a warm sunny spot and staying there unless disturbed. It's also normal for them to remain brown. There is a common misconception that a brown green anole is a stressed green anole, but this is not always the case. Some green anoles stay a light brownish color even when they are perfectly healthy and happy. Returning to their green color when sleeping is also normal. One of your pictures isn't working for me, but all the ones I can see are definitely green anoles.
If you can see the picture of "Cheech" my "big guy" that's the only one I'm not sure of....but I am almost positive he is a green anole at this point. Good to know that their color variations are seeming normal even if they are more "tan" sometimes. They definitely turn BROWN when I come over and freak them out . I hope they'll become more familiar with me as the "food and water lady." Took my frogs years in the past, but if I can condition a frog to love me I'm sure I can get these little guys to at least "like" me. I think it is so cool that they all 3 have their own little "personalities" even though they're what everyone else would think are "just lizards." I would like to let everyone on the boards know I will be interning for a reptile/amphibian ONLY specialist this summer in Northern Virginia-- so if anyone is in need of a vet, or would like to speak with a true veterinarian about any questions please let me know and I would be happy to refer your questions to the Doctor I will be studying under -ELF
Yep, I can see Mr. Cheech, and he's definitely a green anole as you thought. =D I know what you mean about them having their own little personalities. I think anoles get written off a lot of the time because people think they are small and dumb. If you watch them though, you really start to notice how much they seem to watch you back. Eventually you pick up on different little quirks each one has. Some will curl up like a cat while basking on a leaf. Some will hang upside-down from the screen lid. Some are more shy and will freeze or run when they see you. Others will show off their dewlaps and bob when you try to enter their territory. They may be little guys but they have pretty big spirits, haha. I love how they tilt their little heads in all directions when they start to get curious about something or someone. Anyways, I hope you have a lot of fun with your new little guys! Hopefully they will warm up to you soon. =D
Hooray! I knew he was a greenie. I'm really glad you agree with my thoughts on their "personalities," I couldn't have described it any better! Loving my new anoles, and thank you again for all of the responses and support! Everything on this forum/board has been so extremely helpful thus far. =)
