Hi, I am a new member and would like to just say hello to everyone. Just recently bought an anole about 4 days ago, spent all day on the internet trying to find information, if anyone knows how often I should clean his (Peatree) tank, please let me know as well as I have the jungle bark and wondering what kind of sand would be better for him.
First things first, welcome to the Reptile Rooms! I usually cleam my anoles tank out about every month, and this schedule works fine for me. (i obviously pick up as many dead crickets and poo as soon as i see it too) As for your substrate, please, throw out the jungle bark straight away, not only does it not hold humidity well, but it is also a breeding ground for backteria. Sand is also not an option. For the time being, just use paper towels, and then you could get something like organic potting soil, just make sure it has no fertilisers etc in it. Good luck with your new anole, any more questions, feel free to ask! Luke.
Welcome. Its good to spot clean the tank every couple days and actually clean avery month or so. Like Luke said, Organic potting soil is an appropriate substrate while bark and sand are the worst. Mke sure you have the tank set up correctly before you actually purchase the animal(s) and good luck.
yes, sand is bad for their digestive system, and it is easily ingested as they are not the best of hunters and tend to not only get the cricket in their mouth when they go for it. bed-a-beast is good, not so bad on their digestive tract.
Bed a beast is better but it can still cause impaction because of those little coconut threads that they accidentally get a mouthful of.
I prefer bed a beast because 1)soft enough for them to lay eggs in, unlike barky substrate 2) does not mold or mildew as easily as organic potting soil (when kept at proper humidity, the potting soil, unless stirred daily, will mildew easily) 3) if you pull the majority of the long threads out, it is not as bad.
Its going to take a long time getting out those long threads but you're right. if it didnt cause impaction, it would be a good substrate
exactly. but really, all in all...it is almost the best thing. because barky stuff, i have found, can have small sharp bits in it whic can ultimately kill your anole slowly and painfully (probably worse than regular impaction) and i find that it gathers dust faster than all other substrates. lets face it, anoles do not spend a whole ot of time on the ground, so they do not stir it up. you should still mix it around every couple days a bit to make sure there is nothing settling on the top (and no this does not mean you get away from changing substrate completely at LEAST, at least once a month...) but yea it is a big debate on what to use...
I agree, the coco-fibre is a great substrate. It's great with humidity levels. I'm lucky to have the stuff without the threads (for minimal risk of impaction), and it works wonders for me!
