Anole light/heat advice please

[Lostkat]

I've just bought a new tank for my 3 green anoles, measuring 24" high, 18 " wide and 12" deep. I was given the old tank including the anoles a few years ago and just kept on using whatever was in there and replacing when needed. However, now I'm moving them to a new tank they need new stuff as the bulb fitting has now broken and the UV tube is too long.

What would be people's recommendations for the new lighting set-up? I'm thinking a 15" Exo terra repti glo 5.0 tube (same as in the old tank) and a 75W Exo Terra Reptile Sun-Glo Basking Spot Lamp Bulb, but am not sure whether that's right for them. Also, I'm not sure what light fitting I should get as most places tend to only sell bulbs. I have a large heatmat which will be on through the night to keep up the ambient temp. People's opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Oh, I'm also planning to get a couple of Hyla cinerea tree frogs to put in there. The anoles came with a couple of tree frogs in the tank with them and everything seemed to get along fine. I've also read that it's OK to keep them together. Unfortunately they were both pretty old and one died a few years ago. The other had a tumour on his head which started just before Christmas and eventually killed him a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I've just bought a new tank for my 3 green anoles, measuring 24" high, 18 " wide and 12" deep.

How many gallons is that? I'm terrible at measurements. Either way, it may not be big enough. Three anoles is something like thirty gallons of space as a basic requirement.

Oh, I'm also planning to get a couple of Hyla cinerea tree frogs to put in there.

Some people think mixing species is okay, but I'm not one of them. There's just too many health and territorial risks involved, especially if the enclosure isn't even big enough for the anoles already in it. :8o

 

[JohnEDove]

That is the equivalent of a 20 gallon aquarium but I have never heard of a stock aquarium with such odd dimensions. 24L x 12½W x 17H are the dimensions of a 20 gal tall.
Allow me to also voice my concern over the unsafe practice of multiple species housing.
You may get away with it or you may needlessly kill the animals you are supposed to be caring for.

As for the lighting, the wattage needs to be determined by the heat produced on the basking branches you provide.
My Browns and Greens both seem to like the basking temps in the 85 – 90F. What wattage will produce this in your enclosure I cannot say since I built a large custom enclosure for my breeding group.

 

[bugmankeith]

With my anoles I had an Incandescent/UVB fixture, it held 1 bulb for each type. It was pricy but worth it, and it sat on the cage cover. The anoles got all the proper lighting all in 1. I shut it off at night and left it on all day. You also need to moniter temperature/humidity too.

 

[rollinkansas]

Keep in mind you dont need to dish out money for special "reptile basking lights".

Just go to home depot, and you can get a 4 pack of compact fluorescent bulbs for $6.

 

[rollinkansas]

How many gallons is that? I'm terrible at measurements. Either way, it may not be big enough. Three anoles is something like thirty gallons of space as a basic requirement.



Some people think mixing species is okay, but I'm not one of them. There's just too many health and territorial risks involved, especially if the enclosure isn't even big enough for the anoles already in it. :8o

That size is more than adequate for 3 A.carolinensis. You dont need thirty gallons for 3 of them.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

That size is more than adequate for 3 A.carolinensis. You dont need thirty gallons for 3 of them.

Is it not ten gallons apiece? I've nearly always seen that.

 

[rollinkansas]

Is it not ten gallons apiece? I've nearly always seen that.

Ive kept pairs of different Anolis species in a 10 gallon vertical. So thats 2 Anolis per cage. You dont need 10 gallons for a small lizard like that. Also, not all Anolis are active, and many are content staying in one spot basking for most of the day.

(Anolis grahami stressed out colors)

 

[JohnEDove]

Is it not ten gallons apiece? I've nearly always seen that.

The way I learned it is that the absolute minimum for one is a 10 gallon sized enclosure and 5 gallons extra for each additional Anole. But I do not believe we should shoot for the absolute minimum enclosures.
IMO a thirty would be much better than a twenty and a better choice would be something that allows them to lose themselves in the enclosure so you have to look hard to see them.

 

[rollinkansas]

The way I learned it is that the absolute minimum for one is a 10 gallon sized enclosure and 5 gallons extra for each additional Anole. But I do not believe we should shoot for the absolute minimum enclosures.

Where did you hear/read that from? A caresheet online? A pet store employee?

I know Mushroom Spore has heard me say it, and Ill say it again. You should give information based on experience, not what youve read online or heard someone else say.

 

[JohnEDove]

Where did you hear/read that from? A caresheet online? A pet store employee?

I know Mushroom Spore has heard me say it, and Ill say it again. You should give information based on experience, not what youve read online or heard someone else say.

Not that I have anything to prove to you or anyone else but I have been raising Anoles for years as food to start snakes that will not start on rodent prey.
Here is the care sheet I supplied to the pet stores as "with purchase hand outs" when I supplied my surplus Anoles to them.
Green Anole Care Sheet
by John E Dove
Though there are about 250 different species of Anole world wide and over 37 species actively breeding in the United States the Green Anole (Anolis carolinesis) is the only species native to the United States. It is this species that this care sheet is written for though it may be equally applied to some other species as well.
Given the proper environment and nutrition these interesting, intelligent animals can be expected to live 4 – 6 years or more in captivity and reach an over all length of 5 – 8 inches though there have been a few wild Anole reported that were 12 inches. Sadly many of these wonderful lizards which are so cheap to purchase die every year due to improper care.
Most people do not realize that purchasing the lizard should be the last step in the process. Following is a list of items you should purchase and get set up prior to acquiring your Anole. Each will be discussed more in depth further into the care sheet.
1 Enclosure/Tank/Cage
1 UVB Light Source and Fixture
1 Basking Light and Fixture
1 Under Tank Heater or other night heat source
1 Misting Bottle
2 Thermometers
1 Hygrometer
Live or silk plants
Climbing Branches
Terrestrial Hides
Substrate
The important part of keeping anoles is to make sure that their habitat is appropriate and properly set up.

Housing
Green Anoles are neither truly arboreal nor terrestrial in nature but rather are a combination of both. In the wild they will hunt and hide on the ground as well as on bushes and trees below 15 feet.
A 10 gallon aquarium with a tightly fitted screen lid is sufficient to house one Green Anole.
If more than one Anole is to be house in a single enclosure the size should be increased proportionately to allow enough living space without over crowding. For two or three Green Anoles a twenty gallon high aquarium would be sufficient.
Though it is acceptable to keep multiple female or one male and several female in a single enclosure you should <b>never keep more than one male in a single enclosure</b>. As with most lizards males will fight to drive other males out of their territory and in the confine of an enclosure this will result in stress for all concerned and can lead to injuries or death.

Landscaping
Since Anoles are not burrowers an overly deep substrate is not required. As a substrate I suggest 2 – 3 inches of loosely packed peat/sphagnum moss to help supply the required humidity to the environment as well as give the enclosure a natural look.
To make your anole feel at home it is necessary to provide climbing branches as well as real or artificial plants and vines.
The floor of your enclosure should also have a few hiding places that your anole can get under.

Lighting
As Green Anoles are diurnal (day active) lizards proper lighting is very important. There are two types of lighting required to ensure good health and both should be set on a timer to ensure they are being supplied in the appropriate amounts.
UVB lighting simulates the natural UVB radiation supplied by the sun. This radiation supplies vital vitamin D3 to the lizard which enables them to assimilate the calcium needed for proper bone growth and to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease. The most commonly used type of light which produces UVB radiation is the florescent bulb type like the Zoo Med Repti-Sun 5.0. This bulb should be placed within 12 inches of the climbing limbs in order to be effective.
The second type of required light is an incandescent spot bulb. This light is used to produce a localized warm basking site on a climbing limb. The basking site heat aids in the digestion of food. It is suggested that the basking site be at one end of the enclosure to allow for a warm and cool end temperature gradient in the enclosure.
Both of these lights should be on a timer to ensure a full 12 – 14 hour daylight cycle.

Heat
Green Anoles do best when kept at temperatures within the 75 – 85F range with a localized basking spot on a branch that reaches 85 – 90F during the day. At night temperatures can be allowed to drop into the 70 – 75F range.
Since a temperature gradient is recommended in the enclosure you should concentrate your heat sources at one end of the enclosure.
Of course your basking light bulb will be a primary heat source and may be sufficient to keep the entire enclosure warm. If another heat source should be required or desired as a night heat source an under tank heater placed at the same end of the enclosure as the basking light will help to warm the enclosure. Note; When using an under tank heater you must use a rheostat switch to control the amount of heat produced.
To make sure that you are maintaining the correct temperatures you will need to install a thermometer at each end of the enclosure. It is also a good idea to install a thermometer to measure the basking spot temperature.
NEVER USE HOT ROCKS AS HEAT FOR ANY REPTILE OR SEVERE BURNS COULD RESULT.

Humidity and Water
The Green Anole thrives in parts of the country with relatively humid conditions. In your enclosure need to attempt to keep the humidity at 50 - 70%. To ensure that you are maintaining the correct humidity you will need to install a hygrometer in the enclosure.
While there are a number of methods that could be used to keep the humidity at the proper levels your best choice it to mist the enclosure two or three times each day.
Beyond the fact that misting the enclosure helps keep the humidity at the proper levels when you mist you will also be providing your lizard with drinking water. In the wild Green Anoles drink dew and other moisture from leaves. They almost never drink from a body of water which makes misting that much more important. It does not hurt to include a shallow water dish in the enclosure just in case but in most cases the water dish will be helping to maintain the humidity more than providing drinking water.
It is important to note that your humidity should not exceed 80% for any extended period of time. Anoles are susceptible to fungal diseases that are the result of high humidity and poor ventilation.

Feeding
One of the first things to remember when dealing with any species of lizard that are insectivores is that they benefit greatly from a varied diet just as they would have in the wild. Of course in captivity it would be hard to offer grubs, crickets, cockroaches, spiders, moths, and almost any thing else they can catch and swallow for a complete diet so we do the best we can. Whatever you feed you should try to be sure that the prey is not bigger than the space between the lizard’s eyes.
Juvenile Green Anoles should be fed daily and adults can be fed every other day. They should be allowed to eat all they will eat which usually amounts to 1 - 3 prey insects of the correct size depending on the age of your Anole. Any prey that is not eaten should be removed from the enclosure to prevent dead prey from polluting the Anoles environment as well as to protect the Anole from becoming food for hungry prey insects.
The following is a list of possible prey items with some of their nutritional information. Note it is important to mention that all prey should be well fed, gut loaded, for at least 24 hours before offering it to your Anoles. Whenever possible add reptile multi vitamins to your gut load.
Silkworms - Protein 54% / Fat 43% / Calcium 0.5% / Phosphorus 0.6% / Chitin (exoskeleton) low amount
Earthworms - Protein 10.39% / Fat 7.2% / Calcium 1.18% / Phosphorus .9% / Chitin (exoskeleton) low amount
House Fly Larvae – Protein 56.5% / Fat 17.2% / Calcium .37% / Phosphorous 1.13% / Chitin (exoskeleton) low amount
Crickets - Protein 50% / Fat 44% / Calcium 0.2% / Phosphorus 2.6% / Chitin (exoskeleton) medium amount
Waxworms - Protein 27% / Fat 73% / Calcium 0.1% / Phosphorus 0.9% / Chitin (exoskeleton) low amount (These are very high in fat so they shuld only be used as an occasional treat
Mealworms - Protein 37% / Fat 60% / Calcium 0.1% / Phosphorus 1.2% / Chitin (exoskeleton) high amount (Due to the high amount of exoskeleton I recommend only feeding these to your Anole freshly molted when they are softest to avoid any chance of impaction)
In a similar style to some geckos, some Anoles will occasionally lap at pureed fruit baby foods mixed with honey, bee pollen and nutritional supplement but there is no evidence that supports this being a natural occurrence nor will all Anoles do so.

Supplements
Prey insects should be dusted with a good quality reptile calcium powder at each feeding.
Caution should be exercised when using vitamin supplements. If you are gut loading your prey insects with vitamins included it is a good idea to only dust the prey every third feeding to avoid over supplementation. If you do not add multi vitamins to your insect gut load then you should dust your prey insects with it every other feeding.

Handling
If you are looking for an animal that likes to be handled then the Anole is not what you are looking for. In fact very few reptile species “like” to be handled regardless of what interpretation people may put on the behavior of any given species they handle.
On occasion one will come across an Anole that will tolerate minimal handling without becoming overly stressed but as a rule being held by a giant predator is very stressful to them.
It is quite easy for an Anole to be injured when being handled so it is advisable not to do so any more than is absolutely necessary.

 

[Arachnobrian]

The last post pretty much covers it all.

I have kept a male/female pair of green anoles for a couple of years. They even had babies one summer. Two is a good number IMO. As I originally tried for three (2F, 1M) but still had fighting, so one had to be removed

The tank for the pair is a 33 gal. tall, with several fake plants, vines, and wood branches. I have two reptile lights which sit on the top of the tank screen, which are set up with a timer. Not sure which brand.

I also have a fogger which runs for about 15 min. every couple of hours, to maintain humidity. (Careful how you set this up).

 

[Lopez]

That is the equivalent of a 20 gallon aquarium but I have never heard of a stock aquarium with such odd dimensions.

That's because it is not a stock aquarium.