need somebody who knows about Anoles

[BlackWolf25]

I am just curious, how do I tell if my anoles are eating?.....Need some help please.

 

[Melmo]

Usually they'll stalk crickets right in front of you. If you have a secure lid, and no where for the crickets to hide well enough to not be found, you can be pretty sure the anole is eating. Also, ask madeve on this forum, she's great with anoles.

 

[madeve]

As Melmo said, they usually are bold enough to hunt and eat right in front of you. I feed mine in the afternoon when they are most active. If you feed crickets just watch a few minutes, your anole will surely eat right away. I sometimes feed them meal worms, I put them in a dish and the anoles will come and snatch them.
Also if the crickets have disappeared (not escaped) and you see poop it's a good indicator that they ate.

 

[MikeM]

Make sure to feed them during the daytime when they are most active and just watch them for a few minutes....pretty much what everyone has said so far.

 

[natureneil]

If you have skittish anoles or the tank has dense planting. Try putting a smooth sided bowl with sides around 1.5 inches high in the tank and put a few crickets in that, then close the door and watch and hopefully within a few minutes the anoles will appear around the bowl and catch the crickets.
Anoles can sometimes refuse to eat if they are very thirsty so try misting the tank well prior to feeding and this will stimulate them to eat. Good luck
Neil
aquarium and vivarium blog and podcast www.bombina.co.uk

 

[freves]

Which species do you have? As the others have mentioned the commonly available A. carolinensis and A. sagrei are generally very bold and will eat in front of you. Some of the less commonly available species are more skittish however and require lots of plant cover in order to feel secure. How is its activity otherwise? If it is alert and not easily approached then I would not worry as much. If it allows itself to be easily picked up then something is most likely wrong. BTW anoles do not enjoy being handled and frequent handling can cause stress. How are you keeping it (cage size, design, temperature, humidity, etc)?
Chip

 

[BlackWolf25]

I will put a picture up when I get home.

 

[Alejandro]

They also require appropriate size food items. For instance, the crickets should not be bigger than the width of its head.

 

[BlackWolf25]

Here are some pictures of my setup

 

[freves]

I am assuming that the first pic is of the top of the enclosure. If so, then you really need to replace it with a screen cover. Anoles need plenty of fresh air. Also, add a plant, either real or artificial (preferably live). A potted pothos should do well in your tank until it requires some trimming. Another point, is that light fluorescent? If not then you should replace it with one that is. Another requirement is a small basking light (turned off at night along with the fluorescent bulb). Generally the ideal temperature range for most Anolis species is in the mid to upper 80's (F) during the day wth a drop to the lower 70's at night. The animals should always have a choice of warmer and cooler areas in the enclosure, allowing thermoregulation. If you are not already doing so, add a calcium with D3 and a multivitamin powder to the feeder insects. If you are able to do so your anoles will really benefit from exposure to natural, unfiltered sunlight. I used to keep my animals outside in screened enclosures during the summer months and I usually had more eggs and juveniles than I knew what to do with. Although anoles are primarily insectivorous many individuals will also lap at mashed fruit and fruit baby food. Just some random thoughts.
Chip

 

[fishkeeper]

Does anyone here know what other sp. of anoles are available in the US? I think some of the Norops species would make excellent terrarium inhabitants.

 

[BlackWolf25]

well, bad news, one of my anoles died, i am pretty sure it was old age, and thanks a lot freves, ill have to get that stuff when i get paid

 

[madeve]

I don't know about other states but I've only seen brown and green anoles available in LA.

 

[freves]

Generally speaking most of the species that have been introduced into Florida are available at least seasonally. The are a handful of other species that trickle in from time to time. Many of the more attractive ones often cost more. There was at one time an excellent group on yahoo dedicated to Anolis. The information was top notch and once you got to know some of the people there offspring of some of the more difficult to obtain species would often be available.
Chip

 

[BlackWolf25]

he everyone reading this post, make sure to go to my other post on in the off-topic forum and take a look atmy video i posted and tell me what you think

 

[fishkeeper]

Hello Chip,

Interesting stuff. I have yet to see any of the Norops offered but that is probably due to them being relatively small and dull looking...though the dewlaps on some are quite showy.

Also, I noticed you didn't mention much about UV. If you did not have the ability to house outdoors would you just provide them basking light with vit D3 supplementation(i.e. no Reptisun or other UV bulbs?)

 

[fishkeeper]

Actually I am now seriously considering a screen outdoor enclosure for anoles. I know they don't hibernate, but are weather here in Central Cal, sans the dryness seems similar as far as USDA climate zones go to the middle parts of the anoles range(average annual lows of 15-20 degrees approx...like Houston Texas and Gainesville Fl). Think they could be kept outdoors all year here with some careful cage positioning during extreme times of year?

 

[Critter Mom]

I kept green anoles for most of my growing up years and through part of college. I had one last for over five years in captivity. They mated and produced eggs, but the female would often dig them up and eat them for whatever reason. They were healthy and lived well.

They ate a variety of foods. The vet who is an exotic animal vet had me feed them at least once a week with Mighty Dog canned dog food with powdered milk on it and a toothpick. You might be able to put it in a small bowl and watch them eat. They also ate a variety of fruit and rose petals, as long as the rose petals are grown where you know they are pesticide free (like on your own property). I used powdered milk on their fruit, but you can now get the calcium supplements and vitamin supplements to dust their food with. Just don't make it pasty or gummy. You might have to entice a non-eating anole with a moving food item on a toothpick or long feeding tweezer you can buy at the pet shop.

I fed them mealworms and crickets too, but he said that these have very little nutrition in them. Nowadays we can "gutload" them and I would recommend that. It is good to vary their diet since they would be eating all kinds of things in the wild. I caught them common houseflies and threw them in. Sometimes I would have to remove the wings so they could catch them easier. One time I gave one of them a pregnant fly which had maggots, and the vet said the anole had to eat the fly and maggots before the maggots ate the anole. There was nothing we could really do. The anole eventually won.

The thing I would worry about with them being outside in an enclosure is making them more available to predators. These little guys are escape artists, and when you put them outside, you are not only subjecting them to the elements and the extremes that can happen in temperatures, not to mention sudden flash floods, but you are also subjecting them to becoming to dry and not getting enough humidity too. I have yet to see them really drink much from a water dish. They much prefer drinking water droplets and if there are none, they can die of thirst and dehydration, and so would the crickets. Snakes and predatory birds would not find a screen much of a deterrent in getting to what they want either.

Just some thoughts. If you have questions, please contact me. :happy:

Have fun with your anoles,
Critter Mom

 

[freves]

I just stumbled back onto this thread. I should have mentioned UV light and D3 supplementation, my apologies. I have to respectfully disagree with crittermom regarding outdoor caging. Anoles are active, sun loving lizards that do much better when kept outdoors, exposed to natural sunlight. I kept mine mostly in the larger sized reptariums during the warmer months and they did great. I often had more offspring than I wanted. Predators are a concern (mostly cats), however if provided with thick vegetation the lizards generally kept off of the sides of the enclosure and out of swatting range. When kept indoors I just used standard fluorescent daylight tubes and supplemented the diet with D3.
Chip

 

[fishkeeper]

Thanks for the info both!

Water could be provided by situating the enclosure near a mister or sprinkler that goes off frequently enough in the summer to cool the air. I sure hope the local cats are not that intrusive though I'd imagine 3 anoles in a 2 x 2 x 4 enclosure would not be very noticeable.