ANOLES plot to take over this forum...lol

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ShannyBeard

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We can't possibly be the only people here with anoles. :lol: I've posted my anole pictures elsewhere on this forum, but they really deserve their own thread, if for no other reason than to pad up the anole forum. :wink:

Thinking the green anole would be a great 'starter lizard' for us to practice on before we made the jump to a bearded dragon, we got our girl, Sativa, at the Medieval Faire. She was a *gasp* Baby Dragon. We brought her home in a plastic bug container and got online and freaked out when we realized the care instructions we were given at the Faire weren't exactly accurate....or even close. :shock: :eek: Note to self - do your research BEFORE you buy an animal.

Fast forward to today...the anoles have been a fun hands-off vivarium. The trick has always been to care for them while interfering as minimally as possible. They would prefer to be invisible, and I do believe they are secretly working on a cloaking device or force field. :lol:

Here is Sativa in her plastic case the day we bought her. I made a 'hide' out of cardboard after reading that they need a hide. It's such a sad little set up. :( We didn't know what to do with her. The guy at the Faire told us she ate a mix of dried dead bugs. Hmmmm.
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We read that she needed heat and basking light and we didn't have anything that night. We were destined to go to the pet store the next morning but until then she got a desk lamp and a lava lamp. :lol: I know, it's pretty terrible.
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After a visit to the pet store, this became her first home. This was before we knew that compact/coil lights were bad for their eyes. Crazy how much we have learned since then... this is Feb 6, 2011. Also we have the UV and basking on different sides of the tank. OOPS. And no foliage...oops.
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She looks happier than in the plastic but she needed a lot more plants. All the aquatic plants that PetSmart sold me died under the hot lights. Another lesson learned....!!
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Over the last year they had a tank upgrade and their new tank has evolved into this: an anole seek-and-find. Sometimes we really have to hunt around to find them. They are experts at playing "How not to be seen." :lol:
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This is Sativa, our first anole:
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And this is Jade, her arch-frenemy:
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Anyhow that's the story of my green girls. :mrgreen:
 

TASTIGER

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i had an Anole for the longest time they are great hands-off lizards and are fun to watch, his name was Gary. he eventually died of old age :cry:
 

ShannyBeard

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TASTIGER":wdcy1yp5 said:
i had an Anole for the longest time they are great hands-off lizards and are fun to watch, his name was Gary. he eventually died of old age :cry:

Are you the person who used to take your anole camping?!?
 

AtlasStrike

Sub-Adult Member
They are likely "frenemies" because they are both males. Just FYI. lol. Green anoles are actually fairly easy to sex visually when they are adults. The males have much longer and larger heads with pointier noses, females have shorter noses, smaller heads and almost always have a dorsal stripe, which is tan or brown running down their spine. One male can live with 3+ females. They like their little harems. They will harass other males though since they are highly territorial.

I love anoles, and will probably get more some day. If you get them as babies, they are actually quite easy to tame and will become quite attached to you, not unlike beardies. My boy, James, who lived for almost 7 years used to go everywhere with me. I would stick my hand in the cage and he'd jump up my arm while all his little girlfriends ran away from me. He came with me everywhere, to school, to the park, to visit friends. He would sit on my upper arm in the summer and bask, and if it got cool, he'd go under my sleeve or the hem of my shirt. He was fabulous.
 

ShannyBeard

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AtlasStrike":2vsqamz2 said:
They are likely "frenemies" because they are both males. Just FYI. lol.

Oh they are definitely girls. :D They are very funny to watch together. They never fight but there are times when one will be basking and the other one has to get just a teensy bit higher on the same basking spot. :lol: It is a game of millimeters. :lol: :lol:

Sativa, our older anole, was in the tank about 9 months before we got Jade and she had a little problem sharing her home. :lol: She used to be much easier to handle but we stopped working with her and put her in the bigger tank and there went all the hand-taming we tried to do. :oops:

Jade will actually get on my hand every so often, but with the beardies and the gecko I just don't have time to try to play wtih her.
 

ShannyBeard

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TASTIGER":24c5o5iy said:
:shock: no who did that? i would be afriad my little gary would get lost

I don't know but someone who hatched an anole from an egg and had him forever! I thought it was someone here on bd.org! The story was pretty cool.
 

Fuzzyviper

Hatchling Member
I think one of the best anoles to handle would be the huge knight anoles of Cuba. They can be nearly the size of a bearded dragon (13-20 inches) so they are a good size to handle. They do have large teeth though and are sometimes feisty/will take a bite out of you. It turns green and brown, much like the green anole, and has basically the same care but on a larger scale. I had an anole when I was very young (10 or so) and kept him healthy and happy for about 3 and a half years. We went on vacation for two weeks one summer and my neighbor promised to come feed and water him for us, which she did not do. I came home to my best little friend dead and cried my eyes out. I still get teary eyed about him from time to time. He hand-tamed very nicely and was such a great little pet. These little guys break my heart because they are such nice little lizards, full of activity and they can become quite tame, but people treat them as disposable "pets" or entertainment. Someday, I'll probably set up a tank with a male and a small harem of females.
 

ShannyBeard

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@fuzzyviper - Awww that is such a sad story about your anole. :( It is so true that people treat them as disposable pets, but they aren't! They are neat to watch and even though they do take a lot of care, they are so much fun to watch and very interesting. I love to watch them plot and plan. I can see their little wheels in their brains turning...

@lauraj1055 - It's the 35 gallon that came with our bearded dragon. I had them in a 15 gallon for about 9 months until we got Chief a larger viv. One day we'll hopefully have cresteds, too....I can see that in the future as long as I have time for all my animals!
 

ShannyBeard

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lauraj1055":369epuyp said:
Now I feel bad and Merlin is definately going to get an upgrade with new plants and everything!

And I feel bad for my leopard gecko. She is still in a 10 gallon and she's 8 months old now. :( I am a very bad mommy.
 
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