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Lizards
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I
keep my anoles (left) in a
45-gallon aquarium
with lots of plants and a network of small sticks
(right). As is evident from the photograph, green anoles can
change
from green to brown, which is why they are sometimes called
"chameleons".
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Green anoles
can be a lot of fun if you're willing to provide them with proper care.
I adopted a bunch of anoles several years ago, but now just
three
of
them are left, all males. (Since green anoles are small
lizards,
they tend to have short lifespans.) Anoles like to climb, and
it's important to give them lots of places to bask, hide, and display.
I have the anoles in a large aquarium (36" long x 24" high x
12"
deep) with a natural substrate of gravel, dirt, and sphagnum moss.
Plants
(Epipremnum and Syngonium)
are planted directly in the substrate.
A
network of small branches connected by
cable
ties fills much of the aquarium. (See also my
section on
setting up a tank for veiled chameleons.) Lighting is
provided by one
incandescent light (as a basking light), one standard and one compact
fluorescent fixture (both for the plants). Between the
branches
and the plants, the anoles have plenty of places to hang out. A self-enclosed artificial waterfall is in one corner. I like the waterfall because it helps keep the moisture high in the aquarium (which the plants also appreciate) and the anoles can drink out of it. It is not easy to clean, however, which is one downside. Also, the water can sometimes run out (e.g., if a leaf happens to be touching the stream of water) causing the waterfall to run out of water quickly and making the tank overly wet. Recently I have put the waterfall on a timer so it runs several times during the day, and this has helped cut down on the number of times it needs to be filled. I feed the anoles almost exclusively crickets (although they really appreciate it when I feed them a fly I've caught buzzing around our place). They relish small mealworms, but they don't seem to digest them very well, so they only get them infrequently. Waxworms make good treats, too. Overall they're entertaining lizards, but having to feed them small crickets make them a little more difficult than lizards that are slightly larger. There are a variety of care sheets on the internet for the green anole. Melissa Kaplan's page has a pretty good one. |
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This
page was last updated on December 12, 2006.
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