Green Anole Care

It’s no secret that the Green Anole is one lively lizard. Green anoles can keep one eye on you while focusing on their prey, and they enjoy jumping around their tank, scaling the glass walls, and making spectacular leaps to higher branches.

Due to their low cost, many people assume they are easy to care for; however, this is not the case. This lizard is native to the United States and lives in a triangle area that includes North Carolina, Florida, and Texas.

Several species of Anolis have diverged through the process of resource partitioning. This implies that different species of Anolis don’t have to fight it out for the same resources.

Abundance of Green Anoles

The green anole lizard is one of the most common species of lizard sold as a pet. Green anoles are widely accessible as “feeders” (prey items for larger, reptile-eating species) at local pet stores, chain pet store vendors, and online sellers, typically for under $10.

Green Anole Size

Female green anoles often don’t go any bigger than 5 or 6 inches, whereas males can reach a length of 8 inches. The newborns are about 3/4 to 1 inch long when they are born.

A green anole’s tail is longer than its body, by about half its total length (SVL; snout to vent length of a large adult male is about 4 inches). The green anole has a triangular or spear-shaped skull that houses big eye sockets for its daytime hunting.

The green anole is an athletic, muscular creature. Men of a certain age tend to be stockier than women of the same age. Due to their relative leanness, these long-bodied lizards can easily navigate the dense undergrowth above them. Life expectancy in the wild is typically around three years, whereas in captivity it can reach or slightly exceed six.

Location of Green Anole Habitat

Keep the tank of your Green Anole at least five feet off the floor. Being closely watched by humans or animals makes them anxious. They would much rather avoid these dangers by staying high in the trees, where they naturally reside.

You should also include driftwood, vines, and leafy plants in the aquarium to create an environment similar to their natural habitat and to encourage the growth of healthy fish.

Create a bioactive terrarium by arranging driftwood, vines, and leafy plants with sunny perches and shaded nooks at different levels. This lizard species has particular housing needs. Learning from the work of novice herpetologists can be really beneficial.

Temperature & Lighting

The ability to provide gradient heating is going to be crucial when planning the enclosure for your green anole. Simply said, your anole requires a warmer area in which to bask and warm up, as well as a cooler space in which to relax and cool down.

This is due to the fact that reptiles, like your green anole, lack the ability to regulate their internal body temperature.

These are the ideal ranges of temperature for each location:

1. Your anole will do best in a room with a temperature of 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. The ideal temperature range for the basking area you’ll be creating is 85°F to 90°F.

3. At night, it’s acceptable to allow the temperature to drop to between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

One side of the tank should be heated by the basking light, while the other should be kept at a lower temperature. Multiple thermometers strategically placed around the tank will allow you to keep tabs on the temperature in any part of the enclosure.

Substrate for the Green Anole

Pine shavings, wood shavings, and scented paper towels are examples of oily or resinous surfaces to avoid. The green anole is a temperate species that does not normally occur in extremely arid areas, thus an extremely dry substrate, like any form of sand, is also not advised. Substrates of unprocessed dirt or bark have been combined with decomposing leaf litter.

Also, know What Do Bearded Dragons Eat? Best Food List and Feeding Guide

Nutrients for the Green Anole

Crickets, mealworms, farm-raised maggots, roaches (genus Blaptica), and other insect delicacies are all fair game for green anoles. If you don’t want your anole injured, stay away from superworms and ringworms, both of which have powerful jaws.

You can augment your green anole’s diet with wild-caught insects like grasshoppers and leafhoppers, but be sure to wash them thoroughly to remove any traces of potentially toxic agricultural pesticides and herbicides.
Wild green anoles drink water off leaves after a rainstorm or in the early morning before the sun has dried the dew.

Misting water over the leaves and walls of a terrarium is the best way to ensure that your green anole gets enough water. Green anoles can’t climb out of water dishes with high sides, so don’t bother providing one if you plan on giving your pet one. Sticks or vines placed in the water dish provide green anoles with a means of egress in case they become trapped.

Common Health Problems

Green anoles are typically healthy animals that rarely become sick. However, they are vulnerable to a metabolic bone disease that causes them to lose weight and experience swelling joints, as well as respiratory problems and mouth rot.

Have a look for:

• Joint swelling
• Lack of hunger
• Poor bowel habits; diarrhoea or a foul odour
• A reduction in body fat
• Breathing problems
• Exudation in the nasal, ocular, or oral cavities
• Issues with shedding or discoloration of the skin

If you see any of these issues, you should contact a veterinarian immediately. However, in the meanwhile, make sure your pet has a healthy diet and suitable substrate, as issues with either are frequently the root of stress-related disorders.

Picking the Right Green Anole

Keeping a green anole as a pet should not cost too much, and you can find them at just about any pet store. Try to find a specimen that appears attentive and healthy, and make sure the other anoles in the store look the same way.

Green anoles can lose toes and grow new ones with no ill effects, so that’s good to know. Allow your pet some time to adjust to its new environment before bringing it for walks or taking it to the dog park. Find a vet that has familiarity with reptiles and take your green anole in for a wellness exam.

Conclusion

Care for a green anole is as low-maintenance as it gets. The care required for these magnificent reptiles is minimal, making them ideal for the lazy pet owner. We recommend them to anyone, despite the fact that they are very common and are sometimes used as a “starting reptile.”

It’s perfectly OK if your lizard doesn’t need constant supervision. When you include in their relatively high activity level, you get a pet that is a lot of pleasure to have around.