 |
Back to Anoles Forum Forums Home Members Area
Anoles Forum
Tiacolleen Thirteen Rubix Rubix Thirteen Phonegirl75 Tyranasaurus gex Phonegirl75 Phonegirl75 |
| Member | Message | ||
|
Tiacolleen View Profile |
Help with Anole Enclosure
There is an 18x18x18 exoterra on craigslist I have been contemplating getting to split them. I have already got some items that are not the best suited, and would like to make sure I am getting the correct stuff to go forward. 1. I bought a ceramic type thing that looks like a tree, but I am worried now the lights may make that too hot. 2. I think my humidity may be too high. Before misting the gauge says 50 and the tank is wet under the substrate- is this OK? I only have the bark like stuff from petsmart on the bottom, should I add organic soil under that? I have 3 plastic plants and 1 strip of bendable bark and a round log with holes in it. (they love the log & the plants the most) Sorry, I am all over the place with this post. I think one is male and 2 female, but only because 2 have the white stipes, which I know is not always accurate, but they have not fought so far, or could they just be too young to be territorial? 3. How long will they survive in this setup without affecting their health? Ultimately, I would love to get a huge tank, but don’t know if I have the ability to take of it. 4. Would you get the exoterra, or go for a larger aquarium, like a 29 high which I read is better? Thank you advance for any help to a person who knows nothing about how to care for lizards! Sad, but better then being left in the plastic cage, I hope. Add’l info-I bought the twin light fixture from zoo med with 50W basking and 50W infared and the compact fixture with reptisun coil .5 uvb (I know this is not the best from reading) |
||
| 09/26/10 10:31am |
|
||
|
Thirteen View Profile |
Message To: Tiacolleen In reference to Message Id: 2177517 Help with Anole Enclosure
1.) I’d say nix the ceramic thing, you don’t want anything with the ability to get hot like that, because it could cause severe burns for your anoles. 2.) What I do, and what many people have had luck with, is simply using organic potting soil... it has no fertilizers or plant food, etc. The tank shouldn’t be wet under the substrate, and the soil (just soil) will help to avoid this. Prime humidity is 50%. Make sure to mist multiple times a day, though, as that is how the anoles get their drinking water. You DEFINITELY need a bigger tank. Either the Exo Terra (because it’s still pretty high) or the 29 gallon will work. But they will quickly become stressed out in your current set up due to lack of space. The white stripe/dewlap/size is not at all an accurate way to sex. Your anoles could simply be very young and may begin fighting as they mature more. The only accurate way to sex an anole is by looking for a presence of enlarged post anal glands under the tail (this would indicate a male and lack thereof would be female). |
||
| 09/26/10 11:29am |
|
||
|
Rubix View Profile |
Message To: Tiacolleen In reference to Message Id: 2177517 Help with Anole Enclosure
I’m not familiar with ceramic trees. If it feels hot to the touch it’s probably best to remove it or move it away from the light. Wood and plants from outside work great if properly cleaned. 50% is good humidity. You don’t want standing water in the tank because of mold. Organic potting soil is good to use, and you can keep the bark chips on top if you want, or just use the potting soil. Generally the more plants and climbing areas the better. I try not to have too much empty area. Add lots of big plants, real or fake, and lots of vines or branches. Try to use all the dimensions! Definitely replace the coil UVB with a 5.0 strip tube light (shouldn’t do much harm short term though). Most people don’t use infrared lights. Regular house bulbs are sufficient for producing heat and light. If you need more heat you can use a higher wattage. Hope this helps with some of you questions! |
||
| 09/26/10 12:01pm |
|
||
|
Rubix View Profile |
Message To: Thirteen In reference to Message Id: 2177525 Help with Anole Enclosure
|
||
| 09/26/10 12:04pm |
|
||
|
Thirteen View Profile |
Message To: Rubix In reference to Message Id: 2177535 Help with Anole Enclosure
|
||
| 09/26/10 12:30pm |
|
||
|
Phonegirl75 View Profile |
Message To: Tiacolleen In reference to Message Id: 2177517 Help with Anole Enclosure
You already got some wonderful advice from two members, so the only thing I wanted to share is my experience with the "tall" vivarium. I started with a 10 gallon tank from the pet store with two lizards in it... a house gecko and an anole. After I started reading I got concerned it wasn’t big enough for them and started searching for the best deal. Now, the gecko lives in the 10 gallon, by himself and my anole, Ziggy, lives in a Zilla fresh air acrylic atrium that I found online at Petco. I must tell you that I LOVE it. It was less expensive then the Exo Terra versions and larger! The acrylic is great for keeping in the humidity and the screens at the bottom and top are so nice to make sure my lizard is getting enough fresh air. Especially since I keep my UVB strip and my heat lamp on the top screen. (Be careful of doing this to make sure your lizard can’t physically touch the bulbs and get burnt!) I love that front doors, because I don’t have to move all the light fixtures to access the habitat to put in crickets or to mist... just open the door and it is easy access!! The height of mine is 20", so I put one of those Exo Terra jungle vines in it and wrapped fake fish plants around it. This is wonderful! I can bend them into interesting and fun twists and turns so Ziggy can spring from one to the next and hide behind the leaves. He LOVES them, spends all day on them, rarely coming down to the floor level except to hunt crickets. I will post some pics on a different thread for you if you are curious. :) |
||
| 09/27/10 12:14pm |
|
||
|
Tyranasaurus gex View Profile |
Message To: Phonegirl75 In reference to Message Id: 2177768 Help with Anole Enclosure
|
||
| 09/27/10 01:23pm |
|
||
|
Phonegirl75 View Profile |
Message To: Tiacolleen In reference to Message Id: 2177517 Help with Anole Enclosure
I was just looking at the Zilla atrium that I have and it only comes in that one size, which is only big enough for one anole technically. They do have another version which is all screen, except the bottom is PVC that come in a medium size which would work wonderfully for you. I put the demensions in the calculator and it said the size of your tank or cage is approximately: 32.42 gallons, which is enough for all 3 anoles as long as you only have ONE male in there. What you might consider is getting that one and then go to a hardware store and get some plexiglass, which is fairly cheap, have it cut or cut it yourself for the sides of the enclosure and then just seal it in place with clear sealant... just glue it right over the mesh screening. That would give you a nice tall atrium that holds humidity beautifully!
Oh and to find out how many boys you REALLY have, pick up your anole and get it to hold on to your finger... then turn it upside down and look at the scales below its anus (they call it a "vent"). Or just get your anole to hold on to the back of your hand and then spread your fingers apart so you can see its vent area between your fingers. If all the scales are tiny and just alike... that is a female anole. If you see two larger scales below the vent... it’s a boy! You want to separate your boys as quickly as you can because they will fight and sometimes to a tragic end for one of them. I took this picture of Ziggy, my anole, this morning. Ziggy, has a stripe but he has the enlarged post anal scales so he is a "striped" male!!
|
||
| 09/27/10 05:02pm |
|
||
|
Phonegirl75 View Profile |
Message To: Phonegirl75 In reference to Message Id: 2177814
|
||
| 09/27/10 05:08pm |
|
Help with Anole Enclosure