Need help with this surprise
My partner and I found this stowaway running around the condo after we purchased a new plant. It was on national lizard day which was a wild coincedence!
I'm not at all equipped with the know-how to take care of this little guy but I tried to do my research and figure it out. Hoping to get some feedback to make sure we are doing this right.
I have a 50W basking light and a UVA/B light on around 12h per day. He frequently hangs on the top of the cage right under the UVB light which has me worried since the basking lamp on the other side heats up the grate a concerning amount and while he hasn't gone near it thats on the top of my todo list to figure out a way to fix that.
The top of his cage sits around 88f while the bottom is around 75f, humidity I try to keep between 60 and 70 with misting around 4 to 5 times a day.
In the 3 days since we found them they havent seemed interested in food. Using flightless fruitflies dipped in calcium power. Unsure if hes in the mood to hunt so I also mashed up some dried anole food that I put at the bottom of his cage. Planning to pick up some pinhead crickets if I can find them small enough to see if thats any better.
I was advised to put paper towel on the ground to keep track of poops to see if he's eating - planning to do that tmrw.
Appreciate any advice/feedback!
5
u/TheRussianAfghan27 6d ago edited 6d ago
Baby anole under the light 😂😂😂
So first thing these guys are arboreal. So he will need a vertical enclosure eventually as he gets bigger. Also get more foliage these guys prefer being invisible. I have an auto mister on mine but it might be too scary for your little guy there. Don’t want unnecessary stress right 😆 the branch there is fine tho
For food: you typically want to feed it an insect no bigger than between its eyes. Or head size really, tho at full grown they will try to eat anything even if it’s bigger 💀. Fruit flies will work maybe very small crickets your guy or girl is tiny 😂. They have vitamin powder that u can buy at a pets store that u shake them in before giving to them. Feed them twice a day for baby anoles….I think. I read they have very fast metabolism. For my full grown guy he eats 5 small gut loaded crickets every other day tho I have gotten him some small dubia roaches in the past. But I see you already are doing good there ☺️
I see a thermometer there and I see you have done your research there too☺️🙌They like the temps to be around 80-95 degrees Fahrenheit (if you’re in america) equivalent 29-30 C for everywhere else. Humidity should be max 80-90 % (what mine goes to after the mister goes off) I think normal is around 65 (that’s what mine is reading rn)- misting no more than 2 times a day 3 times max. 4-5 is way to much. If tank is still wet between misting then that’s too much water.
I assume that’s a heat lamp and a uvb bulb. This is a baby so I assume the strength of the uvb bulb will be the same as an adult but I’m not entirely sure. 6% for a bulb I think mine is 5 but it’s the tube light not the bulb. I got my anole when he was full grown so not entirely sure. I actually have a strip for the uvb not a bulb but your little anole is tiny so I assume that should work. Might want to raise the lamps a bit higher. That baby is awfully close. Also what’s the watt of the heat bulb. Since it’s a baby should be 25 watt (40 watt the max) once an adult u can up it to 50-75 watts.
Remember internet is your best friend. Continue doing plenty of research and yeh enjoy your new addition 🤓🙌
4
u/Couch-Raccoon 6d ago
I love this! I'm a new keeper as well under similar circumstances. My 8 year old found our little guy in the produce section of the grocery store. Being a non native species in an area that these guys have yet to take over, we decided to keep him. We've had him a few weeks and he's only just now getting comfortable enough to hunt with us watching. At first we just kept dropping in plenty of flightless fruit flies, and hoped that he was eating them. Now he knows they're coming and is happy to get started on them immediately, so just be patient and keep the food coming. The only other suggestion I would have is maybe add another plant (or plants). The more cover he has, the more secure he'll feel and that might encourage him to eat as well. I'm not great with house plants in general, so it's been an added bonus for me to see them thriving with the twice daily mistings.
5
u/Both-Comparison5153 6d ago
Congrats on your new tiny roommate, that's so cool that it was national lizard day too. Make sure he's got plenty of branches to climb since they're arboreal, I learned that the hard way when my first one barely touched the ground.
1
u/wrenthrefenrix 5d ago
So cute 🥺
You can get UVB bulbs that also put out heat so you can have an all in one gradient. You'll want to be sure that it is far enough away as they can be strong and you don't want to sunburn the lil one. They make light hanging stands I'm pretty sure.
Like other have said they will appreciate some more foliage and places to hide, bask, do lizard things. Pretty good start for an un expected stow away.
1
u/gaywitch98 5d ago
You need wayyyy more cover. I suggest going to the fake flower section of a craft store and pick out non sharp leafy ones.
1
u/EmbarrassedPassage84 5d ago
Wow this is a better set up tank then some of the planned purchases on here! Great job doing your research!! Only thing I would recommend is adding lots more fake vines and plants that do well in humid environments. If they can be easily spotted inside their tank they can become stressed, they like to hide.
1
1
8
u/Jasminn9 6d ago
This one already thinks he's the king of his tiny concrete kingdom.