empty ten gallon ;)

[amanda509]

soo yea..if anyone has seen my thread about redoing my room, they know i have a cracked empty ten gallon...i would have loved to put a pair of cresties in there, but cant find any to fit my price range..soo..ideas on something cute, reptilian, easy to care for, friendly, easily attainable, easy to breed, low price, and will fill up my empty ten gallon

btw, it used to be home to a leopard frog, which was caught in the wild missing a hind leg, kept for 2 years, and released 4 times its original size but, im not a fan of frogs because they cannot be handled

 

[snipeusa14]

Leopard geckos? Reasonably cheap and easy to breed

 

[amanda509]

Leopard geckos? Reasonably cheap and easy to breed

ive thought about those..but personally, i think theyre ugly :/ lol

 

[millerman6401]

alot of people like to get pygmy chams, personally some type of gecko would probably work the best imo

 

[danibug23]

i def say leopard geckos! you can look online and find a different breeders and they have some really nice looking ones

 

[mbondy]

Well there are a variety of geckos you can get...leopards and regular cresties are the cheapest though.

 

[fluxlizard]

I wouldn't put a crested in a 10 gallon. Too small. They like to jump and climb.

 

[amanda509]

I wouldn't put a crested in a 10 gallon. Too small. They like to jump and climb.

if i was to get cresteds, i know the ten gallon is too small, but i have a 35 gallon in the basement i would put them in

 

[amanda509]

what about anoles? i know they arent the friendliest, but are they easy to keep? and can they be friendy/handled?

 

[lindseymeder16]

i am pretty sure anoles are more aboreal and need more of a verticle cage.

 

[amanda509]

i am pretty sure anoles are more aboreal and need more of a verticle cage.

but they survive in the pet stores? and they have one dinky little plant to climb on?

 

[millerman6401]

i have an anole named twitch, hes not mean but doesnt like to be handled, ive never seen one that likes to be held anyways. hes more of a pet that u get and just forget bout untill its feeding time, anybody can take care of one. they are sooooo easy

 

[fluxlizard]

but they survive in the pet stores? and they have one dinky little plant to climb on?

Many survive, for a while anyway. To be really truthful- anoles aren't treated very well after collection and many die at all stops along the way. Next time you go into a pet shop, stop and use your chameleon trained eye to really observe the state of most of the anoles- some will appear very healthy, some will appear on death's door, and some will be somewhere in between.

They can do alright in a 10g- but really, it isn't a lot of room and they really are arboreal.

As a kid back in a time when old world chameleons weren't available, I got a pair of anoles sold as "american chameleons" (still my preferred name for them- goes along with american buffalo, american indians and lots of other american names). First lizard I ever bred. Zip and Zing were their names because that is what they did when I opened the box when I got home with them- zip! Zing! and they were gone!

Over time with a lot of patience I got them to feed from my fingers and they would sit on my hand or shoulder and let me pet them. THe male's displays were really cool. But they never became as tame as say leopard gecko or bearded dragon- they were kind of unpredictable. Sitting one moment on my shoulder- the next jumping into space sometimes when they decided to move. But they did become very tame and would allow me to pet them and feed them.

 

[amanda509]

i have an anole named twitch, hes not mean but doesnt like to be handled, ive never seen one that likes to be held anyways. hes more of a pet that u get and just forget bout untill its feeding time, anybody can take care of one. they are sooooo easy

how do you care for them? i looked it up online and what i was reading sounded similar to a chameleon with a vertical setup, uv light, and heat lamp -.- for a $5 pet? id rather not..unless u care for yours differently?

 

[amanda509]

Many survive, for a while anyway. To be really truthful- anoles aren't treated very well after collection and many die at all stops along the way. Next time you go into a pet shop, stop and use your chameleon trained eye to really observe the state of most of the anoles- some will appear very healthy, some will appear on death's door, and some will be somewhere in between.

They can do alright in a 10g- but really, it isn't a lot of room and they really are arboreal.

As a kid back in a time when old world chameleons weren't available, I got a pair of anoles sold as "american chameleons" (still my preferred name for them- goes along with american buffalo, american indians and lots of other american names). First lizard I ever bred. Zip and Zing were their names because that is what they did when I opened the box when I got home with them- zip! Zing! and they were gone!

Over time with a lot of patience I got them to feed from my fingers and they would sit on my hand or shoulder and let me pet them. THe male's displays were really cool. But they never became as tame as say leopard gecko or bearded dragon- they were kind of unpredictable. Sitting one moment on my shoulder- the next jumping into space sometimes when they decided to move. But they did become very tame and would allow me to pet them and feed them.

they seem very exciting do they have distinct personalities? what do they eat? and how do you breed them? do they lay eggs?

 

[fluxlizard]

All lizards are very similar in requirements.

All diurnal lizards require full spectrum lighting and heat lamp and similar vitamins/calcium and gutloaded foods.

Arboreals require arboreal caging and drips or mist.

Nocturnals you can get rid of some of the complexity- no special lighting and can use alternate heating methods like pads or ceramics.

Ground dwelling you can eliminate the high cage and many drink from a dish.

 

[amanda509]

All lizards are very similar in requirements.

All diurnal lizards require full spectrum lighting and heat lamp and similar vitamins/calcium and gutloaded foods.

Arboreals require arboreal caging and drips or mist.

Nocturnals you can get rid of some of the complexity- no special lighting and can use alternate heating methods like pads or ceramics.

Ground dwelling you can eliminate the high cage and many drink from a dish.

what about certain kinds of anoles? the ones kept at the place i get my crix from are very well taken care of, all are active and bright green, but they drink from a dish? ive seen it! but im not sure of the uv light..there is a hood over the tank theyre in (which is indeed a ten gallon) but not sure of the bulb...:/ cant remember what kind, i think theyre just the basic green anoles that sell for $5 :/

 

[fluxlizard]

they seem very exciting do they have distinct personalities? what do they eat? and how do you breed them? do they lay eggs?

They do. My female was more tame- the male more active.

They eat pretty much the same stuff as chameleons- in those days I used mainly mealworms supplemented with wild caught insects because that was all that was available- yet they did very well even with mainly mealworms during the winter. With what is available today though- you are better off feeding like a chameleon and maybe offer a little crested gecko food to round it out as well. Supplementation should be similar to chameleons also.

Breeding is not difficult- let things cool down for 2 or 3 months during the winter- move enclosure to basement and reduce or elminate the heat lamp, feed less but make sure they don't dehydrate. Warm them back up in the spring and resume normal lighting and they breed pretty often, laying a couple eggs every few weeks. Eggs can be removed for incubation or if you have a natural terrarium with soil type substrate of some sort they will hatch very nicely in the terrarium as well- babies have to be immediately removed though so they aren't eaten.

Care really could amount to imagining they are panther chameleons and they would do really well like that...

 

[fluxlizard]

but they drink from a dish? ive seen it!

I own chameleons that drink from a dish as well. But it is safer/better to use misting and/or a drip system. Anoles like humidity as well and many will probably not dish drink and of those that do, many may not drink enough from a dish. Like chameleons- moving water stimulates them.

Full spectrum is a very good idea for any diurnal arboreal lizard. The same risks occur whether it is an anole or a chameleon.

$5 for a green anole or $250 for a panther chameleon- price isn't about the needs of the lizard or how easy or difficult it is. It is about how easy it is to collect or breed the lizard, bring it to market and what the dealers think the market will pay. Some really difficult lizards are very cheaply captured and collected for market and some really easy lizards are very expensive.

 

[amanda509]

I own chameleons that drink from a dish as well. But it is safer/better to use misting and/or a drip system. Anoles like humidity as well and many will probably not dish drink and of those that do, many may not drink enough from a dish. Like chameleons- moving water stimulates them.

Full spectrum is a very good idea for any diurnal arboreal lizard. The same risks occur whether it is an anole or a chameleon.

$5 for a green anole or $250 for a panther chameleon- price isn't about the needs of the lizard or how easy or difficult it is. It is about how easy it is to collect or breed the lizard, bring it to market and what the dealers think the market will pay. Some really difficult lizards are very cheaply captured and collected for market and some really easy lizards are very expensive.

ugh -.- i just want something to fill the tank and easily be cared for :/...that is not a leopard gecko -.-