Advice Breeding Anoles *Breeder Setup

Snakess2014 · 03-30-15, 09:47 AM

Hi Everyone,

This is my first thought of breeding anoles. Can you share what's been most successful for you when breeding anoles?

Tank size
Temperature control
Lighting control
Humidifier or just mist tanks
Tank arrangement
Live plants
What food to feed (Do you breed your own, if so any advice on that!?)
Incubator or let hatch is tank
Anything else i'm missing....

Also how time consuming is breeding anoles?

I greatly appreciate any advice!
Thank you,
Kyle

prairiepanda · 03-30-15, 11:52 AM

Have you ever kept anoles before? Many of your questions seem to be basic care questions. I would advise keeping a couple as pets for a while to get a hang of their care before delving into breeding. Once you've had some more experience with them and are ready to take on breeding, it would be wise to do some research via google and/or your nearest library and then come to the forums with more specific questions about details that might confuse you or things you might want to try differently, to see if anyone here has experience with those particular things.

I have had anoles in the past, and they're incredibly easy to care for if you can get the humidity right. Many people just mist theirs, but I needed a humidifier because my home at that time was incredibly dry, so it really depends on the ambient humidity in your home and the type of enclosure you choose. A heat mat on the side of the tank with a thermostat works well for heating; they don't make use of a thermal gradient, so you don't need to be too picky about that. You want a vertically-oriented enclosure with lots of foliage to hide in. They're insectivores and will do well on a diet of dusted crickets, but you can use a wide variety of feeder insects if you wish. Make sure you sex your anoles correctly before taking them home, as males are quite territorial so you don't want more than one male per enclosure.

I never bred my anoles, but they do breed readily in captivity and each female will lay about a dozen eggs per year, one at a time. I have heard of people incubating in the tank, since conditions there are usually good there, but I wouldn't recommend that because the babies will probably get eaten by the adults.

Snakess2014 · 03-31-15, 08:50 AM

Thanks for your response, I don't breed lizards but i do breed snakes and have kept lizards growing up. So i'm not worried about experience and the snakes i keep are exotic and require a lot of care and attention. I have humidifiers, ceramic heat, live plants, and fans on my setups, so i do know what i'm doing. One of my ETB's got an infections last years and i had to give it 10 shots. Look up ETB fangs if you don't know what they are, talk about not fun! & my reason for the thread is because i don't have the time to research breeding anoles right now, so i was hoping i could get some advice prior to researching my self. Thank you for your concern though.

I've also heard males are territorial but i've heard if you have multiple parts of the tank where each male can make his own territory, you're fine. Multiple males and multiple females is what one of the pet shops told me, as long as each male can have his own territory in the tank.

I have clarified on my post, I don't have time to do the research myself right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairiepanda

Have you ever kept anoles before? Many of your questions seem to be basic care questions. I would advise keeping a couple as pets for a while to get a hang of their care before delving into breeding. Once you've had some more experience with them and are ready to take on breeding, it would be wise to do some research via google and/or your nearest library and then come to the forums with more specific questions about details that might confuse you or things you might want to try differently, to see if anyone here has experience with those particular things.

I have had anoles in the past, and they're incredibly easy to care for if you can get the humidity right. Many people just mist theirs, but I needed a humidifier because my home at that time was incredibly dry, so it really depends on the ambient humidity in your home and the type of enclosure you choose. A heat mat on the side of the tank with a thermostat works well for heating; they don't make use of a thermal gradient, so you don't need to be too picky about that. You want a vertically-oriented enclosure with lots of foliage to hide in. They're insectivores and will do well on a diet of dusted crickets, but you can use a wide variety of feeder insects if you wish. Make sure you sex your anoles correctly before taking them home, as males are quite territorial so you don't want more than one male per enclosure.

I never bred my anoles, but they do breed readily in captivity and each female will lay about a dozen eggs per year, one at a time. I have heard of people incubating in the tank, since conditions there are usually good there, but I wouldn't recommend that because the babies will probably get eaten by the adults.

Snakess2014 · 03-31-15, 08:52 AM

I have experience with reptiles and breeding. Just not with anoles and i don't have the time to research breeding anoles right now, thats why i posted this hoping to get some great advice prior to doing research!

SnoopySnake · 03-31-15, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakess2014

I have experience with reptiles and breeding. Just not with anoles and i don't have the time to research breeding anoles right now, thats why i posted this hoping to get some great advice prior to doing research!

Believe me, I'm not trying to be a jerk here but, if you don't even have time to do a little research then how will you have time to feed/care for them, set up an incubator, etc.?

Snakess2014 · 03-31-15, 10:33 AM

Are you kidding me!!!! Did you not read the entire thread, it clearly states "right now" and continues to say "prior to doing research". & if you have to say no offense or i'm not trying to be a jerk, usually you are being offensive or a jerk. If you weren't, you wouldn't need to state that before saying what you have to say.

So if you don't have any advice to give, stop wasting my time!

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnoopySnake

Believe me, I'm not trying to be a jerk here but, if you don't even have time to do a little research then how will you have time to feed/care for them, set up an incubator, etc.?

prairiepanda · 03-31-15, 09:04 AM

You can indeed do multiple males in a tank, if you provide enough space. The equivalent of 20 gallons per male, with each "zone" partially obscured from the others with foliage. You want to give each male a high perch from which they can view their territory. Having at least 3 females per male will prevent too much competition. Personally, I think it would be easier to have separate tanks for each group with one male each, because then you can use smaller enclosures and save space and make finding eggs easier. But if space isn't a concern, one huge enclosure with multiple male territories would probably make a nice display!

They like to dig shallow indentations in the dirt for laying eggs and cover them with light debris, so you don't need to do much digging. Females usually use the same nest for the entire season, or even multiple seasons, so that makes your job easier. Make sure to provide not only humidity-holding dirt but also small loose litter like crumbled leaves for nest cover.

I can't comment on specific incubation strategies, if you wish to incubate, but replicating the temperature and humidity of the adult enclosure is your best bet.

These guys don't need a cooling period or anything to breed. If they're together, they'll breed! So you'll want to figure out a way to give your females a break. The store that I got my anoles from actually bred them as feeders, and they had several tanks full of females and a couple males who they moved from one tank to another periodically, so that the tanks without males could rest.

**Minkness** · 03-31-15, 12:02 PM

Woah...what is with the hostility?

It was a valid question really. If you don't have the time now, then maybe you should research a little bit at a time.

If we are wasting that time, then perhaps your time would be better spent looking up the information you want at your convenience though Google or other care sites. No reason to come on here snapping because someone says something you don't like or have time for. That's just bad manners.

Coming to a forum and stating your lack of time to find your own information then attacking people because they question it is more of a waste of your time than the question it's self.

And someone's intent to not be offensive can be very genuine. But we, as Internet entities, have no way of predicting how sensitive someone may be to what has been said. You are clearly more sensitive than others, so I expect that while I also mean no harm in my post, you will take offense regardless.

Good luck with your anoles.

Snakess2014 · 03-31-15, 05:09 PM

Really are you kidding me. Quit wasting my time. & no just don't post a thread unless its helpful valid advice. There is nothing against asking for advice on a forum. If you don't have advice, dont comment, as simple as that. Your post and the other post has no valuable information at all. So why even post it, apparently you have to much time on your hands and just like to stir the pot. Or maybe you have no valuable information to post.

& actually i attacked no one, i clearly stated i will be doing research later and i just don't have the time now. & apparently the person couldn't comprehend that in my thread. & the way i look at is, if your stating no offense or not trying to be a jerk, well bottom line you are. Because it even crossed the persons mind, man i may be coming off as a jerk... You can look at it how you want.

& actually i'm frustrated with having to read threads that are 100% full of B.S. and nothing to do with my question and have zero value to the post. & its not sensitivity, time is precious and i don't like when people waste my time or don't read the post fully and make stupid snide comments (how are you going to have time to feed them), well duh if i cant i wont start breeding them. Its called "common sense" people.

& if you really meant good luck with your anoles, you may have actually posted some useful information.

So please, if you have nothing to contribute please leave the post. Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

Woah...what is with the hostility?

It was a valid question really. If you don't have the time now, then maybe you should research a little bit at a time.

If we are wasting that time, then perhaps your time would be better spent looking up the information you want at your convenience though Google or other care sites. No reason to come on here snapping because someone says something you don't like or have time for. That's just bad manners.

Coming to a forum and stating your lack of time to find your own information then attacking people because they question it is more of a waste of your time than the question it's self.

And someone's intent to not be offensive can be very genuine. But we, as Internet entities, have no way of predicting how sensitive someone may be to what has been said. You are clearly more sensitive than others, so I expect that while I also mean no harm in my post, you will take offense regardless.

Good luck with your anoles.

**Minkness** · 03-31-15, 06:18 PM

Welcome to a public forum where anyone can comment with facts or opinions as they see fit so long as they do not go against the TOS.

Also, several people have now given you good, credible advice. I guess being polite and saying thank you is more of a waste of your time than attacking those who question you or point out your lack of manners.

prairiepanda · 03-31-15, 10:40 PM

lol I saw this one coming. To the OP: this is why in my first reply I suggested doing research before asking questions. I'm happy to help, but you need to be aware that asking questions before doing any research of your own does tend to be frowned upon as it gives the impression that you're trying to forego personal research altogether. I assure you that you will find this forum(and any public forum for that matter) far more welcoming once you've committed some of your own time to research. Hopefully the advice I have given you can point you in the right direction for when you get started on that.

pet_snake_78 · 04-01-15, 07:36 PM

I see you're in San Diego. There are probably species you could keep in an outdoor enclosure that are rare or going to be rare in the future. I would encourage you to build an outdoor enclosure, great for many lizards and cycling for breeding.

**Minkness** · 04-01-15, 07:44 PM

I think OP left because we wasted too much of his time.

SnoopySnake · 04-01-15, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minkness

I think OP left because we wasted too much of his time.

I'm pretty sure it would've taken less time to look up a few articles than it does to type out those huge replies though... Just sayin'......

I guess I'm just a little more concerned for the health and well-being of the animals than hurting someone's feelings or wasting there time.

prairiepanda · 04-02-15, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnoopySnake

I'm pretty sure it would've taken less time to look up a few articles than it does to type out those huge replies though... Just sayin'......

I guess I'm just a little more concerned for the health and well-being of the animals than hurting someone's feelings or wasting there time.

I never really understood the "don't have time for research argument, at least taking into account modern technology and connectivity. If I'm on my way to work and see some crazy bug on the sidewalk that I've never seen before, I can find its name and get a general idea of its lifestyle using my phone before I even get to work.