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 #2068036


3glasses
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My 4 year old daughter has found an anole and wants to keep it. I have no idea what I need to do to set up the aquarium up for him. I am a fish person and have no idea what to do with lizards. If you know any tips or know of any good websites please let me know. Thanks!
09/05/09  01:18pm

 #2068241


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: 3glasses   In reference to Message Id: 2068036


 Help

It will cost a hundred dollars or so to set up a proper setup, unless you know what you’re doing and can cut corners or make your own setup.

You should read Atrax’s caresheet for Anole Care. I’m not trying to shrug you off or be rude--I received the same advice when I started out here: I was kind of taken back by the single post reply of "Go read Atrax’s caresheet" but reading it really set me on the right path for proper care of my anoles.

http://www.repticzone.com/forums/Anoles/messages/2066703.html
09/06/09  12:42am

 #2068243


Kaitymay
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   Message To: TwilightRealm   In reference to Message Id: 2068241


 Help

it doesnt cost hundreds of dollars.......$20 tank, pants around $20. substrate, around $8. food like $5. and a simple water dish, a couple branches or so from out side ( bake them to get rid of bacteria) thats fine for now untill you have the money, time and room.



09/06/09  12:47am

 #2068270


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068243


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I did not say hundreds of dollars, I said a hundred dollars. And that’s if you know how to shop cheap.

A rough estimate, but one gets the idea.

10 gallon tank - $25-$30
Terrarium hood - $40
Fluorescent light - $15
Desk lamp - $20
Incandescent bulb pack - $3
Potting soil - $30
Fake plants - $20
Sticks - $12
Mesh screen top - $5
Digital temp gun - $25-30
Spray bottle - $2
Kricket Keeper - $5
Cricket feed & quencher - $8
Calcium Powder - $5

Range: $215-$225
09/06/09  01:54am

 #2068271


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: TwilightRealm   In reference to Message Id: 2068270


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Now there are shortcuts to lessening the price.

-Building your own tank.
-Substituting different substrates like Bed-a-Beast (although I’ve been wary of them and the possible impaction/death of anoles) instead of organic potting soil (priced high because you can buy a bag of it at Home Depot).
-Using reading lamp bulbs instead of reptile basking bulbs for incandescent light (they do the same thing. I listed the reading lamp price in the list above rather than the more expensive basking lamps).
-Using sticks from outside rather than buying some from a pet store--as long as they are sterilized in the oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.
-Catching insects for the anole to eat, instead buying them from a pet store. You can also breed them.
-Feeding insects with alternative food (like potato peels) and making your own insect thirst quencher.

I wouldn’t substitute analog temperature gauges for the digital temp gun, since analog can be off by as much as 10 degrees, and you want your temperatures to be precise.
09/06/09  02:03am

 #2068283


Kaitymay
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   Message To: TwilightRealm   In reference to Message Id: 2068271


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whoa...ok my 10g was $11 and the top was 10..yu dont NEED a kricket keeper, just a cheep lil cage. a hood? just use a screen top and cover like half of it with seran wrap. bulbs and lamps are $15 all together.....fake plants, i agree on that/// sticks, can get from outside and bake them. no need for a mesh screen top/ spray bottle, $1 . i agree with the rest of the first post..

ive never had a problem w/ bed a beast, for $5. crickets are 10 cents each....not a big deal
09/06/09  03:07am

 #2068339


Draconiz666
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068283


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the tank at least is a one off cost tho, and bulbs are something you buy every 3 months - generally the on-going cost is fairly low, the initial set up tho is pretty steep, but if you get the basics like tank and lighting and a few plants, the rest can be bought more gradually. plants are easy enough to get hold of from garden centres.

sorry if this puts you off the idea!! i remember as a kid trying to keep a garden frog as a pet - it went badly and when it died my mum had to buy me a rabbit...
09/06/09  10:02am

 #2068395


Kaitymay
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   Message To: Draconiz666   In reference to Message Id: 2068339


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ahhhh lets put it this way, if yu want a simple set up, theres enough info in just this thread to do it. good luck =)



09/06/09  12:55pm

 #2068482


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068395


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Quote:

just use a screen top and cover like half of it with seran wrap

Huh? A hood is what they call that long black thing that holds the fluorescent light.

Example: Link
09/06/09  05:17pm

 #2068486


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: TwilightRealm   In reference to Message Id: 2068482


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And how are you going to have an anole setup without a mesh screen top? Even if you hang the hood and the basking light, without something over the top, the anoles will just crawl out. Never invest in a glass top, the heat will just magnify through the glass and fry the anoles. A mesh top takes the heat pretty well and prevents the anoles from escaping.
09/06/09  05:19pm

 #2068572


Kaitymay
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   Message To: TwilightRealm   In reference to Message Id: 2068486


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yu dont need either of those, basic 10 g tank, without the black hood thing, hang the light, screen top, cover half with wrap stuff and no need for all that. go to a pet store and look in the tank isle and there are screen tops lol. i know wat your talking about though. thats the kind of top yu would want for fish or something. if yu get a screen top yu dont need that type of top
09/06/09  09:25pm

 #2068658


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068572


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We’re definitely on the wrong page here. I’m saying one needs a screen mesh lid AND a terrarium hood. You can hang a desk lamp with the incandescent bulb, but I’m not talking about that light, and I’m not talking about the kind of top fish tanks have, because those cover the entire top of the tank.

I’m talking about terrarium (not aquarium) hoods--the kind you need to hold in the UVB light. They don’t take up that much of the top of the tank, but they are very necessary in order to have a fluorescent (UVB) light. You can’t fit that kind of bulb into a desk lamp, that’s what the tank hoods are for.

Here’s a picture of a tank setup I had for my baby beardie. The black bar across the top is the terrarium hood. There’s also a screen mesh lid under it. Get it?



Also, I wouldn’t advise saran wrap anywhere near a light source, as it could melt. You also don’t want to risk asphyxiation in the tank.
09/07/09  01:46am

 #2068844


Tiari
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   Message To: TwilightRealm   In reference to Message Id: 2068658


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The most expensive part of the set up should be the UVB tube light, and the lighting hood fixture. Don’t use compact UVB bulbs. Everything else here has already been mentioned.
09/07/09  01:28pm

 #2068859


Kaitymay
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   Message To: Tiari   In reference to Message Id: 2068844


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this is wat i mean-its my geckos set up, my anole has a critter ceeper thing.



09/07/09  02:15pm

 #2068881


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068859


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Arrgh!!! The setup in the picture has some real problems. The entire top should never be covered with plastic wrap - no more than 1/3 and then not directly under the lighting. Doing so creates ventilation problems. There is also the risk of melting the plastic which geerates dangerous fumes. Please get a screen mesh top of the enclosure in the picture and move your Anole into a proper enclosure (Kritter Keeprs are not). Get the largest terrarium/aquarium that you can affors and fit it properly with appropriate lighting.

Here is one of my 40-gallon ebclosures.




In addition to three 60-Watt clamp lamps for heat and basking, I have two strip lights (AKA hoods) between the clamp lamps and the front of the enclosure. One is a ReptiSun 5.0 UVB and the other (nearer the front) is a GE Sunshine fluorescent for diitional lighting.

To increase air circulation, I also have a computer "muffin" fan suspended from the light bar which has completely eliminated any mold/mildew problems.




Since I have been asked by forum members, I will start posting regularly again.
09/07/09  02:56pm

 #2068888


Kaitymay
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   Message To: Atrax27407   In reference to Message Id: 2068881


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its not completely covered, and its not my anoles cage.
09/07/09  03:18pm

 #2068892


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068888


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I realize that it is a gecko enclosure but ALL reptile enclosures should be well ventilated. No more than 1/3 of the top should be covered with plastic and then not directly under the lighting to ensure that you have proper ventilation. Plastic also screens out 95% of the needed UVB for Anoles. The only time that you should need to cover ANY portion of the top of an enclosure is if you have some issues with low humidity that you can’t raise either by 1) increased misting or 2) using real rather than artificial plants.
09/07/09  03:35pm

 #2068990


Kaitymay
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   Message To: Atrax27407   In reference to Message Id: 2068892


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its only covering a little less than half the cage, the light is not effecting it, im sure of it. ive tried real plants, they didnt last. and yes he gets misted, of coarse. the ventilation is fine.
09/07/09  07:56pm

 #2069029


TwilightRealm
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   Message To: Kaitymay   In reference to Message Id: 2068990


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Air ventilation moves in circular patterns. By putting up saran wrap on half the top of the cage (and in that picture, it is on half), you’re restricting air flow.

Reminds me of a rather disturbing story. Back in college, my friend owned a pet rat, a secret she held with her roommate and kept from their R.A. This was the sweetest most docile rat. Well when my friend went home for the weekend, her somewhat ditzy roommate thought the rat cage was stinking too much and covered it with a big plastic bag. You can imagine how that went.

Anyway, your gecko doesn’t just need the incandescent basking light it already has, but a fluorescent light as well. UVB is necessary for lizards to take what they eat and turn it into vitamins. You’re risking your reptile getting MBD without it.

Also, it is inadvisable to keep your anoles in a plastic cage (Kricket Keeper or Anole Starter Kit). They need 10 gal per anole (or else risk your anoles up and dying like Devil_777’s), with a glass tank. You won’t reach the desired temperatures with plastic, and you risk melting the plastic if you try.
09/07/09  09:13pm


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