Green Anoles

Book excerpt: A popular beginner’s lizard, the green anole is the perfect introduction to the world of reptiles and continues to be popular among new herp lovers. These tiny, neat little lizards with the intense black eyes have suffered the fate of goldfish, as they’ve been marketed by pet shops as cheap, easy care, insect-eating reptiles. In order to keep green anoles thriving in their vivaria, pet owners must approach their husbandry with care and respect: Philippe de Vosjoli’s Green Anoles provides the precise information necessary to reach that goal. The book begins with a chapter about the characteristics and behavior, natural history, and anatomy of green anoles, all of which is critical information for a keep to better understand the needs of his or her pet. As pets, green anoles are best kept in their vivaria and not handled, so the setup of a beautifully landscaped vivarium with proper lighting, heat, humidity, ventilation, and substrate is key. This Advanced Vivarium Systems title offers complete information about housing, feeding and nutrition, diseases and disorders, and breeding as well as how to set up naturalistic vivaria for one or more anoles or a community of anoles and compatible species. The chapter on other anoles recommends some very attractive species for the beginning lizard keeper to expand his anole family, such as the brown anole, big-headed anole, Cuban (or knight) anole, and Jamaican anole. The finale chapter on compatible species includes descriptions and photographs of a half dozen interesting options, such as the flying gecko, pigmy skink, and green tree frog. Resources and index included.