Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What type of lighting bulb should I use for my Green Anole?

You will need two lights, actually.

One should be a flourescent light--an aquarium hood fixture will work. The bulb should be a UVB-producing reptile light, such as Repti-Sun. There cannot be glass between this and your animal, and it should be no more than 6 inches away from the basking area. This light will allow your pet to produce vitamin D3 in its skin. This vitamin is essential for its calcium metabolism. Putting D3 drops or powder into its diet will not make up for lack of this light--it should have less D3 in its diet, and the light is essential. Otherwise, it will develop health problems.

The other should be a basking light--a clamp lamp or similar fixture, with an incandescent bulb. You can use a reptile "daylight" bulb, or simply a normal white incandescent light bulb. The wattage will determine how much heat it produces. You want a bulb that will produce a 90 to 95 degree hot spot at the level the lizard will be basking at--use a thermometer to determine this. The other end of the anole's cage should be no higher than 80 degrees, during the day. At night, you can shut off the lights (a timer is useful for this), as a night time drop in temperature is healthy for anoles.

I like to post this link when it sounds like you are new to anole care. This is a VERY comprehensive site on how to take care of your anole.

Shaon 94
http://www.kingsnake.com/anolecare/