Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do you set them up? I think it will be most practical to order feeder anoles roughly once a month, or every three weeks to feed my pair of A. Prasina, so I have to keep them alive and healthy for that time. I'm trying to strike a balance between practical concerns and humane considerations.
If I were setting them up for a longer period, it would be a max of two or three anoles (and only one male) per 20gl long. That just isn't realistic, so what is? I figure I will feed the anoles gutloaded crickets, but that the absence of UV light, for at most three weeks, shouldn't pose a problem for their nutritional value? If it comes to it, I am willing to purchase petstore anoles weekly rather than setting up seven or eight anole enclosures. Obviously, I would rather do neither. So you folks who live far beyond the native range of anoles, how do you address this?

Thanks a lot.

Perhaps you should condition your snakes to accept defrosted anoles off thongs. It is a significant risk to offer pet store anoles as the anoles typically are bought from large reptile warehouses and they are maintained in dirty cages that are not properly cleaned. As such, the anoles are already stressed and have a tendency to carry many harmful bacteria and parasites which may eventually lead to a sickness or death of your snakes. Your snakes should easily conform to taking defrosted anoles. And all that UV stuff is not necessary for adult anoles to live a few weeks although a heat lamp is necessary.

I fully intend to switch them to frozen/thawed (frozen at least a month) and in fact, treating them for protozoans is pretty much pointless until I do. However, at this point they are fresh imports, so I need to acclimate them first. In my ideal world, i'll get them on pinks eventually, but I can't plan on that. In the interim, I have to make do with geckos and anoles, both laden with parasites.

Try this, get a water bowl with some shallow water below some branches and put in several small goldfish. They eat fish in the wild and should go and eat the gold fish. After they are conditioned to eat the goldfish, you can put about an fraction of an inch of water in there and place in about three pinks and some fish and they will inadvertently attack the pinkies thinking they are fish. Just put in a bit of water so the pinks will not drown. You can also present a defrosted lizard on thongs to you snake and switch it with a scented pink before you snake strikes to eat it. Oh, and about treatment for parasites. I would recommend not treating anything that does not appear to be sick. Hence when you do treat a healthy snake with pancur and flagyl, you also kill off the beneficial bacteria and flora in the snakes belly and you open the door for more problems like regurg and stress to the animal. If it does not appear week or is not having stinking poop, do not treat it for anything. Good luck.

Mine have taken fish as well, a shallow dish helps, but they don't perfer them and will only go after them if they are really hungry. I have always treated any new imports with panacur and flagyl, both are pretty easy on the stomach flora compared to other dewormers. I never had a problem result from it, but I have had perfectly heathy looking snakes die that weren't dewormed only to find serious parasite loads upon necropsy. If you really want to be safe, then take a stool sample to a vet to be checked out first. If you wait for symptoms it will be too late.

Actually fish seem to make up a major part of their diet in the wild. I've witnessed them numerous times in southeast asia hanging low from trees over creeks and stabbing at fish and eating them right in front of me. The locals told me the snakes were always present over the creeks eating in this manner. The snakes were so confident with their blending in with the branches and leaves that they did not move even if you walked right up to them. If you merely touched them, then they would take off. Perhaps in other parts they prefer a frog and lizard diet but the ones I saw were in Indonesia and were big 4 foot snakes and the ones we receive as imports a think come from Malaysia and are a bit smaller it seems. Also saw a flying snake mixed in with them but that sucker took off like a bird. I have several hundred snakes, many of which feed on anoles and I never did a fecal on any of them but never had much of a problem. But if you feed those store bought anoles your taking a risk. I say keep your money and keep a good eye on your snake. Pancur cannot be overdosed but flagyl can and unless it is sick it is not worth the money or the risk. But if it gives you peace of mind then more power to you.

Flagyl or its generic name, Metronidazole, is equally difficult to overdose. Metronidazole is an interesting drug that effects the DNA of anearobic bacteria and has been link with many positive side effects including appetite stimulant and normalizing excessive immune reactions. How these effect occur is not currently understood, but one thing that herpetologist have discovered, it when combined with Panacur,Fenbendazole, the effects of the drugs are increased over taken them seperately. I have treat hundreds of snakes over the last ten years and never had a problem with it. I would recommend routine use on newly imported snakes, especially those imported from Asia which often have high parasite loads.

I have 260 gallon reptarium with a ficus tree and a bowl of water that hold 50-100 at a time. I raise my own meal worms and silk worms to feed them. Its cheaper to by them in 50 or hundred lots, about 1.00-1.75 a piece rather 3.00-6.00 individually from a petstore.

np