Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Silly question... I'm fairly new to keeping anoles and I haven't yet found a way that I'm really comfortable catching the critters to move them out of the vivarium for cleaning. I always feel like I'm either going to crush them or they're gonna escape on me... suggestions?

When I have to catch them (and that's only when I clean), I put the little critter keeper into the tank with the lid open and sort of corral them into it. I'm always afraid of crushing them or dropping their tails, too, so I touch them as little as possible.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
And several miscellaneous community fish

the easiest way i've found to catch my anole's is basically the same way you'd catch any other tame/docile lizard...gently but firmly grasp them between your thumb in the center of there back along there mid-dorsal line and your forefinger gripping there under-belly...i just let my other fingers sort of hand underneith of them until they grip onto my fingers...in which case they usually just sit there and go to sleep...so it's fairly easy to get them into another cage when cleaning your tank...if all else fails...shake them off your hand...or try to get them to climb up/leap onto your hand from whatever they are perched on...

hope this helped...sorry if it's drawn out a little...i'm extremely tired...hope i covered everything -shrugz-...

someone please answer my question lol

-S1N

catching anoles is somehting you actually catch on to after a few times completely not getting them because your afraid of smashing them. once or twice getting them and finding them unsmashed and you'll just be used to it.
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1.3 Dogs (max, tasha, kaya, screw)
1.0 Ghost Corn (Ghost Faced Killa)
1.0 Ball python
0.0.1 Boa Constrictor (Achilles)
0.0.2 Red Eared Sliders
0.0.4 insane tarantellas
2.1 ferrets (Otis, Milo, Monty)
1.0 Cat (Kitten)
0.0.1 Emperor Scorpion
0.0.1 Melleri Cham (Sir Arthur Chamleon Doyle)
0.0.1 Chinese Water Dragon
And an ever-changing fishie tank...

Get a large deli dish and slip it over them while they are on the side of the enclosure. You can then slip a piece of cardboard between them and the glass and transport them to temporary quarters.