Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all!!

I have a 20 gallon tank and I am hoping to keep 2 anoles in it. I want two females....how can I tell if there male or female? And is jungle mix a good substrate? How often should I mist the tank? And for the heat....whats the ideal temperature...and should it be the same during the day and night? Thanks.

A 20 gallon will work for two females. Mature males will have a hemipenile bulge at the base of the tail. All males have two enlarged post-anal scales that can be seen with slight magnification. Females lack both.
Mist the enclosure often enough to get the humidity above 50% but no less than twice a day (the Anoles will drink the water droplet).
The temperature should have a gradient from 73 degrees or so on the cool side to 83 or so on the warm side. You should also provide a basking area with a temperature of 85-92 degrees. You can use an regular incandescent bulb for heat. In addition, you will need a UVB fluorescent to facilitate calcium production. At night, the temperature can drop into the low or mid 60's. They should have 12-14 hours of "daylight" and a timer works fine here.
Just make sure that your substrate doesn't have cedar chips or is small enough that the Anole can ingest it. Good substrates include potting soil without fertilizers or perlite, sterilized compost (my favorite), and even paper without printing on it. Check out "The Anole Forest" and "Under the Leaves" for complete information.

Here is a care sheet: http://reptiles.thepsionguild.net/greenanolecaresheet.html

Female green anoles have a shorter nose, often have a light/white stripe down their back, and no hemipenal bulges. They tend to be slightly smaller overall than the males.
Both males and females will display. Males tend to have a larger dewlap, as well as the ability to raise a crest of flesh down their neck and back--usually seen only in fully grown adults.

Overall size, head shape, etc., are relative to the size and maturity of the animal. The white stripe is wholly unreliable since, in some populations, as much as 30-40% of mature males have a white stripe. The best indicator of sex is the hemipenile bulge in mature males and the enlarged postanal scales in all males. Of course, you could always take it to a vet and have it probed.