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I just wanted to know if anyone has had any luck with letting there anoles share a cage with any other lizards? I mainly want to know if i could introduce a gecko to the cage, and if so what kinds of geckos would be best?

Thanx alot

It's not a good idea to stick anoles with any other lizards. If you want some anolis carolinensis, be sure that you actually want them instead of another species. This is always the best way to ensure your happiness, as well as the survival and comfort of your anoles.

-RT

Typically, mixing species is not a good idea, for several reasons:

1- Even if all of the animals are roughly the same size, larger lizards will take dominance over smaller ones, or even may consider the smaller lizards prey (you'd be surprised how large a meal some lizards might go after, especially if they're in a stressful, cramped cage situation). Also, when you first acquire the lizards, they may be the same size, but if you are not familiar with the species, you might end up with one lizard that grows to be twice the size of another. Also, what if one species is more agressive than another? The mellower animals would again end up being picked on, and eventually become ill and die if not eaten.

2- Any "community" terrarium (a term used by fish keepers, any enclosure containing more than one species) must be BIG. Every species must be allowed its own space, its own basking spot, its own hiding spots and its own feeding areas. You'll need at least double the space that you'd usually provide the species who needs the most.

3- Any animals you mix must come from the same habitat. Aside from the absolutely ludicrous idea of mixing desert species with forest species (which, and this should go without saying, NOT be done), even if two animals come from the same place, it does not necessarily mean that their needs are similar. Microhabitats within larger ecosystems are home to tons of species, and the conditions in microhabitats can be drastically different from the rest of the area the animal comes from.
Imagine this example: You have two lizards that live in the Amazon. However, one is a ground-dwelling skink, one is a tree-dwelling gecko. Although they both live in the same forest, the skink needs slightly cooler temperatures, higher humidity, places to burrow... A totally different habitat than the gecko, who lives in the forest canopy, would need different food than the skink, an arboreal set up, different temperatures and humidity, etc... Two very different needs from two animals that come from the same place.

4- Disease is common among many reptile and amphibian species because so many of them are still wild-caught. Bacteria are almost a guarantee (and other microorganisms could possibly be infecting one or more lizards), and even if they happen to be a kind of bacterium that is not harmful to one of the species you are keeping, if the other animals come from the other side of the world, their immunity to this particular organism is likely non-existant, resulting in one or more sick animals who will need to be separated and get veterinary attention.

With all of this in mind... I myself have one mixed-species enclosure in my home. It is a 33-gallon, forest-jungle terrarium, that houses one green anole, Anolis carolinensis, and one Asian flat-tailed house gecko, Cosymbotus platyurus. Both species have similar needs and temperaments, both have been quarantined before being introduced to each other, and as an added bonus: The anole is diurnal, the gecko is nocturnal.

So, even though it's not advisable because there's so many things that can be wrong with a community enclosure, it's still possible to do. Like my terrarium, small, non-tempermental house gecko species and green anoles seem to be fine together if allowed their own space. I've also been told that green anoles and American green tree frogs, Hyla cinera, can co-exist in a properly set up habitat. Although lizards and treefrogs can sometimes co-exist, putting snakes, chelonians (turtles, tortoises and terrapins) and salamanders together with lizards is not a good idea. The vast majority of these animals have care requirements that are too different, and many recognize the other as food.

Also, if you want to mix species, each animal must be properly quarantined for at *least* 60 days (90 is better), and tested for sickness by a vet. For more information on quarantining reptiles and amphibians, see my article: http://www.acc50.attcanada.net/jinx/herps/quarantine.html

Christina Miller
Herptiles.org

I disagree with some of the other responses to this message. You can mix small herps together in large vivariums. Here are the rules for doing it:

1. Minimum vivarium size for creating a community vivarium: 29 gallon aquarium.

2. Only mix species that inhabit different niches. To not keep, for example, keep two species of aboreal anoels in the same vivarium. Try to space things out. Noturnal geckos and tree frog will stay out of an anoles, becuase they are nocturnal.

3. Do not house critters together if they can eat each other. Watch your sizes. Frogs can scraf down big objects. Flying geckos and even adult male brown anoles can also eat smaller lizards with little trouble.

4. Finally, take into consideration the needs of each animal. Nocturnal gecko need nocturnal heat sources. Frogs need water bowls. A green anole from NC can withstand lower night temps than a peacock day gecko from Madagascar.

Below are some good combos:

Green anole brown anole or bark anole or day gecko tree frog or house gecko or fly gecko

Green anole bark anole or day gecko Asian long-tailed grass lizard or pygmy skink (Mabuya macularius) nocturnal gecko or tree frog

Bark anole or yellow-headed day gecko Baho anole terrestrial dart frog or mantella tree frog or nocturnal gecko

Um, most species of anoles are aggressive, particularily the males. So, if you want to stick any geckos in there (unless they're bigger than the male), I'd just keep females. It doesn't matter if the animal is nocturnal or not, and figuring that most geckos you'd keep in there aren't strictly nocturnal, anyway.

I don't think it's the best idea, but I'm sure you can find a working combination. Just research and take into mind all the points everyone brings up. Good luck