He freaks and runs or jumps anytime I do anything...even if it's just to mist the cage. Then his color changes dramatically to brown or gray or both, so I'm assuming that he gets very stressed even just from misting..Do you think the stress alone would kill him if I tried to take him out and rinse him again?

I just found a bulb I forgot I had...It's a Brightlight incandescant Full-Spectrum Daylight Heat Lamp and it says "has emissions in the UVA wavelengths from 315 nm to 400 nm for physiological benefits"

It doesn't offer UVB but should I use it until I can get one that does? Would UVA be better than no UVB at all?

***edit:Oops, I can't use that bulb after all....it's too high a wattage for that lamp...I did find another old bulb (50 watts)that's full spectrum and has UVA, although it doesn't say how much...

I'm going to ask my husband to pick up a UVB on his way home...

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~Juliane~

The UVA bulb is pretty much worthless. UVA is seen by some reptiles, including anoles, so without it things look funny colored to them and it stresses them out. UVB is the one they require for vitamin D synthesis and calcium absorption though. All UVB bulbs automatically give off UVA too though.

Be sure you get the right kind. You'll need a fluorescent bulb, a screen lid, and it needs to be closer than 12 inches from the anole to be effective. Reptisun 5.0 and 7.0 are good ones for an anole. Don't go with a 2.0, good for chameleons, not enough for anoles though. If you want to spend $60 on an incandescent mercury vapor bulb instead, you could go that route, but you'd probably need a new fixture too, cause they get HOT.

Keep the humidity up with misting with dechlorinated water. Anoles usually won't drink from a dish, preferring dew, but it can't hurt to add one anyway. If anything it will help with the humidity a little bit. I highly recommend you go get some Reptisafe if you don't have any. Its a water dechlorinator, which you'll need anyway, but it also has electrolytes in it. For your sick anole, it will certainly help. Add more of it to the water than you normally would though, so he gets an extra boost of electrolytes. Its served me well in the past.

Put some plants or branches in there with him. The leaves and twigs will allow him cover and he'll be less stressed. Hopefully his eyes will heal up, cause they hunt by sight alone.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

WHOA! I put the daylight bulb in and turned it on...the little guy (who had moved to the bottom of a glass wall) got off the wall, stood up and walked across the tank, then he turned his head and opened at least the one eye on that side (couldn't see the other side of his head)...he jerked his head slightly, and I swear he looked right at me!!! Then, while keeping that eye on me, he did that anole red throat display...twice...is that a threat display? My husband thinks it's just for mating, but I can't figure out why he'd have done it at all right now if it's just a mating behavior.

...does that mean he really CAN see me? He also did a little bit of a tail swishy thing...is that also a display behavior?

Now he's gone a little way back up the glass and is resting again with his eyes closed...and he's green all over except for a little brown stripe down the middle of his back and a couple of very small dark spots on his rump...

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~Juliane~

How do you get a lamp that close? He's in a 10 gallon All-Glass Critter Cage with a screen lid, and the lamp is on top...it's right at 12 inches from the screen lid to the bottom of the tank...is that close enough since he can climb up to be closer if he wants?

I have a branch in there with him...he's ignoring it so far, and I'd like to put a few more in, but when I put that one in when I first put him in there this morning, he absolutely freaked, ran up my arm (with his eyes closed!) and almost got out. He's fast!!! I'm half-afraid to open the lid again! If he goes under the stove or something, I'll never find him again and he'll become one of the little dried up lizard mummies you find in the house sometimes What do you do to keep your anoles in when they try to run out if you have to clean their cage or something?

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~Juliane~

Here's a picture I took a few minutes ago...the only reason he's on the bottom of the enclosure is because he didn't like it when I misted and he jumped off the wall. He's still ignoring the branch...

....do you think he looks better? He's opening his eyes more, but he still keeps them shut most of the time.




I forgot to say I do have Reptisafe...I use it for my snakes.

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~Juliane~

Hey Juliane, he's looking pretty good. Why not throw 2 or 3 small crickets in, what better way to test his sight?

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Val

http://www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

Juliane the green color is a good sign. Frankly I wouldn't worry about the UVB bulb right now. It isn't going to get Metabolic Bone Disease in a couple of days! First order of business is to get as much of that detergent off the anole as possible. For now I would keep spraying him down around the head and trying to make sure that you get as much of that detergent washed off as possible. If you can take him in your hand try clearing the eyes with a q-tip soaked in water.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Also the throat display is territorial behavior of males. he probably sees his reflection in the glass.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Oh! Well, then I guess that's a very good sign he CAN see! That's promising at least.

I think I did get all the detergent off...I really ran water over him for quite a while this morning. and I used the Q-Tip with water on one of his eyes where the detergent wouldn't come off. It worked very well. I'll keep spraying him though even though he HATES it and jumps and runs when I do it. Getting him in my hand would be really scary because he's so fast and so little! Most of his 4 and a half inches or so is tail! This morning I was so afraid he'd get out of my hand and plop down the drain in the kitchen sink or else that I'd accidentally squeeze him too hard.

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~Juliane~

Great job Juliane!!! Are you planning on releasing the little guy or are you attached. As soon as you are sure he can see I would let him go, you've done all you can for him. He's lucky you found him when you did. My anoles always run from being misted so I wouldn't worry about that too much. If he is displaying his dewlap than
he must feel pretty good!!

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