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Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:39 am
by splashy07
Most said about these incredible lizards is untrue, with the exception of wild caught individuals who are ripped from their perches as they sleep and stuffed into sacks to be hauled off to wholesalers. I don't know about you, but that would make me awful nasty too. Hard to find captive bred as they are so cheap wholesale but it's worth it if you like anoles.
Their skin is very soft and they absolutely hate to be grabbed, it hurts them. You simply let them climb onto you. I trained mine with food, works with most animals!

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:45 am
by kingofnobbys
I hear they are pretty cleaver too, and great little problem solvers (much like most smaller skink species).

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 1:26 pm
by splashy07
Yes, they are. Under appreciated like most anoles, which are charming, intelligent and entertaining species. Very pretty, too. I love seeing the many species running around in Florida when I visit, although many are introduced, as are the iguanas, sure doesn't bother me. Unfortunately, though, some of the introduced species have just about eradicated the green anole which was once common there. The green anole was my very first lizard pet when I was a child, and I've always loved them. The Cubans are just a larger, hardier, and much longer lived cousin! And...if they manage to escape, you'll have no trouble finding them with their large size! Are there any anole species in Australia? (They'd probably be four feet long. Haha!)

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 12:56 am
by kingofnobbys
No anole here (in Australia except in a few zoos .... I think Gosford Reptile Park have a colony that's on display).

Just crocs, monitors some big some small and very cute, dragons, skinks and geckos and some legless lizards. Personal favs for me a delicate garden skinks, rainbow skinks, water skinks and bluetongues , and beardies and netted dragons.

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:44 am
by splashy07
One of my faves from down under are the water dragons (lesuerurii). I kept them a while back when we had a breeder here in the states who unfortunately passed away, and Agama International died with him. They are still available from time to time, but my interest has leaned towards lower maintenance types as I simply do not have the time I used to have. Maybe when I retire I'll look into them again, so majestic and beautiful. It's just that you have to change their water every ten minutes or have a heck of a filtration system. Are they native to your locale? Seriously I wouldn't be able to leave the house if I had things like you guys have running around in the backyard. I'd simply have to find a job I could work from home. Just the thought of a bluetongue wandering onto my back porch would give me palpitations.

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:08 am
by kingofnobbys
splashy07 wrote:One of my faves from down under are the water dragons (lesuerurii). I kept them a while back when we had a breeder here in the states who unfortunately passed away, and Agama International died with him. They are still available from time to time, but my interest has leaned towards lower maintenance types as I simply do not have the time I used to have. Maybe when I retire I'll look into them again, so majestic and beautiful. It's just that you have to change their water every ten minutes or have a heck of a filtration system. Are they native to your locale? Seriously I wouldn't be able to leave the house if I had things like you guys have running around in the backyard. I'd simply have to find a job I could work from home. Just the thought of a bluetongue wandering onto my back porch would give me palpitations.


I get them in my garden from time to time , they are a very impressive dragons and the wild ones that I get visiting can be very cheaky. I'm retired and do enjoy visits from my resident and visiting wild lizards , and often toss them treats and they get the bluetongues' and beardies' leftovers and seem to really enjoy the easy food.

I usually have one or two water skinks come inside and take up residence over summer, they make themselves very much at home , often see them sitting on the lounge , or roaming about the floor (hunting rogue crickets and wild roaches and spiders) , and they become very tame once the learn you are not going to chase them or hurt them, the occasional cricket or mealworm tossed to them or deposited where they can see it , helps make friends too.

I'd love to have a two or three (captive bred ones) in a large out door aviary style enclosure one day but don't often see breeders selling them here (even though we are right in their natural range).

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:34 am
by splashy07
Ah, must surely be paradise living there...

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 1:45 am
by kingofnobbys
NO not really , my little scaly 4 legged friends disappear from May to August :(

- IMO reptile paradise was what I've seen in The Pilbara Region( Newman ) , The Kimberley Region ( Derbey , Fitsroy Crossing - frogs !!! , Halls Ck , Wyndum , Kununurra , Ord River, Timber Ck) , Katherine , Darwin , Kakadu NP, Litchfield NP ( MUCH BETTER than Kakadu by heaps !!!) , Mt Isa surrounds , the entire coast of QLD north of Rockhampton .

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 12:42 pm
by splashy07
Well, the only lizards here are Lacerta Muralis (colonized from an escape many years ago) cute little things that everyone but me has seen, and fence swifts which on one occasion caught a glimpse of one darting into a hedge. That was my only lizard sighting here on Long Island. Our snakes are quite scarce too, I see an occasional garter snake on the bike trails and caught an Eastern milk snake at a construction site once. Reptiles here are pretty much non-existant. But South Florida is a completely different story. I once saw a medium sized iguana near a supermarket parking lot! And those big green Cuban anoles everywhere! And where my place is, it's by no means suburban! Very cool to see even though they are not natives. I still can't imagine a bluetongue wandering into a backyard. I would literally drop dead.

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 11:41 pm
by kingofnobbys
Just talking about my resident wild / friendly skinks , and today my fav one has shown up again in the lounge room at her usual indoor haunts.

Spotted her (Gutzy) this afternoon and gave her some mealworms and a cricket .... still knows the drill ,and is still mega tame (and cheaky). My big girl Peppa the 2 yr old beardie heard or spotted her first while I was feeding her.

Gutzy is the daughter of our orginal house skink , and she's into her 4th summer this year and has been coming inside for 3 summers, originally hung out in the garage.

She's an eatern water skink , about 11 inches long (incl tail). Just so you can see what they are like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZPkxOywPYU and this was how tame Wriggles became viewtopic.php?f=26&t=30016&p=480747&hilit=wriggles#p480747

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:00 am
by splashy07
I love those water skinks. The first I've ever heard of them was when I read a previous post of yours. Such adorable and personable little creatures, much like my BTs. It is so refreshing to know that there are others out there on this planet that would not think twice about letting reptile wander into their domain. Just wish that sort of thing would happen around here!! I sometimes spend my very rare idle hours watching youtube videos of reptiles doing such things. My favorite one was an Eastern BT wandering in making himself at home and helping himself to a bowl of cat food left on the kitchen floor and then wandering out again. How absolutely adorable. (Mine are so spoiled they are spoon fed most of the time)

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 7:30 am
by kingofnobbys
splashy07 wrote:I love those water skinks. The first I've ever heard of them was when I read a previous post of yours. Such adorable and personable little creatures, much like my BTs. It is so refreshing to know that there are others out there on this planet that would not think twice about letting reptile wander into their domain. Just wish that sort of thing would happen around here!! I sometimes spend my very rare idle hours watching youtube videos of reptiles doing such things. My favorite one was an Eastern BT wandering in making himself at home and helping himself to a bowl of cat food left on the kitchen floor and then wandering out again. How absolutely adorable. (Mine are so spoiled they are spoon fed most of the time)


Now I know she's back from her long nap , I've set up my Komodo lampstand with a 26W UVB150 in reflector hood in a corner of the room , at the same place I had it last summer , and her water dish is now there back there and full of water too. , hopefully this will encourage her to stay inside with us where she's safe.
Been doing this for her, and before her for her mother for nearly 14 years now.

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 11:00 pm
by kingofnobbys
Gutzy back this afternoon ,
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my wife got this happy snap of her while she was chilling in a sunny spot under the old coffee table .... she let her advance to about 3 ft away and watched her and sat their head nodding at her.


Also been on top the head rest of the lounge since .... cheaky bugger was watching me get the silkworms and crickets ready for my BT and beardie feeding seasons.

Image
Heading for her hotspot

Image
Image
who's a pretty girl ? and enjoying her toasty transformer.

Enjoyed her 4 mealworms this afternoon.

BTW : these little mid sized skinks also have blue tongues :) .... I discovered this watching many years ago when Gutzy's mum was hanging out inside and I watched her a close range drinking some water.

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 8:29 am
by splashy07
Awwww!! So adorable! And it's great that your wife likes them too. Absolutely wonderful to invite reptiles into your home!! Oh they are just so sweet!!

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 10:37 am
by kingofnobbys
splashy07 wrote:Awwww!! So adorable! And it's great that your wife likes them too. Absolutely wonderful to invite reptiles into your home!! Oh they are just so sweet!!


They know when they are on good thing , and are safe insite with us.

They benefit, and we benefit (they help control pest insects).

Re: Cuban anoles - common myths

Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:38 am
by Felisa
splashy07 wrote:Most said about these incredible lizards is untrue, with the exception of wild caught individuals who are ripped from their perches as they sleep and stuffed into sacks to be hauled off to wholesalers. I don't know about you, but that would make me awful nasty too. Hard to find captive bred as they are so cheap wholesale but it's worth it if you like anoles.
Their skin is very soft and they absolutely hate to be grabbed, it hurts them. You simply let them climb onto you. I trained mine with food, works with most animals!

Hi,
They are nice and I heard that they are pretty cleaver too, and great little problem solvers much like most smaller skink species. :)