Are you on the fence deciding if you should get a green anole or not?
This post is for you. It covers some common talking points discussing the pros and cons of green anoles.
I hope it helps you make your decision easier. If you have any questions about GAs in general, post them in the comments and I’ll try to get back to you.
Table of Contents
Pros of green anoles
Here’s a list of benefits of why you may be persuaded to get a green anole compared to other reptiles in the same class.
These are largely my personal opinion, but I also threw in some from friends in the community.
Affordability
Green anoles are popular entry-level reptiles because of many reasons.
They’re a good choice for beginners because they don’t cost a whole lot of money. And they’re easy to take care of. That’s the primary draw for getting into the hobby.
Compared to similar lizards like bearded dragons, iguanas, house geckos, Bahaman anoles, leopard geckos, long-tailed lizards, skinks, chameleons, tarantulas, crested geckos, or pythons, this is one of the cheapest reptiles on the market.
Just look up the prices of similar lizards. You’ll see that the closest relative (leopard gecko) is $2-$5 more. That’s easily upwards of a 20% increase in price!
In fact, it’s THE cheapest reptile at the time of this writing in a big box pet store I’m looking at.
They also require a basic setup that you can often find in a “starter kit” or purchased second-hand on Craigslist or FB Marketplace.
If you look hard enough, you can score reptile supplies for free from people who are getting out of the hobby.
A single 10-gallon tank can house 1-2 anoles. A lot of other reptiles can’t be housed in this type of proximity because they’re solitary and it’ll stress them out (or fight).
That’s double the number of pets in one single enclosure. If you have limited space in your house or apartment, these lizards don’t need a lot.
Ease of care
Green anoles are excellent reptiles for beginners.
Why? Because they’re cheap, have predictable behavior patterns, and can thrive with just basic supplies.
Yes, a lot of these points are repeated throughout this guide, but it’s really just a regurgitation of opinions about why green anoles are good pets.
The daily routine of an anole is very easy to predict:
- Wake up
- Bask
- Cool off
- Bask
- Cool off
- Drink
- Bask
- Eat
- Bask
- Drink
- Cool off
- Bask
- Sleep
Throw in a shedding session every so often and occasionally an extended nap (especially during the winter season). There you have it.
The complete behavior of a green anole.
Why is this a good thing? Because it makes it easy to know what it needs so the caregiver (you) can provide it.
Then it can be happy. And you can be as well.
The reasoning that you never have to spend a whole lot on fancy supplies or equipment to maintain it makes it even easier to care for.
Green anoles are low-maintenance reptiles, which makes them a popular choice in the household name.
Easy to meet basic requirements
Green anoles have some necessary supplies that you need to buy in order to properly take care of them, but they’re really nothing fancy.
Sure, when you’re shopping for the first time for all your green anole supplies, it’ll look like a lot.
What’s UVB? What’s UVA? Do I need both? Is that water dish really necessary?
You’ll have a lot of questions, but it really comes down to only the basics. They don’t need anything beyond that, unlike some other reptiles that require very specific conditions (iguanas, chameleons, pythons, etc.)
These guys can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, and humidity levels, and are very forgiving of rookie mistakes.
As far as supplies go, you’ll find that it’s all things you need with no overpriced gadgets or items that grossly cost more than the others. But you may want to invest in a good thermometer.
By the way, if you are confused over what you need to buy, check out this list of green anole supplies.
It’s complete and includes everything you need and optional equipment in a neat little checklist.
Easy to breed
If you’re into reptile breeding or you plan to breed your anoles someday, green anoles are perfect for that.
They’re easy to breed and will readily mate with minimal environmental cues.
The females even start digging on their own with no male present to build an egg nest for themselves!
If you have the right ratio of male to female and your tank is hospitable to them, that’s all they need.
Even if your anoles aren’t completely happy or your setup isn’t perfect, it’s “good enough” to trigger a mating dance. These lizards will mate regardless.
Caring for the egg is also very easy. It’s said that the baby anole is harder to care for than incubating the egg itself!
Green anoles are a good introduction to reptile breeding. So if that’s up your avenue, you may want to start on an easy street.
Wide availability of products
Finding gear for your anole won’t ever be a problem.
Since they need nothing more than the basics, you can always find replacements if something breaks.
Say the heat lamp burns out one day. Just go to your local hardware store and you’re good to go (or a pet store if you like paying inflated prices on rebranded products). There are ZERO hard-to-find parts.
You can get them online, locally, or even used from your local classifieds. Everything from UVB lights, heating elements, ceramic heaters, and even the green anole itself.
These lizards are sold in big box retailers like PetSmart and Petco.
Even independently owned local reptile shops sell them. You’re never restricted in terms of lack of product.
Variety of morphs
If the “green” in green anole is too boring for you, there are plenty of other amazing colors on the market.
Note that they will differ in care requirements, so you can’t assume that they can be cared for in the same manner that regular green anoles do.
You may have already heard about some of these species similar to green anoles:
- Bahaman anole
- Brown anole
- Knight anole
- Bark anole
- Bearded anole
- Big headed anole
- Crested anole
- Monkey anole
- Water anole
- Jamaican giant anole
There are over 425 documented species, but obviously, not all of them can be held captive.
But if you’re ready to move on from the friendly green anole, know that you‘ve got options. They come in all sorts of colors, shapes, and patterns. Why limit yourself to just green?
Cons of green anoles
And now we get to the disadvantages of owning green anoles.
There aren’t many as you’ll quickly see. And none of the issues are really exclusive to anoles- they apply to reptiles in general.
Not easy to tame (skittish)
Green anoles generally don’t like to be held. They’re small, skittish, and will try to run away when they feel threatened.
You can imagine that most people just buy them from the pet store and bring them home.
Thus, they were never properly tamed. It results in their shy and nervous behavior when handled by human hands.
You try to reach into the tank and it just keeps jumping and running away from you. This is normal behavior for a reptile that has never been exposed to or trained to trust human handling.
Sadly, they’re no longer juveniles and fully grown adults or adolescents.
This makes it very difficult to tame them since they weren’t exposed to their hands earlier on. So you can expect why they have their reputation of being so jumpy and scared of people.
OTOH, if you breed them or buy one as a juvenile, you may be able to introduce handling. This can make it much easier to get your lizard fully tamed.
If you show your lizard that human hands only bring good things (like food), it can learn to trust you.
There are PLENTY of owners who have been able to time their anole- even adult ones.
Just look at these videos:
So while it’s hard to tame, they can still be tamed.
Whether you’re not successful depends on multiple contributing factors like your anole’s previous exposure to humans, its age, its personality (yes, lizards have personalities), your patience, and your experience as well.
Don’t be disheartened if you can’t tame it. They’re still a blast to keep even if you can only look at them.
You lower the chance of catching salmonella too because you’re not having them crawl on you, so that’s good, right?
Small in size
Their small stature makes them vulnerable to being eaten by other predators (including green anoles themselves- yes they can be cannibalistic).
It also makes anoles easier to get crushed by random objects in the tank, squished, stepped on, or go missing. Smaller lizards can fit into tiny crevices, cracks, holes, and more.
When your lizard leaps off your arm and then runs under the furniture or between the baseboards, you’re screwed.
Their size can make them vulnerable to these kinds of scenarios. Adult anoles max out at just 5-7 inches, which pales in comparison to other lizards like skinks, monitors, or iguanas.
Juveniles are only about 2-3” in length. If you’ve ever seen a baby anole, you probably know what I’m talking about. They’re tiny and can scurry away in a flash.
Can drive up electrical bills
Just like any other reptile, you’ll have to keep the power running 24/7 for your anole.
They need 12-16 hours of UVA/UVB light daily for basking, and then additional lightless heat (ceramic heat emitters) at night if your ambient temperatures dip too low. Depending on where you live, this can be a significant part of your electrical bill.
Some states like HI or CA have astronomical electrical costs, so keeping your anole’s tank at the right temperatures all day and night can be pricey. The larger the tank, the more power it’ll consume.
If you live in a place that has cooler nights, you’ll need nighttime heating too. All of these draw power and will add up over time.
Electricity is one of the hidden costs of reptile ownership that’s often overlooked. It should be part of your budgeting as with food (crickets, roaches, mealworms, etc.) or water costs.
If you’re living somewhere with high electrical costs per kW/h, consider the price you’ll be paying for running lights and heating elements 24/7.
Use this power cost calculator to estimate your approximate cost of electricity for keeping a green anole.
Poor diet
Green anoles are well known for outright refusing to eat. If the conditions aren’t right, they flat out do not eat until they turn brown, black, or skinny. Anoles can and will kill themselves by not eating.
This is one of the most common issues with them as the slightest offset in temperature, humidity, lighting, or UVB can make them starve.
On one hand, it’s a sign that the anole can use to communicate with you that something’s wrong.
On the other hand, it can make you worry about trying to correct everything until you get the right setting.
IMO, I’d rather have my herp tell me when it’s happy, so I see the whole “not eating” issue as a good thing.
Green anoles are a versatile pet
You can’t go wrong with them.
Whether you’ve never had a reptile before or you’ve got your own reptile room, green anoles make an excellent pet for beginners and veterans alike.
These lizards are hardy, forgiving, affordable…and they’re amazingly versatile.
If you’re still undecided, see the other guides on GreenAnoles.com:
- Green Anole Tank Setup (Habitat Map)
- Do Green Anoles Drink Water? (What You Need to Know)
- Are Green Anoles Poisonous? (Salmonella Scares)
- Male vs. Female Green Anole (How to Tell the Difference)
- Why Is My Green Anole Not Eating?
Perhaps they may help you come to a conclusion.
And if you have any questions, in particular, feel free to post them.
Green anole owners, share your experiences with others!