|
Post by grackle on Aug 11, 2015 1:02:37 GMT -5
A surprise visitor was found on my kitchen floor. It is a week after a shipment of plants from Florida so I expect the events are related. As far as I know we have nothing like it living locally (Ottawa area). It looks to me like a salamander of some sort but it is tiny. Being dehydrated would explain how it is so skinny, but it isn't over an inch long which would be short for a salamander having had two lifestages? So I'm thinking maybe baby reptile. It has a mushroom brown coloring so far. It is spending the night in a propagation tray and tall dome with some long grass to hide in and a saucer of RO water with a chip of frozen bloodworm. Grass etc has been spritzed with RO water in case it is a salamander with the super absorbent skin. I'm not feeling confident about providing good care when I'm not even sure which class it is in. Any suggestions are welcome. grack
|
|
|
Post by H2O on Aug 11, 2015 1:34:07 GMT -5
Are you able to get a pic?
Does it look like its a little bit slimy or smooth?
What do its eyes look like? Geckos will have a slit down the eye as where any of the lizards would have a rounded pupal.
House geckos and Anoles are the two common ones that get imported with plants from Florida.
|
|
|
Post by grackle on Aug 11, 2015 2:02:59 GMT -5
No pictures yet but I think you have nailed it as a house gecko. Its head is about the size of a pepper corn and until it is in less terror I'll just call its eyes round at the moment. To have gotten where it was it has crossed at least 20' of carpet so it is due for a rest. Thanks Justin.
|
|
|
Post by lloyd on Aug 11, 2015 7:33:50 GMT -5
What plants did you get? Any trouble ordering?
|
|
|
Post by hal on Aug 11, 2015 8:11:52 GMT -5
I'd give it some live food for sure. Maybe you can find some ants or small bugs around?
|
|
|
Post by Dennis Z on Aug 11, 2015 9:09:10 GMT -5
It's definitely a reptile, amphibians would die without water for extended periods of time. Most likely I would guess it is a bahaman anole or likely a stressed out green anole (they change colours to brown when stressed). Give it a nice soak in some lukewarm water with a few drops of gatorade, it's a go-to method for hydrating reptiles.
|
|
|
Post by WillyCKH on Aug 11, 2015 12:19:41 GMT -5
I love Geckos, they are so cute Good luck with yours! I want to get one now haha
|
|
|
Post by grackle on Aug 11, 2015 12:51:09 GMT -5
It is so ridiculously tiny. It did make it through the night. I've sent people off to get supplies for him/her including a better habitat that won't distort its image or permit a darting exit and live foods on its scale. At this point a large ant could give her serious battle. I've seen it more calmed now and she is the splitting image of the lower one www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/media/images/lizards1_h1.jpgwhich would make her an Anole. I'm taken with her and will likely see if I can buy a pair. The guy who found her on my floor allows that it sure would cheer up his disabled son, yada yada, so I'm trying to not get attached to the individual.
|
|
|
Post by WillyCKH on Aug 11, 2015 13:19:21 GMT -5
So it looks like the bottom one?
|
|
|
Post by grackle on Aug 11, 2015 13:37:56 GMT -5
Yeap, markings, weird feet and all. She briefly showed her itty bitty dewlap now.
|
|
|
Post by Maiden on Aug 11, 2015 14:44:18 GMT -5
So it looks like the bottom one? aWWW cute lil beasts :~)
|
|
|
Post by grackle on Aug 11, 2015 15:58:57 GMT -5
She has managed to intimidate everyone with her combination of size, fragility and speed. Jumping 3" doesn't even make her hesitate. I don't know when or how she'll get transferred to her official structure with the screens over holes.
|
|
|
Post by Dennis Z on Aug 11, 2015 16:54:19 GMT -5
Just keep in mind that anoles, despite being a small lizard and common in the pet trade, are a lot more expensive and higher maintenance than you think. They'll require a spacious semi-arboreal tank set up, sufficient humidity, live crickets supplemented with calcium, some mashed fruits from time to time for the vitamins, a hot basking spot including both heat and UVB rays and, some hiding spots to be happy.
They're a lot of fun to watch though, certainly one of the more active reptiles. If it were a gecko, you'd probably see it stuck on the glass behind some plants 90% of the time.
8+ years in the reptile hobby, so if you have any questions you can just shoot me a PM.
|
|
|
Post by grackle on Aug 11, 2015 18:25:06 GMT -5
The only sticky point there are the crickets. I'd want to get her onto something quieter. I hadn't heard about the fruit so special thanks for the mention.
|
|
|
Post by H2O on Aug 11, 2015 19:18:53 GMT -5
Brown Anoles are pretty fun, they're entertaining to watch whenever I'm down in Florida. Like Dennis said, they are a lot more work then they seem. Why many people choose other reptiles is because for the same amount of work/time/energy you can get much showier and desirable reptile. Dennis, its always great to have more reptile and amphibian people around, CP's seem to attract herpers more and more these days. Wish I had more time them! grackle If you end up looking for new reptiles down the road look into Mourning Geckos. Nocturnal = No UV lighting. Being from New Caledonia they prefer normal room temps, so no basking lamps or heat sources, they are small and don't take up vast amounts of space and to top off the good list, they can be raised on nothing but fruit based MPR (meal replacenment powers) like Repashy for crested geckos so no crickets. The cherry on top though is that they are parthenogenetic and there are only females, no worrying about pairing or breeding, they just lay eggs that hatch out. There are several people raising them in Ontario so you might be able to find them. No one out here does though, been searching for a while.
|
|