The do's and dont's of handling a Green Anole.
The most important tip when handling a Green Anole is: Don't. Green Anoles do not tolerate handling. They may "seem" to like it, but no Anole "likes" to be handled.
Then I hear, "Well the pet store guy said...." Most petstore employees are going to tell you anything to get you to buy something, usually blatantly disregarding the animal's well-being. Telling a person that an Anole can be tamed is just another gimmick they can use to sell more of them.
Sometimes you hear, "Well my Anole turns Green when I hold him." Your natural body heat is an ideal temperature for an Anole.
Then you get, "He doesn't try to run after I grab him." This is most likely because the Anole is too scared. It's instict for many animals to "play dead" when a predator grabs them in hope that the predator will let go.
Handling causes stress. Stress causes sickness. And, sickness causes death. It is the simplest way to put it. So, this simple statement can wrap the whole section up:
Do Not Handle Your Green Anoles, unless it is absolutely necessary.
Times when it's absolutely necessary are times such as: having to remove the lizard to clean the cage, move it to a new cage, trip to the vet, etc. Things like that cannot be avoided. But, please, for the poor Anoles' sake, do not handle them unless it's necessary
When you have to:
When you have to handle the Anole, you want to do it in a way that will cause the least amount of stress possible. This is why I don't reccomend chasing the Anole around the cage in a frantic attempt to grab him. Not only will this stress the lizard, but also, if you aren't careful you may miss and grab the lizards tail, which will snap off very easily. Green Anoles have the ability to dislodge their tails from the rest of their body, a behavior common to many lizards.
They do this in an attempt to distract a predator that is chasing them. The predator might grab ahold of the Anole's tail, only to find that the tail has broken off (still wiggling, I might add) and the Anole is long gone by now, into the woods and up a tree. This proccess of separating the tail from the rest of the body is called "autotomy." Read more about autotomy here.
So, NEVER GRAB AN ANOLE BY THE TAIL!
When you have to pick it up. Try to grab the back of its head between your index finger and your thumb, and gently wrap the rest of your fingers around its body. I do not reccomend wearing gloves, because this reduces the amount of feeling in your hands and you might accidently crush your Anole's head because
you're not aware of the amount of pressure you're using.
While trying to catch your anole for the first time, you may realize just how fast they can be. If you find it really hard to catch him, I suggest you try and lure him into your hand. You do this by putting one of his favorite treats into the palm of your hand, and slowly lowering it into the enclosure, keep your hand very still as your anole inspects the situation, if he goes for the bait, try and carefully grasp him.
If this method doesnt work, you may want to try a similar method, but this time with a container and its lid. Put one of his favorite treats in a plastic container, and slowly lower it down into the enclosure, trying not to frighten the lizard. Wait patiently for him to take the bait. When he jumps in the container, quickly and CAREFULLY lower the lid on top, being CAREFUL not to drop the lid on the lizards tail (rememeber autotomy?). Secure the lid and raise the container out of the enclosure.
Keep in mind these are methods when you HAVE to handle your anole. I STRONGLY discourage "pleasure" handling your green anole. I also STRONGLY discourage trying to "tame" or "pet" your green anole. Taming a green anole is close to impossible anyway.
And remember: NEVER GRAB YOUR GREEN ANOLE BY ITS TAIL!!!
