Ponce anole (Anolis poncensis)

Short answers

Ponce anole: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 80x50x50 cm for a pair, in a wide format — floor area matters more than height. Furnish it with tufts of grass, stems, small-leaved plants and thin twigs close to the ground, not with tall climbing trunks. The Swiss minimum requirements call for a floor area of 10 x 5 times the snout–vent length for grass anoles, while the official German expert report calculates 6 x 8 x 6 times the snout–vent length for ground-dwelling anoles.

Ponce anole: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 24–28 °C, basking spot Local basking spot up to about 35 °C, at night 19–22 °C.

Ponce anole: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Essential (UVB 5.0).

Ponce anole: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 4–8 years.

Ponce anole: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

24–28 °C

Night temperature

19–22 °C

Basking spot

Local basking spot up to about 35 °C

Humidity

50–75 %, mist in the morning and let it dry out noticeably during the day

UVB

Essential (UVB 5.0)

Enclosure

Minimum size

From 80x50x50 cm for a pair, in a wide format — floor area matters more than height. Furnish it with tufts of grass, stems, small-leaved plants and thin twigs close to the ground, not with tall climbing trunks. The Swiss minimum requirements call for a floor area of 10 x 5 times the snout–vent length for grass anoles, while the official German expert report calculates 6 x 8 x 6 times the snout–vent length for ground-dwelling anoles.

Substrate

Dry to moderately moist substrate with leaf litter, plus dense grass tufts, stalks, small-leaved plants and thin twigs close to the ground; one moist, diggable corner as an egg-laying site

Feeding

Food

Crickets, house crickets, flies, firebrats and wax moths, dusted regularly with calcium and vitamins

Feeding interval

adults 3–4×/week

Key facts

Adult size

10–13 cm

Life expectancy

4–8 years

Origin

Puerto Rico, restricted to the dry and semi-arid western half of the south coast; the type locality is hills about five kilometres east of Ponce

Protection status

Not listed under CITES

Brumation

No winter rest; somewhat cooler in winter with a shorter photoperiod

Cohabitation

Pairs (1.1) are the safest option; never keep males together — they fight until seriously injured. Females also defend their own, smaller territories: a second female is often harassed so much by the dominant one that she eats less and hides. One male with two females only works, if at all, in a considerably larger, densely structured enclosure and only with a spare enclosure ready.

Notes

A dry-scrub species; it takes markedly drier conditions.

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Related species

• Ghost anole (Anolis lemurinus) – Intermediate
• Ahl's anole (Anolis ahli) – Intermediate
• Aliniger anole (Anolis aliniger) – Beginner with some knowledge
• Allogus anole (Anolis allogus) – Beginner with some knowledge
• Bahaman green anole (Anolis smaragdinus) – Beginner
• Bahoruco anole (Anolis bahorucoensis) – Beginner with some knowledge
• Baleatus giant anole (Anolis baleatus) – Intermediate
• Baracoa giant anole (Anolis baracoae) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Ponce anole (Anolis poncensis) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (From 80x50x50 cm for a pair, in a wide format — floor area matters more than height. Furnish it with tufts of grass, stems, small-leaved plants and thin twigs close to the ground, not with tall climbing trunks. The Swiss minimum requirements call for a floor area of 10 x 5 times the snout–vent length for grass anoles, while the official German expert report calculates 6 x 8 x 6 times the snout–vent length for ground-dwelling anoles.), substrate (Dry to moderately moist substrate with leaf litter, plus dense grass tufts, stalks, small-leaved plants and thin twigs close to the ground; one moist, diggable corner as an egg-laying site), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.