This is a brown anole: This is an Eastern Fence Lizard: I've seen other photographs of anole lizards looking like a fence lizard, so maybe it's hard to tell the difference. The anole lizard above doesn't look like mine in that picture, but there were definitely others that were very similar. He's cute I know that and I have no intention to kill him to see his belly, but maybe I can put a clear glass he can crawl on? That will be nice. He prefers my tomato plants is all I'm happy about. They are doing good for as late as they were planted. One bush is loaded with about 12 small green tomatoes.

Hi here's my two cents lol I'd get some experience with maintaining a plant only terrarium for some time before adding any kind of animal. research the particular type you're interested in and design the setup around them. Most lizards are insectivores so will require a steady supply of insects. Of course if herbivore you'll need a constant supply of new plants lol. gary

That's an Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens). They are very common through much of their range, so long as there are large tracts of forested habitat surrounding the ponds/lakes they live in. I believe the others have echoed my sentiment about collecting, but since it has already been collected and if you cannot release it, you should know how to care for it properly. Here is a link that will tell you how to care for them properly - this is by far the most accurate caresheet available for this species Here is a link that might be useful: Eastern Newt caresheet

Marilyn - sorry - just wanted to clarify that my previous post wasn't aimed at you in the very least. Again, you are doing the responsible thing by not releasing that animal. If you would like some more options as to care and whatnot - you've prooobably got a nearby or local herpetological society that might know of someone responsible who would take it off your hands. Now, while they can get quite aggressive, they are nonetheless interesting, impressive animals (rather personable and curious) and make good display animals at zoos. A local nature centers might also be interested if they have setups showing "Exotic Species". Then again, sometimes these unwanted rescues end up having silver linings to them - I've got a few animals that I took in as rescues and couldn't get rid of initially that I've become quite fond of (even if they are still a pain in the butt at times...haha). As for enclosures, you could possibly make a relatively cheap, large, outdoor enclosure for the animal which would solve many many problems and keep costs and maintenance down to a minimum. Since Ctenosaura are excellent diggers, I would recommend making what is basically a wood-framed (1"x1" pine wood beams work well) box that is enclosed on ALL sides with a lockable, hinged lid. I'd also probably use 0.5" x 0.5" heavy duty wire that is stapled to the wire frame. Dig a hole, sink the enclosure in there a bit and fill in with dirt - this way the animal can behave naturally and dig, but not escape. You could also landscape it with some boulders and plants...make yourself a neat little outdoor enclosure that I'm sure you'd end up enjoying. Here's an example of an enclosure that I made for my turtles if that helps you visualize what I'm talking about at all - I would just recommend making a wood frame and keeping the rest wire though. This cost about $100 to make and measures around 9x4 feet and 24" tall. It cost a little more than what you'd make because I used cedar (the moisture levels here would have rotted pine in a couple years). Here is another enclosure I used (for turtles) that is more suitable for a lizard. What you can't see is that the enclosure is totally enclosed - that enclosure is essentially a wire box that is sunken into the ground. Hope that helps and gives some encouragement. ~Mike