We've had a lot of the regular anoles around too. I would put an over ripe banana on the rail of our deck, the flies came to it, and so did the anoles. Little bellies were soon distended with lots of flies. I saw one anole eat five flies within a few minutes. There is another kind of pink and black/gray spotted little guy not a native who hangs out too. Locally they are called Buddy-Roes, and I looked them up but promptly forgot what kind they were. Good to have them around. This is in zone 8b as well.

Read old posts on this forum. My vivarium is exactly what you're thinking of, though I don't have any animals in it yet as I'm still working on keeping the humidity high enough. As for mixing day geckos and PDFs, I don't think it works. And believe me, I've researched it! Their temp. and humidity and even food requirements are all compatible, but geckos need a basking area with a heat lamp, and a UV light. PDFs don't need a UV light, and I don't think they would like a heat lamp. Also, you need a glass top to your tank to keep the humidity high enough, and the glass would block something like 95% (or more) of the UV rays from the UV light anyways, rendering it useless. If, however, you have it on good authority that you can mix day geckos and PDFs (pet store employees are not 'good authority'), then please tell me! I would love to house a group of D. azureus and a Lined Day Gecko (Phelsuma lineata lineata) in my 85 gal! I think that in order to make it work at all, you would need to choose the largest PDFs and the smallest Gecko, to avoid the frogs becoming food. Also, the small day geckos would be able to eat the fruit flies that the PDFs eat, as well as the occasional tiny cricket. The fact is, you have asked for a TON of information, as this is not a simple set-up. Have you done any other research? Why don't you decide exactly what species you would like, and research their requirements? And, once again, search this forum. I have a waterfall with a pool at the bottom and a stream, and yes, I did just carve some styrofoam and cover it with silicone and gravel (to make it look nice). But there are other ways. Some people use a hollow piece of wood for the stream. Just look around and see what you find attractive. There is a gallery side to this forum if you need inspiration, and you can also visit http://www.wildsky.net/vivarium/evivariu.htm, http://www.frogworld.nl/dutchvivariums.html, and the frognet gallery. Another good forum to ask questions on is www.kingsnake.com. Have fun!

Geckos can make your life a living hell. I learned that the hard way. I remember lying in bed watching a couple of them mating on the ceiling one evening, this was shortly after I bought my house; and thinking they were so cute. I inadvertently encouraged them because I have automated outside lighting and this attracts a lot of insects. Fast forward 15 years. Now I kill them whenever I see one. Please allow me to debunk some gecko myths and give you the benefits of my experience with them. Geckos are beneficial: Not necessarily. We have an infestation of a type of gecko that originates in India, so they are not indigenous and they compete with our beautiful little skinks, who are. I see about 500 geckos for every skink. And the skinks are losing the battle... Geckos can be relocated, just take them outside: I found a three legged gecko in my bathroom one day. Not wanting to harm it, I carried it to the bottom of my garden (2500 square meter property). A day or so later, guess what? There was a three legged gecko in my bathroom again. Geckos are territorial. Geckos are harmless: They may well be, but their poop is not. Google and see for yourself. Geckos have "communal toilets", if they decide your kitchen counter is going to be "the spot", they will keep coming back until you kill them. I have seen a gecko come in from outside, poop, and then go back outside! They usually do it from a height (cornice) and depending on the size and consistency of the turd, it can splatter quite a bit on impact (read kitchen counter, dish rack, bedside table, windowsill etc). Bear in mind our variety can grow to 4 inches or more (excluding tail) and output will be in proportion to input. Not convinced? Read on.... I have been unable to keep the geckos out of my ceiling void. My ceilings are encrusted with gecko poop. From time to time I have to go up there with a paint scraper, vacuum cleaner and a bucket. It's impossible to get to it all, and I'm not talking about a few hundred turds, there are thousands of them! My house is surrounded by huge trees. Broken and cracked roof tiles are the norm. Consequently there are leaks from time to time. When one of those "communal toilet" areas gets wet, the poop starts to ferment. As I write this, I'm breathing in the stench of fermenting gecko poop. It permeates the whole house - all the time! Did I mention the climate here? 40 degrees (C) in the shade on some days, and after the rain, up to 60% humidity inside. Still getting those warm sqooshy sentimental feelings when you think geckos? Have you ever woken up in the night because of a disgusting smell? That's right, a gecko above your head pooped on your pillow and you just rolled your face in it! Have you ever reached for your freshly made cup of coffee only to have to pour it down the sink because as you were reaching for it, there was a little plop? Yes, you look up and a gecko has just crapped in your coffee cup! Have you ever been reading in bed, all freshly bathed and ready for sleep, only to have to go and wash your hair because a gecko on the ceiling let go a nice big wet one? I'm safe, I live on the 12th floor: Don't kid yourself. Remember that box of stuff auntie gave you, the one she's been storing in the attic, the one with the gecko eggs it? As long as there's food for them, they'll stay. And they're not afraid of heights. Oh, and they travel by car too! My carport is infested, nothing I can do about that. They poop all over the cars. The poop is corrosive enough to eat the galvanising off metal. I've been driving along the freeway only to have one pop up from under the bonnet. If you find a straight stretch of freeway and get your speed up to about 140, it might just blow away. But don't count on it. Don't make the mistake of leaving a car window open when you get home either. Sooner or later, a gecko will find it's way into the car interior. It will then do two things. It will poop all over the interior, and if it can't get out, it will die. Then it will stink. A lot! If it dies in an inaccessible place like the innards of the dash, or one of the air vents, you will be stuck with the smell for the duration of the decomposition process. If it's in an air vent, running the aircon may reactivated the decomposition process from time to time thanks to condensation that may form. And believe it or not, I could go on! Even after all this time I still don't like killing them. But small geckos become big geckos. And few become many. And dead geckos don't poop!

My Lab gets needy and has a hard time getting comfortable when she has gas. Her abdomen will also feel more firm and I can hear her tummy gurgle. When she's really uncomfortable I too will give her a gasX. My vet says you have to be careful though and not make a habit of it because it can harm the good bacteria in their digestive track. Can I suggest you check the ingredients of the food you're feeding him? Some of the grain free higher protein foods have beans and lentils within the first 5 ingredients as well as peas. I was feeding our lab a very expensive food and she was always feeling ill. I finally figured out it had beans in it hence the gas; switched the food and it helped considerably.