Frequently shedding green anole

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Okay, I actually have several issues going on with this anole... I'll address them all, since I'm here.

We bought a pair of anoles, both believed to be male, about 6-7 months ago. We housed them together at first, where they seemed fine. However, one of them is currently and has always been apt to being brown. Whenever we clean their tank or take them out for any other reason (we don't handle them "for fun", just to clean their tank and such) and this anole gets stressed/excited/etc. he turns green. However... I really do not think he is a species of brown anole. I think he's just a green anole that either prefers to be brown or is constantly stressed.

About two months ago we moved him into a separate tank because we thought the other anole was rumbling with him. He seemed to enjoy being in the new (yet smaller) tank, and was definitely eating well... yet he was still always brown.

Then just last week we moved him and the green anole into a new, much larger and taller tank. The brown colored anole still remained brown, and one afternoon I noticed that he had his dorsal-back/spine-thing (offhand I've completely forgotten what it's called) raised, and was flaring his dewflap at the other anole (the one who used to pick on him).

So... I moved that other anole into another tank, and the brown colored anole is still brown. Onto my second issue... he's been shedding awfully frequently lately. I saw him shed at least 2-3 times while he was in that small tank alone, and now it seems that he has some sheddy skin attached to his head that's been there for a couple days. We've been misting him a few times a day in order to try and raise the humidity so that he sheds fully, but it doesn't seem to be happening. His temperature is fine, and the only thing that is different is that this new tank has two screen sides as well as the screen top, compared to the glass-sided tanks (w/screen tops) that he'd always been in before.

I've looked around on anole caresheets and I can't find much information. Most of these sites say that if an anole is constantly brown, he is stressed. But I've put him in four different enclosures now, and even the one where he was solitary didn't seem to help. Right now I'm mainly concerned about the shedding though. Is it possible for an anole to shed too much?
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[zombified]

... And just to spite me, he shedded all his skin within the last hour or so. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

I'm still concerned about the frequency, though - as well as his constant brown state.

Also, something I forgot to mention was that both anoles have been hangin' out upside down on the screen tops of their tanks, directly under the UV lights. Is this something to be concerned about? I've heard that UV bulbs need to be replaced every six months and I've also heard every year or so... However, both of these UV bulbs were bought less than one month ago.
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Well, I don't really know a whole #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& of a lot about them, but I do have 2 at my office, supposedly male and female. I've had them about 4 months now. The humidity never gets below 50%, and I mist them in the morning as soon as I get to work, again after lunch, and again before I leave for the day.

I've never seen them shed, ever. They eat like little brown and green pigs. And they are various shades and combinations most every day. The smaller female is brown more often than not, but I've also seen her regularly green as well.

They are both housed in a 20 tall with a 100w UV bulb. The hot side temps are usually about 85-87 at the top of the screen and the cool side on the bottom is usually about 65 or so, so they have a massive gradient.

From what I have read they require fairly high humidity, at least 50% all the time.

What do you feed them? Do you dust what you feed them? Do you have any live plants in with them? What are your temps?
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[zombified]

It's been pretty hot here lately, so currently both of their tanks at room temperature (85 on average during the day and 70 on average at night) along with ReptiSun (I forget how many watts) UV lamps during the day. Currently their basking lamps are turned off because it gets to be way too hot while using them. Their humidity is well above 50; we mist them once every couple hours or so.

The smaller cage is housing the non-"brown" anole, and the "brown" anole is in a very tall yet slightly narrow tank.

We feed them dusted medium crickets, and do not keep live plants in the cages... yet, at least.

The massive heat gradient sounds like a good idea. I am considering a small A/C for the bedroom to keep the temperature a little lower than it is on these hot summer days. If we do purchase an A/C for our bedroom, I think I'll try keeping the bottom of their tank cooler.

Now that I saw he did a good shed (however frequently), I'm just worried about his being an almost constant shade of brown. I sometimes even see the black behind his eyes, which is a sign of being stressed/scared. He has nothing to be stressed about; he's in his own cage! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
[addsig]

If he/she is eating well, I wouldn't sweat it. Just leave them alone and make sure they're not in a high traffic area. Mine are out of line of sight of the door to the hallway.

I don't dust my crickets EVERY time, that can possibly lead to vitamin overdose.

I have a 12" bushy live plant which they use a security. You don't often seem them not in it, unless they're hunting crickets on the floor. I have it under the light, so they can choose their basking temperature and still be secure feeling. After they chow a few crickets down, they lay out on the top of the plant close to the bulb...when they get too hot, they migrate down into the leaves a little further.

In the wild, they're always found near some thick cover usually. Not something to hide under, but something to hide IN, like a thick bush or tree branches.

Go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get a $6.99 12" bushy plant and put it under the light...after about a week, I think you'll notice your little anole (when you can visually see him) will show you some neon green coloration. It often takes me about 10 minutes to visually spot them both when they're in the plant. I think that kind of security for them is a must. Plus the plant can be watered every few days (the light will dry it out) and it will cut down on the amount of misting you have to do.


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