Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My alligator lizards mated about a month ago, and recently my female has stopped eating. I was wondering if they do this right before they lay their eggs or if this could be a symptom of stress or disease. Any help is appreciated. Please write back as soon as possible.
Thanks

I also would like to know how to get the female to lay her eggs in the cool whip container I put in there. At first she really likes it, but now she just hides under the rocks in there. I really don't want her to lay her eggs under the rocks, so should I isolate her by the cool whip container?? Also, for the past month she has been eating about fifteen mealworms a day and 5 crickets. Yesterday she would not eat anything, and today she only ate three crickets. I really need advice on what is wrong and what to do about it.
Thanks

Hi there,
It seems to me that most female lizards of any species
stop eating prior to egg-laying. I had a gravid female Collared Lizard that ate her weight in bugs almost every day, and then she stopped eating about a week before I noticed the bulges in her sides were gone. As I'm sure you know, they also will lay their eggs in the best place available to them. Perhaps the humidity is better underneath the rocks, as opposed to your cool-whip container. If you really don't want her to lay under the rocks, I'd probably isolate her from them, or just take the rocks out for a while and leave the Cool-whip container as her only hiding place. I think that will work. As soon as she lays, she will be very thirsty, so offer her plenty of water, and her appetite will likely return within a few days. These are just my experiences though, so if anyone else has other info, please correct me. =) As for you, good luck with your guys.

yours,
Phil