Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know it's been posted before, but I've got 3 anoles in a 30 gallon tank, 1 male, 2 females. I've had them for several months, but recently they've basically stopped eating. I just cleaned the tank out & found about a dozen crickets & a bunch of mealworms under the mat/floor cover. The male especially, I can't get to eat even if I touch his nose with a bug! I've got fly larvae on order, is there anything else to try? They really look like skin & bones right now, I'm hoping the larvae get here before it's too late. They will drink however, but just won't eat.

I have checked & adjusted the heat, it's definitely not too cold in the tank! I'd appreciate ANY ideas or things to try!

Howie

Don't feed them the fly larvae but you should have pupae within about three days of receipt. Put a dozen or so pupae in a small container in the Anole enclosure and they will emerge in 3-4 days. Anoles love flies or other flying insects. In the meanwhile, try some waxworms. Anoles can't seem to resist them! They are good for putting weight on skinny Anoles because of their high fat content. They aren't good for a staple diet but are good as part of a varied diet. You can also try Lobster Roach nymphs but, since they can climb glass with impunity, make sure you have an escape proof enclosure. You can also decapitate the roaches just before you put them in the Anole enclosure. They will run around for a short while but are not an escape risk.

I've tried the waxworms, they're also being ignored! I don't know if it's just something with the colder weather (I'm in NY) or what, but it just seems like they refuse almost everything. At least one of my females did eat, but only because I dropped a cricket almost right in front of her. They don't seem to be chasing food at all. I'll try with the flies, once they get here....

Despite the fact that they have a controlled environment (i.e., fixed photoperiod, temperature, etc.) Anoles seem to know when it is winter outside. They will sometimes restrict eating for a while only for that reason. Mine will slow their food intake down considerably at the beginning of the winter and then begin to pick up again. Right now, they are in the middle of a feeding frenzy. I try to keep their diet varied with flies, roaches, waxworms, and crickets (no mealworms due to lack of nutrition). I live in North Carolina so there is a seasonal problem here as well. I have taken the philosophy that when they get good and hungry, they will eat!

All three of mine are on a bit of a hunger strike right now, too. They're still active and drinking, so I'm trusting that it's just the winter affecting them. They don't look or act sick, they're just not eating much.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and new neighbor Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
1.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Bruce and Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)
And several miscellaneous community fish

Ok, guess it just could be winter, especially being up north, they may not like it too much. I'm still hoping the fly larvae & eventually hatches will bring them around to eating more. I'll keep an eye on them, and hope for the best! Thanks again folks!

Howie

You may also notice that they are less active at this time of year. They will also find a sleeping site earlier in the evening than they do in summer months. In fact, they will probably find a sleeping site about nightfall.

When you say you tried wax worms, what do you mean? Were you putting them in whole? I went through this same deal and my anole got real skinny and I thought she was gonna just up and die. I would cut a wax worm in half and put the cut end up against her mouth with a tweezer. She would taste it and she finally started eating again. Now she's back to ignoring everything again. Sheesh, I can't keep up with her.

Andy

I'm just curious, why do you say to not feed them the fly larva? This anole of mine seems to take to grubs best and I was thinking of getting some fly larva.

Andy

Actually, I'm waiting for the larvae to be delivered. I'm hoping that will get them eating again. I'll also try cutting the worms in half & seeing if that helps. Right now, I'd just like for them to eat again, my male really looks emaciated, and on the verge of kicking it. Here's hoping.....

Although fly larvae (AKA maggots) usually eat necrotic flesh, they will from time to time, also eat live flesh. You risk having your Anole eaten alive from the inside out! Particularly if it is in failing health.

Thanks. This was my original concern with meal worms. I guess it's the opposite regarding maggots. I'm glad I didn't order yet. I can order less of the pupae and that's a good thing when you have one Anole. I just wonder if she'll eat the flies. She watched a cricket run all over her cage yesterday. It even walked right over head on the screen. She was all twisted trying to follow it but she wasn't interested in eating it. She just doesn't like them I guess.

Andy

The larvae/maggots arrived, and since they're only about 1/2" long (if that) I tossed some in the cage. The females seemed to go for them, but my male still won't eat. I'm wondering if something didn't happen to make him blind, it doesn't look like his eyes are fully open. I'm going to try to get some of the larvae to pupate & hatch into flies, and then see what goes.

Howie

Flies are DEFINITELY getting them to eat! Guess I'll be letting the larvae pupate & hatch, they're eating them almost as fast as I can get them in the cage! Still not sure what's up with my first male though, his eyes look a little better, but he's still not eating that I can see. I picked up a second male for the tank, and he seems to be tolerating the other male rather well! The other day I actually found them sleeping in rather close proximity to each other, almost like he knows the first one isn't doing well, and is checking up on him. Hopefully he'll eat some flies, guess I'll just keep an eye on him!

Howie

There are two ways to handle flies. The easiext way is to put some pupae in a deli dish in the Anole enclosure and let them eclose (which they will do in 3-4 days). The Anoles will pick them off.
If you have adult flies, put them in the refrigerator in a yogurt cup for about 4 minutes. They will be unable to fly temporarily but will be able to when they warm up.
Having two male Anoles in a single enclosure is a bit risky unless the enclosure is huge. They will inevitably begin to conflict with each other for food and space (not to mention females). Make sure that you have plenty of hiding places for the submissive one.

Yeah, I've been using both ways to get the flies to them. Guess I've been doing the "manual" method more, that way I can drop them right by the anoles so they start moving & get munched quickly. I'll be keeping an eye on the 2 males, but I think since one isn't doing too well, the other might not view it as a threat.

Thanks for the help/advice/input! Have a happy new year!

Howie
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2.2.0 Green Anoles
1.1.0 Jeweled Curly Tails

had a wax worm today after a week without eating! At least I know she's healthy enough to want to eat. I know the wax worms might not be ideal but it's better than letting her starve to death. Besides, by the time I feed them to her, I assume they have lost a lot of fat because they are pretty skinny.

Andy