green anole not eating

[miriam]

My 7 month old virgin anole hasn't eaten in almost 2 weeks when she ate her newly laid egg. She is alone in large tank with plants, proper heat and light. She used t o be a real glutton,now leaves crickets uneaten Pear shaped with eggs, have seen her digging and squating 5 days ago.But could find no fresh eggs later. Gave her a warm bath two days ago.
Her hip bones show. She is still decently active and ocassionally green.
Will she start eating again? Also spray environment with diluted calcium drop water.
All insights welcome.
Miriam, NYC

 

[LauraB]

Do you dust her feeders with calcium?
What substrate is she on?
Does she have a UVB source?
What is her basking temp?
How varied is her diet? If only crickets, she may need other feeders.
How often do you mist her tank? They need high humidity, but not wet.

I know anoles lay eggs intermittently, 1 or 2 eggs every couple of weeks, until they've laid the entire clutch.

If she is brown more often than green, she may be stressed or too cool.

I've never kept anoles (though they are abundant here) so obviously can't say if she will start eating. I would start with a husbandry check, however. Good luck!

 

[miriam]

Anole not Eating

Thanks Laura, She is in an 18x12x18 Exoterra tank. Paper towel
on bottom. Three live plants in tank. UVB and UVA heat lamp.
Temp is 85. But she has hides in plants plus fake log, Also llkes lizard
hammock where she basks, there or just on side of tank. Mist a few
times a day (now with calcium drop water) Have bathed her once,
which she liked. Have humidifier near tank. With her parents and
two others in other enclosures have a total of five. Mostly feed her
crickets or an occasional roach dusted with calcium. Dust food with
other vitamins once a week. She stared at cricket this morning but
still not eating. Not green, but not brown either. Have considered trying
mashed banana. She moves around, with head up. Sad to see her
hip bones showing, when she used to run to get food. Am considering
vet, but the long trip and putting her in carrier might be very stressful.
Have not seen her lay any more eggs or dig in earth of plants.
Is it normal for gravid females to not eat. It has been since at least
July 7th, when I believe I last saw her eating (her egg). Thanks for any
further insights.

 

[LauraB]

You might want to give her a more natural substrate or a laying box.

You want to mimic/recreate a natural environment for an anole. She may be egg bound because she has nowhere to dig or lay eggs if her substrate is only paper towels. She (and your other anoles) need at least 3-4" of substrate.

Also, check your basking temps.

It's also not uncommon for herps to go on hunger strikes. Offer her other appropriate feeders.

Again, I don't raise nor have kept anoles. They are all around me, however, and I have observed them for a decade. Hell, I've found them in my house, lol. They also love drinking the nectar from my hummingbird feeders. They are also similar in husbandry needs to the chams I do keep.

I hope she improves

 

[miriam]

Thanks Laura, bask temp ok. She has the soili of live plant and have seern her diggging in it.
She may have eaten one cricket recently. I am now planning to get her a mate. Two people working with herps agree, plus she spends a lot f time displaying at the male in adjacent tank who is her daddy, do can't do that, but I. now seee she wants a mate.new stock comes on wednesday, so will let you know how that goes. Will try food supplem

​

nts meanwhile.
Thanks again.