Anole lizards make for a great first pet or an additional animal for those interested in their reptilian counterparts. These lizards fall under the Suborder Iguania, which means they are closely related to other well-known lizard species, like Iguanas, Agamids, and Chameleons.
A vast number of species fall under the Anole classification, some of which are much contested. However, the most popular of the Anoles to be kept as a pet is the Green Anole.
These fascinating little lizards are a bright green color across the top of their bodies, heads, and down their tail. Their underbelly is creamy white, and their distinctive dewlap is bright pink.
The Green Anole lizard is slender and relatively small, on average growing only 6 inches long, including their tail. They climb quickly and are skilled hunters. They are often compared to the Chameleon because of their ability to change color to shades of brown when necessary.
If you want to care for one of these animals as a pet, it is important to understand what they like to eat in the wild and adapt it to your pet animal.
What Do Green Anoles Eat in the Wild?
Wild Green Anoles are insectivores, feeding on a wide variety of arthropods and bugs. They have even been known to eat baby lizards from species like skinks. However, this occurs so infrequently that it is not considered typical behavior for this species and isn’t considered best practice for pets.
In the wild, these lizards naturally eat grasshoppers, spiders, crickets, moths, small beetles, slugs, worms, ants, termites, butterflies, and flies. They do not eat any kind of plant in the wild and have great difficulty breaking down anything other than insects.
What Do Green Anoles Eat as Pets?
Green Anoles in captivity should eat much the same thing as they do in the wild. They will happily munch on any insect that will fit inside their mouths. Vary their diet to keep them satisfied and content with their choice of insects.
Give them options of crickets, roaches, and even mix in juvenile locusts or grasshoppers. Feed them two to three of these insects each day to keep them full but not unhealthy. To get a well-rounded diet, these insects should get dusted with vitamin and mineral supplements to add nutritional value.
If you want to supplement their diet with live treats, add in mealworms or waxworms. These should only be intermittent, since if they make up the bulk of your lizard’s diet, your pet will get sick.
Mealworms are tasty but do not contain many nutrients compared to other common insects. Waxworms have high fat content and can lead to obesity problems and quick death.
Where Can I Buy Food for My Green Anole?
Since you want both live prey and dried food for your Green Anole, you will need to find reliable producers to stock the Anole food pantry. It is essential for your Anole’s continued health that you find a reputable producer that won’t sell sick or disease-infested insects harvested from questionable sources.
Ensure that the packaging is always secure and safe when getting live insects, since this can cause vast problems.
You can often find suitable products for your Anole’s diet at your local pet store, especially if you bought the Anole from that store. You can also order stock online if your pet store doesn’t provide the variety that you need.
Conclusion
Caring for a Green Anole is not too difficult, making them a low-maintenance pet to adopt. Keeping their diet balanced and healthy is one of the most influential aspects of being a good caregiver. Feed these insectivores a mix of dead and live prey, and they should easily live between 3 and 5 years.
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Featured Image Credit: Brett_Hondow, Pixabay
