
Here are a few different insects that you can feed your anole:
Insect | Feed as a… |
Crickets | Staple |
Roaches | Staple |
Lesser Worms (Buffalo Beetle) | Treat (Staple for young anoles) |
Mealworms | Treat |
How to care for your Cuban knight anole?
Quick Facts About the Knight Anole
- Species Name:
- Common Name:
- Care Level:
- Lifespan:
- Adult Size:
- Diet:
- Minimum Tank Size:
- Temperature & Humidity: Do Knight Anoles Make Good Pets? The Knight Anole is not commonly kept as a pet in the United States or in many other places, for that ...
What can live with green anoles?
What can green anole live with?
- Another green anole. The green anoles can be kept with or can live with another green anole in groups that consist of one male and several females.
- Crested geckos. ...
- Green tree frog. ...
- Fire-bellied toads. ...
Can anoles eat fruit?
Anoles are insectivores, so feed small crickets, a few mealworms, and flightless fruit flies. Anoles are also nectar drinkers, and can be fed small pieces of fruit and small amounts of fruit puree, such as baby food. These foods must be removed soon or they will attract fruit flies (which can be eaten by the anoles).
What do green anoles eat in the wild?
- Bugs are their preferred meal in nature. They’ve been seen eating everything from beetles, spiders, sowbugs, flies, gnats, ants, worms, grubs, maggots, snails, slugs, crickets, and some arthropods.
- Green anoles will also eat plant matter like flower petals, grains, seeds, and leaves.
- Various fruits, vegetables, and herbs are also fair game.

Can you feed anoles fruit?
Anoles are insectivores, so feed small crickets, a few mealworms, and flightless fruit flies. Anoles are also nectar drinkers, and can be fed small pieces of fruit and small amounts of fruit puree, such as baby food.
Do anoles need live food?
Buy live prey. Crickets are the most common meal for an anole, but it is important to provide a variety of live prey, including small mealworms, small roaches, fruit files, and other small insects to ensure that your green friend has a well-rounded diet.
Can I feed wild anoles?
Feed your anole food that's half the size of the head Anoles will eat anything really. But bigger insects will make them chew a lot more than something smaller and easier to digest.
What do anole lizards eat besides crickets?
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.
Do anoles eat bird seed?
Anoles will also occasionally drink nectar or eat seeds and grain. Anoles are insectivores and eat all sorts of insects.
Do anoles need a water dish?
While green anoles will seldom drink from a standing source of water, a small and shallow dish should always be present and kept full. This will only provide your lizards with drinking water (should they desire it) but more importantly will aid in increasing the ambient humidity within the enclosure.
How long can anoles go without eating?
In the wild, a green anole can go without eating up to 7-30 days. This is highly variable depending on the age, location, species, and ecosystem it exists in.
Can anoles eat mealworms?
They can be fed a variety of dusted Crickets, Dubia Roaches and juvenile Grasshoppers or Locusts. They will even eat small spiders you find around the house. They will also eat worms such as mealworms and waxworms but again, these should be fed sparingly, as part of a varied diet.
Can anoles eat meat?
Anoles usually eat insects, and only live insects. The insect has to move for the anole to be interested in it… kind of like a dog chasing a car… Their native diet consists mainly of small arthropods, annelids, and mollusks.
Can green anoles eat ants?
The green anole eats spiders, flies, crickets, small beetles, moths, butterflies, small slugs, worms, ants and termites. It only notices prey that is moving. It gets most of its water from the dew on plants.
How often do anoles eat?
Feed your Green Anole as much as they will eat in 10 minutes. Typically, three to four insects per Anole is enough. The insects you feed should always be smaller than the width of your Anole's head. Feed adults every other day and hatchlings every day.
Do anoles like water?
Anoles, especially green and brown anoles, are the perfect reptilian addition to your paludarium. These reptiles love water, are small enough to live in a tank with limited space, and won't prey on many paludarium-living fish.
How long can green anole lizards go without food?
Depending on the situation, house lizards with constant water sources can live between 10 to 30 days without food. However, they can only hold up to a maximum of three days with no water. Before they would even feel hunger, they would die out of dehydration.
How long can baby anoles go without eating?
In the wild, a green anole can go without eating up to 7-30 days. This is highly variable depending on the age, location, species, and ecosystem it exists in.
Can brown anoles eat fruit?
Their diet mainly consists of a variety of insects which is supplemented with fruit. While rare, they are also known to eat baby birds and small lizards, even other anoles.
Do anoles feed at night?
Anolis activity is primarily diurnal, although movement and feeding were observed at night under conditions of bright moonlight.
What do anoles eat?
Anoles eat insects and typically hunt spiders, crickets, beetles, flies, worms, and ants.
Do anoles make good pets?
Anoles are common pets in the United States as they are small and easily kept. Although green anoles are known to be easily stressed, proper care can help mitigate this. Many first-time reptile owners purchase anoles because of their low maintenance and easy care.
What should baby anoles be fed?
gif (1×1) Baby anoles should be fed small, live insects. Preferably, they should be gut-loaded pinhead crickets. These contain a delicious glob of nutrients anoles need to develop a proper skeletal system.
What to do if your anole doesn't eat?
If your anole doesn’t eat and refuses the food, you can offer alternatives to crickets.
Do I need to worry about live prey hurting my anole?
Pinhead crickets also have a VERY low chance of doing any harm to your anole.
How to know if anole is stressed?
You can count by number or weight or volume. This is helpful for determinig if your anole is stressed, as they eat less when they are. For example, if you notice that your anole usually eats 3 crickets within 3 minutes, but then it suddenly drops to 1 cricket every hour, you may suspect that it’s stressed.
How big is a baby anole lizard?
So, you got yourself a baby green anole and you have no idea what to feed it. Baby anole lizards are just a wee under 2 inches in size. And their mouth is less than a few centimeters at this point! They don’t have that big, smiling face to gargle down large items (yet).
How to reproduce anoles in the wild?
Think about anoles in the wild- they don’t have food available 24/7. Try to reproduce this in the habitat by creating an environment where food is scarce but available like in nature.
Can you feed a baby cricket?
Baby anoles can be fed more often since they’re growing, but overfeeding should still be avoided. Don’t leave crickets running around the terrarium if possible.
How do green anoles catch their food?
Green anoles have multiple techniques to capture their next tasty meal.
Where are green anoles found?
They’re native to the neotropics, and some are found in the Nearctic regions of the Earth. Here in the US, green anoles are natively found in North Carolina (as you may be able to tell by the scientific name). They’re also found rummaging in the yards of Texas, Florida, Hawaii, California, and coastal regions.
Why are wild anoles so stressed?
Also, as mentioned earlier, wild-caught anoles may exhibit extreme stress levels due to the sudden change in the environment. It’ll lose its territory (if it’s a male) and have to succumb to fake lighting.
What do bugs eat?
They’ve been seen eating everything from beetles, spiders, sowbugs, flies, gnats, ants, worms, grubs, maggots, snails, slugs, crickets, and some arthropods.
What do wolves eat?
They eat everything they can get their jaws on.
Do anoles eat insects?
Anoles will eat anything really. But bigger insects will make them chew a lot more than something smaller and easier to digest.
Do anoles chase their target?
But some anoles will also patrol their territory (as these are territorial lizards) and will chase their target.
What are some good food for anole?
There are a few different species of roaches that you can purchase to feed your anole. Two good options are Dubia and Turkestan roaches.
What do anoles eat?
In captivity, an anole’s diet should consist of gut loaded crickets, roaches, mealworms, and waxworms. In the wild, anoles eat beetles, flies, ants, spiders and anything else they can fit in their mouths. For this post, we will concentrate on pet anoles, since for the most part, anoles in the wild can take care of themselves.
How to keep anole feeders healthy?
The way to avoid this is to dust your feeder insects with multivitamins. This will provide your anole with everything they need to stay happy and healthy.
How many bugs should an anole eat?
In general, adult anoles should be fed 2-3 bugs every other day. (Some sources say every day, so you may have to find the right balance based on your anole’s individual personality.) The 2-3 are referring to crickets or roaches that are about half the size of your anole’s head.
How to keep anoles from choking?
Feed them insects that are half the size of their heads. This prevents them from choking on the insects. Do not leave feeder insects in with your anoles. It may seem silly, but crickets and other similar insects can kill an anole if left in its cage unsupervised. Anything that doesn’t get eaten should be removed.
Why do you feed anole worms?
Other worms that you can feed your Anole as a treat occasionally because these worms have high calcium and/or fat content.
Why do you feed bugs healthy food?
This is a process where you feed your bugs healthy foods so that your anole will get extra nutrition when it eats them.
The Green Anole Diet: What Do Green Anoles Eat?
Green anoles eat mostly insects, with a diet that includes spiders, crickets, flies, and beetles.
What Eats Green Anoles?
The green anole falls prey to birds, snakes, and even larger lizards. In areas with human populations, cats are a dangerous predator for green anoles. Cats have an unfair advantage, as the two species did not evolve together. Like many lizard species, the green anole can detach its tail when threatened.
Are Green Anoles Poisonous?
Green Anole lizard ( Anolis carolinensis) showing off his bright pink dewlap.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
In the wild, green anoles can be found basking in trees and vegetation. They are sun-loving creatures and will spend their summers soaking in the heat. During cooler months, anoles can be found hiding inside of logs, under tree bark, and other warm locations. They are native to the southeastern United States, including North Carolina.
How to feed anoles?
Insects should be no more than half as big as the anole’s head. Dust your anole’s food 2 to 3 times a week with a calcium supplement and once a week with a multivitamin. Provide a shallow dish of water. (Anoles will drink from this and also lick moisture from their skin and habitat.)
How do I keep my anole healthy?
Try not to handle new anoles for 3 or 4 days to give them a chance to get acclimated to their new surroundings. Whether your anole is new or settled-in, be sure to contact a vet if you notice any of these symptoms of illness or distress:
How many anoles can live in a tank?
Anoles can live alone or in groups, but there should be no more than 1 male per tank. A male anole may display his dominance by bobbing his head and flaring his dewlap if he encounters a male rival or even if he sees his own reflection. For 1 anole, choose a terrarium that’s a minimum of 10 gallons.
How to keep anole water moist?
Use a hygrometer (a humidity gauge) to keep track. Create and maintain humidity by keeping the anole’s water dish full and by misting your pet and the habitat 2 to 3 times a day. Or use an automatic fogger, mister or drip system. You can also utilize moisture retaining substrate such as coconut fiber and moss.
Where do anoles come from?
Anoles originate from the southeastern United States and the Caribbean. They require a warm, humid environment.
What color do anoles change?
Behavior: Male anoles are very dominant and territorial. Exercise: They love to climb. Did You Know: Anoles change color from bright green to brown, yellow or gray depending on their mood and the temperature and humidity of their environment. However, anoles change color much slower than chameleons.
What do you need to heat an anole?
Anoles are cold-blooded, so they will need some kind of heat source. A heat lamp is one of the best options, but you can also use a heating pad under the cage or install an infrared heating panel.
What do anole lizards eat?
Anole lizards are insectivores and tend to eat small insects such as crickets, mealworms, and wax worms. Provide 2-3 individual insects every day for each young lizard in your terrarium and 2-3 insects every other day for each adult lizard.
How to help anole lizards?
The most common ailments that afflict anole lizards stem from overcrowding in their cages (leading to fights) and vitamin deficiencies. Keep an eye out for the symptoms of vitamin deficiency, such as lethargy, weight loss, or mucus in the mouth and nose, and feed your lizard a nutritious diet or vitamin supplements to minimize its risk of not getting enough vitamins.
How to keep anole lizards healthy?
Use a UVB to light your terrarium and keep it lit for 14 hours every day to keep your anole healthy. You can also expose your anole lizard to UVB light by temporarily placing its terrarium outside on sunny days when the temperature is over 70 °F (21 °C).
What is the best reptile to have as a pet?
A delightful small lizard, the green anole ( Anolis carolinensis) makes a popular choice for a reptile pet. They're the kind of pet that will entertain you with their busy antics during the day and their beautiful color is lovely to behold.
What are the signs of a fight between anole lizards?
Symptoms of fights breaking out between male anole lizards typically include small lesions and/or bite marks that appear on a lizard’s head or back.
How to move an anole?
If you need to move an anole (and this may be for feeding and cleaning purposes at the very least), be very gentle. Grip firmly but very gently and move him without delay. Always wash your hands after handling the green anole, as with any reptile or pet.
How many insects can you give a green anole?
Give your green anole two to three insects at a time.
What plants do green anoles like to hide in?
With this in mind, planting things, like ivy, orchids, bromeliads or snake plants, will provide natural hiding spots and increased aesthetics.
Why does my green anole burn?
Stress: Improper handling or even too much handling can stress out your green anole. Stress can cause your pet to become more susceptible to infections and other health problems. Burns: These can occur if the basking light is too close to the basking area.
Why do green anoles need a cooler area?
This is because reptiles, your green anole included, are not able to internally adjust their body temperatures.
Why is my anole green?
When your anole is a lovely, vivid green, it means that it is happy, active and warm. When it is sleeping or too cold, it will change its color to brown. A dark brown color can be an indication of illness or stress.
What are the factors that affect the lifespan of a green anole?
Expert Tip: The two main factors that can impact the lifespan of a green anole are genetics and quality of care. You can increase your chance of getting lucky when it comes to genetics by purchasing your pet from a reputable seller.
How big is a green anole?
The typical size of a male green anole is about eight inches, and a female green anole is slightly smaller at around five to six inches in length. Hatchlings are around an inch long.
