What to Do If My Brown Anole Isn't Eating Live Crickets?

Brown anoles are small lizards commonly kept as pets --- especially by children. Though they are inexpensive and require little space, they require complex care. Improper husbandry frequently causes anoles to stop eating. Unlike some other reptiles, anoles need to eat daily to remain healthy, so a hunger strike can quickly become life-threatening.

  1. Illness

    • Anoles suffering from parasites, metabolic bone disease and injuries may stop eating. Additionally, when an anole stops eating it may quickly become ill as a result of malnutrition, which makes it even less likely to eat and even more likely to suffer long-term illness. If your anole has not eaten for three or more days, seek prompt veterinary care rather than attempting to provide home treatment. A reptile veterinarian may prescribe deworming treatments, calcium injections or antibiotics depending on your anole's health needs.

    Inadequate Heat

    • Brown anoles require a basking area ranging from 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime. The ambient temperature in their enclosure should range from 75 to 80 degrees and should never fall below 70 degrees at night. When temperatures are too low, anoles frequently stop eating. Install two thermometers in your anole's cage to measure both ambient and basking temperatures. If they are indeed too low, install an additional heat light. Never use a heat rock, which can cause fatal burns.

    Fighting

    • Though anoles may thrive in groups, particularly if they have lived with other anoles their entire lives, they may also fight. If only one anole has stopped eating, another anole may be eating all the food or actively preventing it from eating. Separate the anoles. If they begin eating again, keep them in separate enclosures permanently.

    Inappropriate Prey

    • Never give anoles crickets larger than their own heads. Though some anoles will readily eat very large prey items, they pose a risk to the anole's health. Further, if the anole becomes ill as a result of prey items that are too large, it may stop eating. Give the anole small, pinhead crickets. If it eats them, you have been feeding it crickets that are too large.

    Boredom

    • Anoles require a varied diet to remain healthy. They may also stop eating if you feed them one prey item exclusively and they become tired of it. Feed anoles a variety of foods such as mealworms, fruit flies, waxworms and silkworms. This approach keeps the anole interested in eating in addition to providing a variety of nutrients.