It is not strikingly obvious when a green anole (Anolis carolinensis) is pregnant. Green anoles are hard to breed and relatively few breeders know how to look after these reptiles during this time.
Not sure how to tell if a green anole is pregnant?
Then make sure you check out this article as we have listed 6 ways for you to tell if your green anole is gravid and what you must do if she is.
Key Takeaway:
A pregnant green anole will have a larger stomach; will move slower; and will spend more time near hiding spots. It will bask more and eat less during this time. Ensure your anole has enough hiding spots and that the enclosure is at the right temperature. Do not handle her.
Do green anoles lay unfertilized eggs? What must you do to make sure your gravid anole feels comfortable?
To find out the answers to these questions and more, check out the complete guide below.
Table of Contents
How to Tell if Your Green Anole Is Pregnant
You want to make sure you give your female green anole the proper care it needs while it is pregnant.
But what if you’re not sure if your green anole is pregnant or not?
Use the following 6 clues to determine whether your reptile pet is pregnant.
Stomach
The first way to tell if your female anole is pregnant is by observing her stomach size. A female pregnant green anole will have a larger stomach.
The anole will usually only carry one egg at a time, but on some rare occasions she might have two eggs.
Movement
You’ll also be able to judge if she’s pregnant by her speed. When the female anole is pregnant, she will move slower.
She will still be able to sprint but will do so at a much slower pace due to the load she is carrying.
Hiding
Another way to spot a pregnant green anole is by its behavior. A gravid female anole will spend more time near hiding spots.
In the wild, the pregnant green anole is more at risk of attack by predators because it moves a lot slower. Because of this, a gravid anole will stay closer to hiding spots and spend more time undercover where it is safe from predators.
Basking
Another tell-tale sign of pregnancy in female anoles is the amount of time they spend basking. Adult females that are pregnant spend more time basking than they do when they are not pregnant.
These female anoles reduce their levels of activity in general while they are pregnant and spend more time under their heat lamps in captivity.
Why do they do this?
Because if the female maintains a high body temperature, the eggs inside her will develop faster.
Eating
You will notice that your green anole is pregnant because she will have a reduced appetite. Pregnant anoles do not consume as much food as non-pregnant green anoles.
This can appear strange as the anole will use up more energy while it is pregnant. But do not worry if it does not eat as much as it used to.
Asides from not eating less, they will not spend as much time foraging for food in the wild.
Breeding Season
Your female anole might be pregnant if she displays the above-mentioned behaviors at the right time, that is, during the breeding season. The breeding season for green anoles is between early spring and late summer.
A female anole lays eggs every 1 to 4 weeks during this period. 2 weeks after mating, the female will begin to produce eggs.
How to Look After Pregnant Female Green Anoles
After successful mating, your female lizard will begin egg-laying in just two to four weeks. Four to six weeks after laying eggs, baby anoles will hatch.
Keeping your anole happy and healthy during this time is essential.
But, what must you do to help?
Take a look at the following tips to find out.
Give Enough Supplements
You must dust your green anole’s food in the supplements it needs 2 to 3 times a week. The supplement that is ideal for anoles is calcium-fortified with vitamin D3.
You must dust your pregnant green anole's food even more often with calcium and vitamin powder. You must dust a juvenile anole's food with supplements more often too.
Although giving more supplements to gravid green anole is important, you must be careful not to over-supplement them and avoid giving supplements that contain added phosphorous.
Provide Hiding Spots
The mated female green anole will be more timid than usual. She will constantly be on red alert, looking out for potential predators.
To help her feel safe, make sure the enclosure has enough hiding spots in it. It must contain live or artificial plants so the lizard can hide between the foliage when she feels threatened.
Here are some of the best live plants for your green anoles.
- Sansevierias
- Ivy
- Orchids
Avoid Handling
Both female and male anoles are very timid reptiles. They do not like it when you handle them and will avoid it whenever possible.
To make sure your female feels safe, avoid handling her while she is pregnant or during the breeding season. She will move a lot slower when she is pregnant and might feel afraid if she cannot escape handling as fast as she used to.
Your pregnant anole might also be more aggressive and likely to bite. So, do not disturb her at this time.
Keep the Enclosure’s Environment Optimal
In the days before your anoles lay eggs, they will spend a lot of time basking. If your anole spends enough time basking, the eggs inside her will develop faster.
The ideal environment for your anoles and their eggs is as follows.
- Daytime temperature 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit
- Nighttime temperature 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit
- Basking spot 90 degrees Fahrenheit
- Humidity between 60 and 70%
Use natural resources to keep the environment humid inside the enclosure during the laying season and throughout the year. Putting sphagnum moss and moist soil down as substrate material will keep the atmosphere humid.
Mist the environment several times a day to make sure your anoles have enough to drink. They will lick water droplets as they form on leaves and drink the tiny droplets that settle on the sides of the enclosure.
EverythingYou Must Know About Anole Eggs
You are looking forward to the moment when you see a baby green anole hatch from its egg. But before that day comes, we’ll let you in on everything you can expect to see.
The Appearance of Anole Eggs
Anoles lay tiny white eggs with brown speckles. They measure just 0.6 centimeters in length and 1.4 centimeters in circumference.
Green anole eggs have thick shells and raised bumps.
The Number of Anole Eggs
It is most common for an anole to lay just one egg, but on rare occasions, it might lay two. It will lay more than a dozen eggs during the summer with most anoles laying between 15 and 18 eggs before the end of mating season.
Fertilized Eggs
Many people think that green anoles lay unfertilized eggs, but that is not true. Females lay fertile eggs which will hatch within 5 to 7 weeks.
Like other species of lizards, green anoles have the ability to store sperm when mating. If the female does not mate with another male before the end of the breeding season, it can use the stored sperm to fertilize its eggs.
Incubating Anole Eggs
In the wild, the Carolina anole will lay fertilized eggs in well-hidden places. Green anoles abandon their eggs as soon as they lay them.
In their natural habitat, the eggs incubate in the heat of the sun and take 5 to 7 weeks to hatch if the temperatures are optimal. If you want to breed green anoles, keep the enclosure between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime as this is essential for newly laid eggs.
Male Green Anole Lizard and Eggs
In their natural habitat, there are typically four or five females living with one male anole. Once the lizard eggs have been laid, you must remove them from the enclosure.
Baby anoles are at risk of being eaten by their parents and other males and females.
Hatching Anole Eggs
If the conditions around the egg are optimal, a baby anole will hatch after 5 to 7 weeks after laying. Hatchlings are 5 to 7 centimeters in length.
The hatchlings are distinct from the adults as they have relatively large heads, are brownish, and have shorter tails.
They eat the following small insects:
- Flightless fruit flies
- Mealworms
- Termites
The baby anole will become an adult in just a few months, 8 months to be exact.
Brown Anoles and Their Eggs
Brown anoles lay very small white eggs with a ribbed surface. The female lays one single egg every 14 days during the summer months.
After the anoles lay the eggs, they abandon them. But mature females know to lay their eggs in hidden spots where they will be most protected from predators.
Recognizing and Assisting Pregnancy In Green Anoles
Is your green anole pregnant?
It is tricky to tell if your green anole is expecting as pregnancy in anoles is not as obvious as it is in other animals. But thanks to this article, we have seen 6 tell-tale signs of pregnancy in green anoles.
For example, your anole might be pregnant if its stomach grows, it moves slower, and it begins to stay closer to hiding spots. Gravid anoles will also spend more time basking and less time eating during the breeding season which starts in the early spring and finishes at the end of the summer.
While your anole is pregnant, make sure it gets enough calcium and that its enclosure is warm and humid enough.
Did you find this article interesting?
At Oddly Cute Pets, we always strive to provide you with the best articles about green anole and how to look after it. For more guides on feeding your small pets and cleaning their enclosures, check out our website.
Thanks for reading!
