What Do Green Anoles Eat? A-Z Green Anole Diet

Pet feeding is a vital factor in determining a pet’s health and survival. What do green anoles eat? And what they cannot eat even just a piece?

Those are two of the several questions most reptile keepers will lookout to get answers before keeping a green anole.

Some people will ignore the fact that every animal feeds differently. Just like most reptiles, a green anole has unique feeding habits. This means you have to be sure of precisely what you are feeding your pet.

To ensure that it is safe, you also need to learn about what you should never feed green anoles.

Are we connecting? This article will make all the difference in your next adventure with your reptile pet.

With deep experience and research on the topic, I will take you through all you need to know.

What do green anoles eat in captivity?

Green anoles are majorly insectivorous, feeding on small insects such as flies, moths, and grasshoppers.

However, they can also feed on small seeds and grains. In some situations, they feed on small reptiles such as juvenile skinks, although this is not common.

They also feed on grubs, crickets, mealworms, and wax worms.

Green anoles can also be fed on some fruits for supplementation of vitamins that lack in insect feeders.

What fruits can green anoles eat?

Green anoles can be fed on a wide variety of fruits. Some of the fruits have more nutritional value than others. Some could even be toxic. They can feed on apples, strawberries, honeydew melon, blueberries, and grapes. 

These fruits are readily available. They are also rich in minerals, fiber, as well as vitamins. The fruits are only recommended to be given as treats as the green anoles are insectivorous.

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Do green anoles eat ants?

Green anoles certainly eat ants. There are over 10, 000 ants species all over the world. They are mostly found in tropical forests. Ants should not be confused with termites. Ants have a narrow ‘waist’ between the thorax and abdomen. Termites do not have the narrow ‘waist.’

Black ants are essentially rich in protein and fat, with protein being about 39-44% and 42-49% fat. The small creatures are also an excellent source of magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium. Ants have a high content of palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids from the fatty acids profile.

Green anoles can be fed between 5 and 10 ants a day or as their appetite demands. Any ants that are not eaten should be removed from the terrarium.

Green anoles can also eat dried ants.

Do green anoles eat apples?

Yes, green anoles can be fed apples. The apples have to be cut or sliced into bite-sized bits. The seeds should be removed before feeding as they can be toxic to the anoles.

Apples have vast deposits of simple sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. They are primarily composed of carbs at 86% and 14% water. These fruits also have minerals such as zinc, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, copper, iron, sodium, and manganese. Apples are, therefore, a good source of trace minerals such as selenium and manganese.

Green anoles can be given 2-3 pieces of apple. The pieces should be small to about half the size of its head. They can be given once a day, once or twice a week.

The fruit is the only part that can be given to green anoles.

Do green anoles eat bananas?

Yes, green anoles will eat bananas. Overripe bananas in small amounts are acceptable as a feed to green anoles.

A 100g banana would provide 89 calories, 12.2 grams of sugar, 22.0 grams of carbs, and 1.1 grams of protein. They are also rich in water at 75% water content. Bananas have a very high concentration of potassium.

Bananas have minerals such as zinc, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, copper, iron, sodium, and manganese. They can therefore be used as a good source of trace minerals such as selenium and manganese.

The banana should be small-sized and fed to green anoles. A lizard can eat a piece of a banana in a single meal. The bananas can be given once a week and alternated with other feeders.

Do green anoles eat beetles?

Green anoles are best fed on soft-bodied insects. Green anoles may have difficulty swallowing and digesting hard-bodied beetles. So the answer is no, green anoles shouldn’t be fed on beetles.

Want to know more?

Savanna River University did a study that concluded that hard-bodied insects such as beetles should be avoided.

Can green anoles eat blueberries?

Can green anoles eat blueberries? Of course, yes! As for supplementation, green anoles can be fed on blueberries. They should be given whole if small in size or halved if bigger.

The berries are high in fiber and can help improve bowel movements for a slightly constipated lizard. Blueberries are also good sources of vitamins K1 and C.

With regards to mineral ions, blueberries provide magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and phosphorus. A diet full of these minerals and vitamins leads to well-developed bone strength and structure.

Since green anoles are primarily insectivorous, they should be fed on blueberries once or twice a week. The staple of their diet should be insects.

Can green anoles eat bloodworms?

Bloodworms are the larvae stage of the midge fly. They are bright red due to the red pigment in their blood showing through their skin, thus their name. Bloodworms have venomous stings and are therefore not ideal as a good source of food to a green anole.

Do green anoles eat dead bugs?

Sure. Green anoles can, at times, feed on dead bugs. However, dead bugs are not their favorite and prefer to feed on live prey. The lizards also spot a meal easily when it moves. Dead bugs certainly don’t move.

It is always a good practice to feed the lizards on a meal they like.

Do green anoles eat stink bugs?

The name Stink bug was given to these insects as a result of the foul odor they produce when attacked. Green anoles should not be fed stink bugs due to the toxic chemicals they produce. These chemicals could harm their health or even cause death.

Can green anoles eat caterpillars?

Green anoles will certainly eat caterpillars. Caterpillars free from insecticides picked from the wild can be a good source of a meal for the anoles.

Caterpillars are the larvae stage of butterflies and moths. They are commonly seen when they are grown and are ready to change into a pupa. Caterpillars eat the leaves of many plants are therefore easy to farm and harvest. Caterpillars are commercially grown and can be available at local pet stores.

As reference information, caterpillars are a great source of vitamins, calcium, zinc, and magnesium. Caterpillars also have high protein content. A 100-gram portion of caterpillars can provide more than 100% of the daily recommended amount of vitamins and minerals.

Caterpillars free from insecticides picked from the wild can be a good source of meal for the anoles. The caterpillars should be provided whole as the anoles prefer live prey.

A meal should typically have about three to four caterpillars depending on their size. Three larger ones and four for smaller ones are okay. They should be given the meal once a day and varied with other feeders over the week.

Can green anoles eat carrots?

Green anoles can undoubtedly feed on carrots. However, the carrots should not be the bulk of their diets as the anoles are primarily insect-eating reptiles.

Carrots have deep sources of vitamins A, K1, B6, and biotin. Carrots have high water content and carb. A 100g serving of carrots has 41 calories of energy, 0.9 grams of protein, and 4.7 grams of sugar.

Carrots have small amounts of trace elements, such as copper and molybdenum. Manganese, phosphorus, and potassium are elements also found in carrots.

Preparing carrots for your green anoles

Carrots should be finely chopped to half the size of the anole’s head. This is because green anoles do not chew but swallow their food whole. Since feeding carrot is only just a treat, they should be sparingly given. One meal a week is fine.

Can green anoles eat cockroaches?

Green anoles are lovers of cockroaches and they will eat cockroaches instantly. Cockroaches are considered a cheap source of feed for people keeping the anoles as pets.

Cockroaches are high in protein, even higher than crickets at around 35%. They also have around 7 times the amount of vitamin B12 as a similar amount of beef and up to 2 times the crickets amount.

Cockroaches are easy to farm and therefore are convenient to green anole keepers. You can feed your green anoles on live cockroaches.

An anole lizard can eat up to 10 small cockroaches in a meal. They should be dusted with calcium powder when given. They can be given daily or alternated with other feeder insects.

Do green anoles eat earthworms?

Green anoles can eat earthworms. Earthworms are a good source of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates for green anoles.

They contain 60-70% protein, 6-11% fat, and 5-21% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis. With 2-3% minerals and vitamins, earthworms can be a source of the much-needed minerals and vitamins as well.

When collected from the wild, the earthworms should be free of any dirt or chemicals such as insecticides before you feed your pet lizards.

You can also contact your local pet food supplier to check if they have the worms in stock. The worms are an excellent treat to your lizards.

How do you feed earthworms to your green anoles?

They should then be fed to the green anoles live. They can eat up to five worms of average size. The worms can be fed daily or varied with other feeder insects.

Do green anoles eat flies?

This one is a definite yes. Flies are a great delicacy for green anoles. Flies are easy to farm and therefore make for a hassle-free feed for lizards.

They are a rich source of protein. With regards to minerals, flies are a remarkable source of magnesium, calcium, and iron.

Same as other prey, the flies should be fed to the lizards live. The lizards will definitely get some exercise out of the hunt for the flies.

Flies should, however, not be the staple for the anoles. With that in mind, they should be used as treats only once in a while.

The anoles should be allowed to eat as much flies as it can fill its stomach. They can be given a few days a week but not daily.

Do green anoles eat grasshoppers?

Green anoles will love a grasshopper meal. Two grasshoppers a meal are fine. They can be fed daily but supplemented or dusted with calcium powder.

Grasshoppers are rich in protein at 20.6 grams, fat at 6.1 grams, and carbohydrates at 3.9 grams every 100 grams. The hoppers are also a good source of macro trace elements such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc.

These minerals are paramount to good health for your pet anoles. The grasshoppers should not be left in the green anole’s habitat as they can easily kill them.

Can green anoles eat grapes?

In as much as green anoles love eating insects, they can be fed on carefully selected fruits and vegetables. Grapes are one of such fruits. Either chopping or crushing should prepare the grapes.

Grapes have high oxalate levels, which are suitable for lizards. For every 100g of the fruit, grapes have 18.1 grams of carbohydrates, 15.48 grams of sugar, 0.72 grams of dietary fiber, and 0.1 grams of fat.

The high carbs and sugar content makes them a high energy source for green anoles.

Grapes should be fed as treats. One meal of 2-3 average-sized grapes a week is fine.

Can green anoles eat hornworm?

Green anoles should not be fed on hornworms. They are different species of worm that are relatively large as a standard feature, growing up to four inches in length and blue-green. They, however, have various patterned stripes.

Green anoles should not be fed on hornworms as the worm’s horn may harm the lizard.

Can green anoles eat kales?

As an alternative to the usual insects, green anoles can eat kales. The kale stalk should be removed, and the leaves finely chopped to prevent the lizard from choking on them.

Kales, just like other leafy vegetables, are a valuable source of vitamins A, C, D, E, and K. They also make for a good source of macro and trace elements such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc and selenium. These elements play a part in keeping the lizard healthy.

Chopping one kale leaf for one meal is a good portion. This is just a treat and should be sparingly given.

Can green anoles eat lettuce?

Green anoles can eat lettuce. There are different lettuce varieties with different nutritional values, such as the iceberg lettuce. Dark green lettuce, such as Boston, romaine, and red leaf lettuces, can be given.

Lettuce is rich in vitamin C, good for immunity, calcium, good for healthy bones, vitamin K and vitamin A. These vitamins play a pivotal role in good health and growth of the lizards.

Same as other plant food, lettuce should be given with moderation. Three pieces a day can be given at most once a week. 

Can green anoles eat ladybugs?

Ladybugs appear as half-spheres, tiny, spotted, and have short legs and antenna. They prey on aphids as their primary food source. Your pet can swallow them easily due to their small size.

Ladybugs are low in calories, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins. The bugs can be caught in the field and fed to the anoles. They should be free of disease or chemicals.

You can feed live ladybugs to your green anoles. Due to their low nutritional value, they should be offered only occasionally but never as the staple.

A single ladybugs meal can have up to 10 ladybugs. They can be offered several times a week but with calcium powder dusting.

Do green anoles eat mealworms?

Mealworms can be used as feed for green anoles on account of their high protein and fat content. A mealworm typically measures 2.5 cm or sometimes more.

Fresh mealworms contain about 15% fat and 20% protein. Mealworms are commercially available and can be found at your local pet store.

When feeding, the worms should be placed on a shallow dish so the anole can reach them and also prevent them from escaping. The worms should be fed to anoles while still small in size.

5-6 mealworms make for a good meal for green anoles. They can be fed daily or varied with other feeder insects.

Do green anoles eat mosquitoes?

Green anoles can eat mosquitoes. They, however, do this opportunistically as they make for an insignificant portion of their diet.

Do green anoles eat millipedes?

You should not feed your green anoles should on millipedes. Millipedes produce defensive chemicals such as hydrogen cyanide and benzoquinones. These chemicals may easily cause harm to your lizards or even kill them.

Do green anoles eat monarch caterpillars?

Unlike birds, green anoles do not hesitate to eat monarch caterpillars. These caterpillars produce a mild toxin that is ineffective in keeping green anoles at bay.

For every 100 grams of dried caterpillars, there are 53 grams of protein. This makes for a vibrant source the bodybuilding nutrients for anoles. The same 100 grams carries 15% fats and 17% carbohydrates. Caterpillars are rich in minerals.

Potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron are some of the minerals. Caterpillars are also packed with vitamins.

Green anoles should be fed 2-3 caterpillars for every feeding every day or every other day. The caterpillars should be fed as well if any of them are left uneaten. Otherwise, they should be removed.

Can green anoles eat moths?

Moths vary greatly in size. Unlike butterflies, moths have stouter bodies and dull coloring. Green anoles eat moths. Those smaller in size than half the size of anoles head can be fed live while the larger ones can be sized up just before feeding.

Can green anoles eat oranges?

Overripe oranges should not be thrown into the trash. Instead, you can offer them as food for green anoles.

Oranges are high in carbohydrates and water. They have very little proteins and fats. They only pack a few calories. Half of a large orange (100 grams) has 47 Calories, 87% water: 0.9grams protein, 11.8 grams carbs, 9.4 grams sugar, 2.4 grams fiber, and 0.1 grams fat.

Oranges make the best source of vitamin C. One large orange can provide more than 100% of the recommended daily intake in humans. The fruit is as well a good source of Thiamine (vitamin B1), folic acid (vitamin B9), and potassium.

A green anole can consume a single piece once or twice a week. The piece should be sized up just like all other foods.

The fruit is the only part the lizard can eat.

Do green anoles eat plants?

Green anoles will, at times, eat certain parts of plants. They are lovers of insects but will occasionally feast on fruits and gains.

Different plant species have different nutritional values. Even on the same plant, there is a variation in nutrients in the plant’s different parts. Fruits are the best plant part for feeding green anoles.

The most commonly fed fruits are oranges, grapes, and blueberries. Fruits are rich in fiber and vitamins.

These plant parts should be fed to green anoles in small-sized parts to make it easy for the lizards to swallow. They should be given 1 to 2 times a week as supplementation or as a treat. Two to three pieces of fruit sized to half the lizard head’s size can be given in a day.

Some plant roots, such as is the case with carrots, can also be fed to green anoles.

Do green anoles eat rolly pollies?

Rolly pollies, also known as pill bugs, are oval-shaped crustaceans. They grow up to ¾ inches in length. Green anoles love to eat rolly pollies.

Rolly pollies are an excellent source of protein. They are low in calories, with only about 84 calories in 85 grams serving.

Much of these calories are from proteins and fat. Rolly pollies have very low carbohydrates. They make a good source of minerals, such as copper and selenium.

You can get these two mineral ions in adequate amounts in other insects and foods. The pollies also give a good amount of vitamin B12.

They are also packed with lots of antioxidants, which are suitable for the health of your lizards.

Depending on your lizards’ size, four or five rolly pollies will be enough for a meal a day. They should be fed daily or supplemented with other food such as cricket. They can be dusted with calcium powder for calcium supplementation. Feed it to them live.

Do green anoles eat quinoa?

Most of the time, quinoa is used as a substitute for rice. The anole feed is commonly considered to be a grain, however, it is a seed. Quinoa seeds are famous for their complete protein supply.

Quinoa is famous for being one of the only plant foods that supply complete proteins, offering all essential amino acids healthy balance. Green anoles can eat quinoa.

The quinoa seeds should only be fed to green anole when properly cooked. Dry seeds could potentially harm your lizards by dehydration and indigestion.

About a teaspoon scoop of the cooked seeds should be given to green anoles. They should be fed once to twice in a day and one to two days a week.

Remember that the bulk of the green anole diet should be insects, as that is what they love.

Extra: quinoa has a balance of proteins, carbs, and fat. When cooked, quinoa consists of 71.6% water, 21.3% carbohydrates, 4.4% protein, and 1.92% fat. Providing all the nine essential amino acids, quinoa is considered a complete protein source.

The seed is also a good source of mineral ions such as manganese, copper, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Iron is also essential in the transport of oxygen by the blood. Phosphorus is necessary for proper bone growth.

Do green anoles eat quail eggs?

Quail eggs are roughly a fifth the size of an average chicken egg. They are usually cream-colored and have a variety of spots and speckles. Green anoles will love a treat of quail eggs.

One quail egg, 9 grams on average, has tons of nutritional benefits. It contains both vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, Vitamin B2 (or riboflavin), Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), Vitamin B9, and Vitamin B12 are some of these vitamins. Each quail egg serving also has several minerals such as iron, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium. There are also small traces of magnesium, copper, calcium, manganese, and potassium. Additionally, each serving also has essential fatty acids, like omega-3 and omega-6.

The eggs can be fed to the lizards raw. No need for cooking. Two eggs are good enough for a meal a day. They can be provided to the lizards daily or supplemented with other foods.

Can green anoles eat dubia roaches?

Dubia roaches are some of the most popular feeder roaches for various reptiles, amphibians, arachnids, and fish. Dubia roaches are high in proteins and have excellent nutritional value. This makes them a preferred insect feeder. Green anoles can eat dubia roaches.

Dubia roaches have a comparative advantage nutritionally over other feeder insects as it delivers its value with little downside.

They are high in proteins, calcium, and minerals and low in fats and chitin simultaneously. They are also high in meat relative to shell and water.

On a dry matter basis, dubia roaches have 54% protein. This is past the daily recommended intake for captive insectivorous animals.

Dubia roaches are 45mm in length. A good dubia roach meal would be 2 roaches. They should be sized up to half the size of a lizard’s head and fed daily as their nutritional value is good enough.

Can green anoles eat spiders?

Green anoles eat spiders. Spiders are known to be rich in protein, folic acid, and zinc. For every 100 grams, there are 63 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat. 

Green anoles can be fed spiders depending on their size. About 4 small-sized spiders can be given. It is advisable to remove the fangs to be sure the spiders will not be stinging your anoles.

Do green anoles eat snails?

Green anoles eat snails. Snails have a shell which they use for shelter and a soft body.

Snails are said to be a good protein source. A 100 gram serving of snails contains up to 32 grams of protein. The same serving also gives 1.2 grams of fat. Snails are also a source of iron, calcium, and potassium at 3.5mg, 10.00mg, and 382mg. Snails are low in carbohydrates at just 2 grams from the same serving.

For average-sized snails, 15mm in length, a green anole can comfortably eat 3-4 of them. They should be fed once daily. The snails should be fed live.

Note: green anoles are intimidated by large prey, and therefore large snails should be avoided or sized up.

Can green anoles eat waxworms?

Green anoles can eat waxworms, but that should be just a treat. Waxworms are commercially bred as pet food for insectivorous pets and can therefore be found in pet stores. The reason they are bred is their high-fat content. They can lead to obesity if they are fed to animals with low metabolisms, such as reptiles.

Waxworms provide 144 grams of crude protein per kilo of the worms and 19.4 grams of fat. These are high concentrations. Waxworms contain good levels of vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids.

They also contain significant amounts of cholesterol and inositol. The worms are deficient in calcium and vitamin D3, which should be supplemented. A recommended way of supplementing is by dusting with calcium powder before feeding.

As a result of the deep concentration of fats, wax worms should not be fed to green anoles regularly but only as a treat. Two average-sized wax worms are suitable for a lizard a day but only once in a while.

Can green anoles eat zucchini?

Zucchini is a long cylindrical vegetable that is dark-green in color. They have an almost sweet taste, which gets better when they are overripe. Green anoles can eat zucchini.

One large zucchini weighing about 325 grams contains 55 calories, 3.9 grams of protein, 1.0 gram of fat, 10.1 grams of carbohydrates, 3.2 grams of fiber, and 8.1 grams of sugar. Zucchinis also pack lots of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folic acid. Zucchinis have antioxidants too. Zucchinis carry loads of potassium and lots of other minerals such as phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and zinc.

To feed green anoles with zucchinis, they should be finely chopped into small pieces and fed raw or steamed.

Same with all other fruits and vegetables, they should be given as treats. 2-3 pieces per serving are good. They should be given once or at most twice a week.

Do green anoles eat their young?

Green anoles are lizards, and lizards are known to eat anything smaller than them in size. An opportunistic adult will eat a young lizard if they cross paths.

Although not an advisable feeder for other anoles, they too do have nutritional values and can provide up to 50 calories per ounce.

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Last update on 2022-12-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API