Do you believe that your anole is dead or dying right now? If your anole looks sick, is moving or eating less, or is displaying some signs of dying, you need to take action quickly. And also, can anoles play dead? Why did my anole die? In this post, you will find answers to these questions and learn all about sick and dying or dead anole, and what you can do to help or save a dying anole.
Anoles are hardy pet lizards, and don’t get sick easily. However, they are also small and delicate, and can be hard to treat if anything happens to them. Having said that, it’s important to notice any changes in behavior of your anole quickly, so you can treat it successfully.
Can anoles play dead?
Yes, rarely anoles might play dead to escape a very stressful situation. However, anole playing dead should not last long and it should start moving as soon as you let it go.
This usually happens if you grab your anole to handle it, and do it too roughly or if your grip is too strong. In this case, your anole might become limp, open its mouth and close its eyes. Make sure you don’t handle your anole too roughly as even a strong grip might kill it.
Instead, allow your anole to come to you and have a very easy grip. You can also offer it food and treats on your hand, this way your anole will associate you with positive things. If your anole is still limp long after a stressful situation is over, it might be actually dead.
Is my anole dead? Check the temperatures in the tank
Sometimes, it might be hard to tell if your anole is dead. For example, it might be that the anole is not dead, but just very cold and just cannot move because of it. That’s especially true if your green anole is brown in color and doesn’t move around much.
Sometimes, your temperature readings might be wrong – what kind of thermometers are you using in the tank? Please note, that optimal temperatures for anoles are around 75-86 Fahrenheit (24-30 Celsius). Basking temperatures need to reach around 90 F (32 Celsius). But temperatures in the basking can even go up a couple degrees, if your anole is sick or needs feeding stimulation. If basking temperatures are high, make sure there is a gradient so your anole can move to a cool spot when it needs to.
Make sure to have a few thermometers in your anole’s tank – at least one on each side. If possible choose digital thermometers like this over stick on mechanical thermometers, as they tend to be more accurate. What is more, a great tool to use to measure temperatures in specific spots if a handheld infrared thermometer like this.
Why is my anole dying or why did my anole die? Things to do to save your anole
Overheating
As much as low tank temperature, overheating can cause even more problems in anoles and lead to death. That’s especially true if ambient temperatures in the house are constantly high (can happen in summer), or if there are direct sunlight hitting the tank, causing extreme temperatures inside the tank. Make sure that there is a temperature gradient inside the tank at all times.
Internal parasites
One of the reasons why many anoles die is because of intestinal parasites. You see, many anoles sold in pet stores and even from private breeders are wild caught. On top of that, there are not many vets that agree to examine anoles or take care of them, as they tend to concentrate on bigger lizards and other reptiles.
To test your anole for parasites, you will need to bring a fresh stool sample to the vet’s office. Anyway, it’s always a good idea to test a new reptile’s poop and isolate it from other animals you have until the results are clear.
A few signs of intestinal parasites are runny poop, blood in poop, poop around the vent, loss of weight, lack of energy and stunted growth. Internal parasites include amoebas, flukes, tapeworms, roundworms, coccidia. Botfly larvae are other serious parasites that cause illness and death in anoles by laying eggs, and their maggots feeding on anole’s insides. Depending on the parasite found, herpetologist will administer anti-parasitic treatment to target that specific parasite.
Respiratory illness
Another reason for anole dying is constantly low temperatures. As mentioned above, anoles need to have a temperature gradient in the tank, where the highest basking temperature should reach around 90 (32 C), while cool side – 75-80 F (24-26.6 C).
With low temperatures, anoles becomes prone to a respiratory illness, and cannot fight the infection if you don’t correct conditions. Signs of respiratory illness include difficulty breathing, breathing with an open mouth in a forced manner, fluid coming out anole’s eyes.
Another reason that can cause a respiratory illness is high humidity levels. While you need to spray your anole’s tank 1-2 times a day or have a dripper, you need to make sure it’s not too wet. Substrate must not be soaking wet, either. Optimal humidity levels for anoles is 60-70%, but it can go as low as 55% for some periods of time.
Metabolic bone disorder
Metabolic bone disorder is another widely seen condition in captive reptiles. This condition is caused by lack of supplements in the diet (especially calcium), not gut-loading the insects that you feed to anole, and lack of UVB lighting in the tank. If offering vitamin or calcium complex that contains phosphorus, make sure that Calcium to Phosphorus ratio is always at least 2:1 (3:1 and over is better).
Without proper nutrients, especially vitamin D and calcium, your anole will become weak and prone to a metabolic bone disorder. While you can save your anole by correcting its living conditions as soon as possible, serious damage is often irreversible. Take your anole to the vet if you suspect this, and sometimes injectable calcium is administered to bring levels up quickly.
The main signs of a metabolic bone disorder are soft bones, puffy back legs and shortened jaw, kinking of the tail, anole not eating, bloated belly and lack of movement and feeding due to the pain. So, make sure to have sufficient UVB lighting in the tank (bulb or fixture) and replace it every 6 months (up to 12 months for fixtures).
Mouth rot
If you can see any wounds near your anole’s mouth, then it could be mouth rot. Swollen mouth and yellow cheesy discharge indicate mouth rot. Potential causes or mouth rot are lack of hygiene in the tank, very high humidity levels and physical injuries to the area that allowed the infectious microorganisms to enter the wound.
Egg retention
Egg retention is a problem that can occur in female anoles that are not willing to lay their clutch. If you have both male and female anoles in the same tank, could your female anole be gravid (pregnant)? If she is gravid and doesn’t feel comfortable or safe to lay her eggs, she will retain them. This can lead to death if she’s not induced with hormones or if eggs are not removed surgically (solidified eggs that were retained).
When you suspect your female to be gravid, make sure that there are enough hides in the tank, as well as dark spots for her to hide in. Also, make sure that humidity levels and substrate depth are sufficient so she can dig to lay the eggs in.
Old age
If your anole has reached its senior years and didn’t show many signs of an illness, it might be that it died peacefully of an old age. Most captive anoles have a lifespan of 4-6 years, and if your anole was of this age, it could have died naturally.
Poisoning
Sometimes, pet lizards pass away due to exposure to chemical sprays, sealers, paint etc. Try to think if you have recently cleaned the cage with a chemical, or have you done any works with the terrarium that could leave any chemical residue?
Owners also need to be careful with substrate, making sure it doesn’t contain any chemical residues. Or bugs that could be poisonous or sprayed with pesticides, collected from outside, or that live plants used for the tank are not poisonous either. If you use any substrate and notice bugs in it, please make sure to change it to prevent illnesses in your anole.
Thank you for reading this post! If you would like to learn more about anole care, please see this page.