Green Anole Refuses to Eat

Question
QUESTION: My anole hasn't been eating for a few weeks. At first I thought it was some kind of phase they go through, but now her bones are starting to show. She is drinking a lot of water but has no appetite. I use to have a male alone and they mated, and she suprisingly layed eggs. That was more than months ago and she still is passing some but they seem to be only half-developed. Is this affecting her eating? Or is it something more severe? Should I take her to the vet before trying anything else?

ANSWER: Hello Kennie,

What type of setup do you have?
Are you using a UVB light & if so, what type & brand are you using?  Is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact/coil light?  
How old is she & how many eggs has she laid over what course of time?  If she was bred too young that can be a problem also if she was still growing or developing herself & then became gravid.
Do you provide calcium supplementation?
What are the temperatures in the tank, & what type of thermometer are you using to measure the temperatures with?
If she is not eating, you are going to have to start feeding her by using a plastic syringe or plastic dropper.  Get some chicken or turkey babyfood & drip it onto the end of her nose to see if she will take some.
Since you mentioned her eggs are only half developed she is not getting enough calcium in her diet & if you are not using a UVB light then she is not able to absorb her calcium properly which will result in egg deformation & other problems with her health as well.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Tracie,
I'm using a UVB light, but I'm unaware of the brand. It's a flourescent tube bulb.
I purchased her from a pet store about two years ago. I am not sure how old she is but she has not grown much since I got her(maybe shed 5 times?) - so maybe she is in adult-hood?
I provide her with the Repti Calcium from Zoomed with D3 every other feeding.
I haven't kept track of the heating in the cage - what should I use to measure it with?
I will buy some babyfood tomorrow, thanks!

*She is also with a bahaman anole - but I don'y know if this has been affecting anything, they get along fine and cause no trouble.

ANSWER: Hello Kennie,

Normally, the brown & green anoles do not breed well.  You might want to separate them if you feel it could be stressing them.  
Yes, she should be an adult by now so she probably wont shed nearly as much as when she did as she was younger.  
The temperatures need to be monitored with a digital probe or a temp gun because the stick on types of thermometers are not good at measuring anything other than the ambient temps or the humidity.  The basking ranges should be roughly 80-92 but should not exceed the low 90's or they will over heat.  
The brand of UVB should be stamped on the base somewhere, so if you can find that it would help.  However, if the UVB tube is older than 6 months it is time for a new one.  I would recommend getting either a Reptisun 5 or 10 tube bulb.  You can get either one of them here at this site:

http://www.petmountain.com/category/286/1/reptile-fluorescent-bulbs.html

Let me know how she is doing.
She needs calcium 3 times per week so just be careful with overdoing calcium with D3.  How many days per week do you feed her?  Right now though since she is losing weight, try the babyfood & see how she does on that.  Maybe think about getting a fecal done on her as well.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The bulb is older than 6 months - so I will be sure to get another one.
It was a Exo-Terra Repti Glo 5.0

I feed them both everyday, 2 crickets each - small. They were both eating mealworms every other feeding, about 2 each as well but my local petstore has run out. I don't know how soon they'll have them back. Is there anything else I should be feeding them?

I bought her some chicken and turkey babyfood and she seemed to enjoy it but didn't eat more than a few licks of each. How many times should I be trying her on this? Every 3 hours - if she's only eating a few licks?

Thank you for all this information!

Answer
Hello Kennie,

Yeah, the Reptiglo 5 is an ok bulb but doesn't emit a whole lot.  I would get either a Reptisun 5 or 10 for her & that should greatly help her out.  Make sure it is a flourescent tube bulb & NOT a compact or coil light.  
Well, you could feed a few waxworms too as well as the mealworms, & crickets.  There are also some phoenix worms that they might like.  You can get them from here:
www.phoenixworm.com

Well, if she seems to enjoy the babyfood, you can feed her a few times per day if you would like to so she can try to put on some weight.  let me know how she is doing.

Tracie