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Captive anoles will breed, or attempt to, readily if conditions are right. Breeding occurs most often in the spring and summer months after a period of brumation. For several weeks, they must be kept at lower temperatures (65-70 F during day; down to 60 F at night) and with a shorter photoperiod (8 hours instead of the usual 14). During this time they may be fed only if they take food - they should not be force fed, and weak or thin anoles should not be brumated. The anoles must be healthy and be receiving the necessary UVB and vitamins, especially calcium, accomplished by gut-loading their prey.
Signs of breeding include males displaying their dewlaps and posturing to females. Males may start bobbing their heads rapidly while turning toward female. If female runs away she's not ready; if she stays or, while running, allows herself to be caught, and bows her head, the male will grab her neck with his mouth and they will mate. Actually mating generally occurs in afternoon or evening hours. Breeding season lasts 4-5 months.
Within two weeks of a successful mating, the female will begin to show a swollen abdomen. She will search out a warm moist place in the substrate, push it aside with her head, and deposit an egg (rarely, two may be laid), covering the egg with the substrate. This will be repeated every two weeks, for a total of about 10 eggs per breeding season. Eggs can be removed from the vivarium but many successful hatchings have been achieved leaving by the eggs in the vivarium.
To prevent injury to the egg, either by the female digging to bury another one or by you as you service the terrarium, the eggs should be removed and set carefully in a mixture of damp sterile vermiculite (1:1 mix, or one part water to 12-14 parts vermiculite) or sand, in a covered container, and incubated at 82-85 F, checked weekly to assure the substrate remains damp and that none of the eggs has molded. Provide gentle, not direct heat, to keep the container at 84-86 F (29-30 C); eggs should hatch in 35-40 days.
Hatchlings are 1.25" svl, about 2-2.5" stl, and are considered mature at 4-5" stl. They eat voraciously, and must be supplied with lots of pinheads that have been properly gut-loaded and shaken in a calcium and multivitamin supplement before being fed out. Fruit fly larva and wingless fruit flies are also good foods for hatchlings.
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CHRIS
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Anoles
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