Green anoles as wtf food

dawalk020 · #1 12-14-2009, 02:24 AM

back inthe day when i was jus chillen i had this terrarium with a wtf, green tree frog, and an anole. after a couple days my adult wtf ate the adult anole, i should have been upset but it was entertaing to see my beast ass wtf murk that anole. that incident was purely crucial. For the next week or so my wtf has anole head poking out the side of it. Should i continue to feed my wtf anole?I do not mean regurarly but maybe as often as one would feed it pinkies, cause pinkies are disgusting and i feel like my tree frog deserves some good eats sometime and plus its the most entertaing feeding time ever.
No tree frogs were harmed in the making of this true story.

DazzleDiscus · #2 12-14-2009, 11:57 AM

I think you've stumbled across a very touchy subject. I've come across many heated discussions with tempers flaring because some people choose to feed their bigger creatures anoles. Youtube posts show people laughing and having a great time at the expense of another creature's life. I personally wouldn't do this, as I don't enjoy watching another creature suffer (for some reason, insects don't apply here :P ). I just think that there are better food choices. Petstores probably wouldn't agree to sell you anoles if they learned of the reason for you buying them. I know the petstores around where I live make us sign papers declaring that we won't feed them to larger animals.

Would be interesting to hear others' thoughts on this.

Epiphile · #3 12-14-2009, 12:18 PM

I, too, would be interested in hearing people's opinions on this. Between the life of a cricket and that of a lizard, how much difference is there? I'm not taking sides, but that's really what the issue boils down to, isn't it?

This is all excepting the particulars about anoles possibly being too large of a prey item for White's tree frogs and the dangers therein, etcetera, etc. (You left your frog with a lizard stuck in it's face for how long? Don't be surprised if you catch a little flack about that, mate.)

HewesHort · #4 12-14-2009, 01:53 PM

well i can see both sides, but i think most people (around here, at least) would consider an anole more of a pet than a cricket, and we dont typically eat our pets, nor would we want to see them used as food. but in some countries they eat dog. some people are horrified that large constrictors eat rabbits or chickens, though both are common fare in gourmet restaurants.

as far as the wtf, it probably isnt good for it to eat something so large, try smaller house geckos, i know you can find them online for like $1 ea if you buy like 100. i think insects would be more nutritious and easier to digest in the long run.

froggsong · #5 12-14-2009, 03:35 PM

SMALL lizards are likely on the menu for a WTF in the wild, but NOT full grown anoles. If you feel that you MUST feed the frog anoles, at least buy baby ones. Now that said, I don't know if you are aware that almost all of the anoles in the pet trade are wild caught and most likely riddled with parasites... But they are, and as such you should consider carefully whether you want to house them long enough to get them clean before offering them as a snack.

I don't agree with feeding anoles to something that wouldn't be eating them all the time in the wild, but I did grow up loving them because they were everywhere and endlessly interesting. Personally, I feel that a feeder, whether it be insect or otherwise, should have a good life before it is eaten, and I take that into consideration with my breeding stock. My rats are pets and feeders, and all of my baby rats are pet quality animals. I even snuggle them before I put them to sleep. I certainly don't cuddle crickets, but I make sure they have what they seem to like best and that they are kept within their most comfortable parameters. Even my supers and mealies are kept in the mediums they seem to prefer over others and fed good food. I know this may seem like a real "tree hugger" attitude, but if they are going to give me their lives, I may as well make it a good one before it's their time. I feel the same way about livestock, if an animal is going to give up it's life to sustain another, they should at least be comfortable until the end. I hope that makes sense to everyone. I feel like I'm over explaining it, but it's hard to get the words right to convey what I mean.

Anyway, in the end it comes down to what you want to do. It's most likely safe to feed a full grown White's little lizards, as long as they aren't bigger than a pinkie (or at least no buy much, and not counting the tail), just make sure whatever lizard you are offering isn't spikey or toxic. Also, don't ever feed him other amphibians, especially newts or salamanders, there are too many potentially fatal considerations to take into account where that's concerned. But please, don't make the animal suffer, and be prepared to care for it if it is NOT eaten. Feel free to leave it in the tank with the frog until it is, but care for it as you would a pet until the day comes.

dawalk020 · #6 12-14-2009, 06:36 PM

I agree that it probalby isnt safe to feed them adult anoles maybe juveniles or house geckos like the one guy sed. jus to clarify the head of the anole was poking out the side after he was eaten meaning you could see the outline of his head streatching out the side of the wtf but it wasnt actually piercing his skin.

Emily · #7 12-14-2009, 08:04 PM

I would guess that if you could see the anole poking out of the belly of the WTF, that the anole was way too big of a prey item. A smaller lizard, or pinky mouse, would probably be a more appropriate treat. And by treat, maybe once every 2 months.

As far as the issue of live feeders vs. dead feeders, I really don't like feeding live. I've currently got a baby hognose snake that will only eat live, and that's tough on me. For whatever strange logic that works in my brain, insects are not applicable, though. Roaches, crickets, worms...doesn't bother me. Even when my tokay whacks the living heck out of a giant hornworm against the side of his cage. If it were a pinky, though, I would be horrified.

dawalk020 · #8 12-17-2009, 12:14 AM

I bought a couple small anoles for the whites. it turned out well, the anoles were eaten quickly. i fed them each one and they had no problem swollowing them, their were no lizard parts stretching out their stomachs. What was strange is that they did not eat their tail, because the lizards released them jus like they do if u grab their tails. Should i feed them to my adult grey tree frog he was really interested in them when i put them in the tank, if it was not for the whites immense appetite i think he would have eaten one too. The lizard were only a couple inches long and they had even smaller ones back at the petstore.

DazzleDiscus · #9 12-17-2009, 01:02 AM

an American grey tree frog? Those guys arn't big enough to safely eat an anole in my opinion- The adults around where I live are a little bigger than a half-dollar. I like to stick closer to the fish trade rule: if a fishes eye is the size of its stomach, don't feed more than the size of the fish's eye. Granted, herps are a little different, but they can over stuff themselves and perish. Better to stay on the safe side.

dawalk020 · #10 12-17-2009, 01:25 AM

thanks thats a handy trick with the fish. Hes a big gray tree frog wild caught about two inches long and two and a half inches wide, but i agree i think i might be compromising his health if i let him eat one although i would be feeding him anoles that are around an inch and half and the crickets i feed him are probably around the same size as anole without the tail.