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 #1844785


Atrax27407
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 Unusual behavior

Feeding waxworms to Anoles is usually a straightforward task. Usually, I put one (or more) of them in a small transparent container (to confine them) and the Anoles will eat them at their leisure. However, from time to time, when the Anoles are already in a feeding mode, I’ll simply drop one into the enclosure. Usually, no problem. The Anoles will almost immediately eat them. However, every so often the waxworm will elude being part of dinner by burrowing into the top layer of the substrate.
In one of my 40-gallon enclosures, I have my yellow morph, Goldeneye, and his mate, Hera. She absolutely loves waxworms!
I have seen a lot of non-instinctual behavior over the many years that I have been keeping Anoles but this is a new wrinkle. Today, I dropped a waxworm into the enclosure and, as luck would have it, the waxworm burrowed into the substrate and disappeared before either of them could eat it. You could see faint undulations in the surface of the substrate from time to time as the waxworm crawled around just under the surface and comfortably out of sight.
After about an hour, Hera dropped to the substrate and began to pay an inordinate interest to it. She is gravid and I thought that she was scouting out yet another location to lay and bury an egg (she has already produced two this month). Anyway, as I watched her, I saw that she wasn’t in an egg-laying but a hunting mode. All of a sudden, she began digging in the substrate and when she finished she had the errant waxworm in her jaws. I knew that Anoles exhibited non-instinctual behavior from time to time but this was a purposeful hunt and involved some degree of problem solving. I have never seen an Anole hunt unseen prey and dig it out of the substrate. An interesting turn of events! I’ll have to see if she does it again.
08/28/08  12:42am

 #1845111


Coolguy132435
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   Message To: Atrax27407   In reference to Message Id: 1844785


 Unusual behavior

very interesting....cant say i have ever seen anything like that
08/28/08  02:29pm

 #1845122


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Coolguy132435   In reference to Message Id: 1845111


 Unusual behavior

First time I’ve seen it in 45+ years.
08/28/08  02:44pm

 #1845185


Peas_on_earth
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   Message To: Atrax27407   In reference to Message Id: 1845122


 Unusual behavior

Wow, that’s amazing...it reminds me of how octopus can learn to open a jar if there’s food inside. Guess she really loves waxworms.



08/28/08  04:02pm

 #1845263


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Peas_on_earth   In reference to Message Id: 1845185


 Unusual behavior

You have no idea!
08/28/08  05:10pm

 #1845292


Peas_on_earth
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   Message To: Atrax27407   In reference to Message Id: 1845263


 Unusual behavior

You have some smart anoles, my friend! the two I’ve had for the longest, my big male max and his girlfriend, have learned to drink out of a water bowl...other than that, no digging for food.
08/28/08  05:29pm

 #1845357


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Peas_on_earth   In reference to Message Id: 1845292


 Unusual behavior

I think the only reason she did it is because she saw the substrate moving. It is still elementart problem solving.
08/28/08  06:27pm

 #1845358


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Peas_on_earth   In reference to Message Id: 1845292


 Unusual behavior

I think the only reason she did it is because she saw the substrate moving. It is still elementary problem solving.
08/28/08  06:27pm

 #1845416


Peas_on_earth
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   Message To: Atrax27407   In reference to Message Id: 1845358


 Unusual behavior

True, they’re definitely keen on movement. I love how every time I go near their cage, they look me right in the eye. So cool.

That’s definitely problem solving though...babies probably couldn’t figure that out.
08/28/08  07:09pm

 #1845806


Mydaddysgirl70
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   Message To: Peas_on_earth   In reference to Message Id: 1845416


 Unusual behavior

do you think that there might have been a scent there or something alos Atrax?
08/29/08  12:19am

 #1845889


Atrax27407
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   Message To: Mydaddysgirl70   In reference to Message Id: 1845806


 Unusual behavior

No. I’m sure she saw the substrate moving.
08/29/08  07:12am


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