[mike mc]

hi my chameleons around 2 months old and dosent seen to eat a great deal of food,how many locusts etc should it be eating roughly a day

 

[martin day]

how do you feed him in a bowl or letting them free in the viv? when mine was two months he was eating about ten crix a day
you could be feeding locusts two big or he might not like them allso i found he didnt like insects that were to heavly dusted just a light coating

 

[mike mc]

how do you feed him in a bowl or letting them free in the viv?

i was told free roam by the pet shop,ive tried a few wax worms in a bowl on the floor but he dosent bother with them

 

[Blazey]

mine never seemed to eat in front of us and now he eats morio worms like there is no tomorrow.

try leaving him alone to eat rather than watching him, maybe he wants privacy

 

[martin day]

sorry about adding a bit more in my last post i forgot to ask a couple more qeustions i found alot easyier putting the insects in a bowl you can see how many hes eating and you can make sure hes eating those dusted crix and locasts
have tryed him on crickets yet?

 

[martin day]

sorry about adding a bit more in my last post i forgot to ask a couple more qeustions i found alot easyier putting the insects in a bowl you can see how many hes eating and you can make sure hes eating those dusted crix and locasts
have tryed him on crickets yet?

 

[mike mc]

ive tried him on small cricks but they just end up ont the bottom of the viv and as they are the same colour as the strate i dont think he notices them properly,if i put the crickets in a bowl wont they just climb out and run off

 

[BELIAL]

free roam is ok but much better to hand feed....takes more time but then you know exactly what they are getting..

at 2 months should be eating about 5/6 crickets every day. when they get bigger they slow down...and don't need to eat so much...females will always eat more though.

at that age they will not eat big locusts, some eat hoppers but locusts should not be a staple food anyway..(some don't like them at all!)

wax worms are no good on the floor..unless he is very comfortable with his environment he will not descend to eat them.

what temp is he at? as this may have some reflection on the amount of food he consumes.

 

[mike mc]

he does descend down to the floor to drink from the waterfall,his basking spot is at 90 like the pet shop advised me.its a male by the way.the hoppers are only small ones

 

[martin day]

can i just ask what reason the pet shop bloke said for letting the food free roam
have you ever seen the big dripper its a bottle that hangs from the top of the viv with a tube that comes out from it that drips on plants i think it would be better than him going to the bottom of the viv to drink its alot more natural

 

[mike mc]

he said its more natural for the food items to roam,ive got a dripper but he never bothered with it,just uses the waterfall,i will try again thou

 

[BELIAL]

if temps are correct and he is not dehydrated it could be stress that has put him off his food..look at where he is in relation to passers by and how he interacts with you (does he try and go thin and hide when you look at him?)

how much is he eating by the way?

 

[BELIAL]

free roam is more natural and they get more excercise...but hand feeding is much better as you know what he is eating how he is eating and get interaction with him making him less likely to stress out.

what i do is hand feed and then put in a few small crickets (and i mean small!) to get everyone running around trying to get them! keeps em from getting obese..(saying that have two on a diet!)

 

[mike mc]

he dosent shy away when we look at him,but if i put my hand in the viv he will hide in the plants

 

[mike mc]

probly 3-4 locusts a day

 

[mike mc]

ive tried hand feeding but he just shys away

 

[BELIAL]

patience is the key with hand feeding..start by putting waxworms in front of him on a branch..than progress to eating out of your fingers..takes a while (we're taking days/weeks) but really beneficial for both you and your cham.

3/4 locusts is ok..do you not feed crickets? they are much easier to gutload..a varied diet is the best diet!!

 

[mike mc]

ive tried him with crickets but the prob is they are the same colour as the substrate so i dont think he notices them as hes up his branches and they go on the floor

 

[BELIAL]

they will climb up...they may take a while to get up there but you NEED to switch to crickets...you cannot gutload locusts with the necessary nutrients. crickets need to be fed fishflakes and a bit of fruit..

think of it this way..could you survive on cabbage? no? well that is basically what your chams trying to live on...is a food chain and your cham is basically what it eats..locusts eat greenery then so does your cham...and if you can't survive on cabbage/lettuce how can you expect him to?

locusts are a 'treat' food and should not be offered all the time. same goes for waxwoms & giant mealworms...crickets are a staple food and are like that for a reason..they eat a lot and eat different things which in turn your cham 'eats'.

often chams get bored of on tpye of food which is why you have a staple food like crickets interspersed with locusts/waxworms/giant mealworms etc to keep interest in the prey food. this could explain his lack of interest.

ask anyone on here it's not just me going on...crickets are the thing to feed..your cham CANNOT live on just locusts...

seriously try crickets..they will climb up if there are branches touching the floor. he will then hunt for the in the branches...

also give handfeeding a go..patience patience patience is the key...it will reap rewards trust me...

 

[Blazey]

i agree with belial, i love it now champ hand feeds but i only have my mum to thank for that cuz he seems to prefer her