3 month old Cham won't eat silkworms

[Ragerbro]

I've had my baby veiled cham for 1 month now. He eats like a champ. I probably give him 15 crickets a day and they're gone very quickly. He sees them running up the walls and instantly goes into hunt mode. The only problem is it's the only thing I've been able to get him to eat. I tried placing 6-7 silkworms on branches and each time when I came back home most of them were still there. I tried hand feeding them to him but it seems his interest is just low because they don't move as much.

How can I get him to become used to the silk worms? Should I go a couple days without feeding then try to hand feed them again? Appreciate any tips, I want to get his diet as diverse as possible.

 

[jpowell86]

Crickets can be slightly addicting. This is why it's important not to offer just one feeder and give as much variety as possible. Since he is so used to crickets he probably isn't even registering the silkworms as something he wants to try. He is waiting for the crickets to show back up, lol. Chameleons can get stubborn about their food and go on hunger strikes. Some keepers wait this out knowing if the cham is hungry enough they will eat what is offered. That being said, all chameleons have their own personalities and quirks. I have chameleons that will eat silkies but won't touch a hornworm and some that will eat crickets but not dubia and so on and so on. I wouldn't force the issue. Try small superworms or small dubia for variety. Being as young as he his, it is important for him to eat!

 

[MissLissa]

I would not try to force him to eat another food by with-holding food until he has reached his full size, or nearly: growing chams need a lot of energy!

My cham sounds very similar to your cham! He would eat crickets every day forever if I let him. My guy was absolutely not interested in slow-moving food until he was closer to 5-6 months of age. I would still offer a silkworm on occasion, and he'd eat one here or there but he never really took to them until he was older. When he was young, he only wanted crickets and that was it. However, through trial and error, I found that things that fluttered (waxworm moths and blue bottle flies) were his jam! Once he had expanded his horizons a bit, it was easier to convince him to try other things. Pinching an extra small superworm in a pair of forceps also made them squirm, which interested him more than them just crawling around.

You could also try the "sandwich" method: I work with a lot of WC imports (not chams, other species) who get really "stuck" on one food. This is how we get them to eat anything else! You offer a single item of the favourite food (cricket) from your fingers or a tong, and then he eats it. Then you offer another item (silkworms, whatever) from your fingers in the exact same way, same place, same hand position: in my experience, even my WC super-sensitive most-likely-to-starve-to-death skinks will probably try the second food, once their appetite is roused. Then- this is important- if he takes the second item, switch back to his favourite! It's like taste-bud training: pairing the yucky new food with the super tasty old food until they figure out that the new food isn't so bad. We have also done dual-feeding, where we pinch the favoured food and the disliked food together, so that if they take one they kind of have to take the other. You have to make sure that the mouthful isn't too much for them to swallow, though! Other than that, time, patience, and not giving up are key. If you never offer it, he will never learn to like it

 

[tim's owner]

You could also try the "sandwich" method: I work with a lot of WC imports (not chams, other species) who get really "stuck" on one food. This is how we get them to eat anything else! You offer a single item of the favourite food (cricket) from your fingers or a tong, and then he eats it. Then you offer another item (silkworms, whatever) from your fingers in the exact same way, same place, same hand position: in my experience, even my WC super-sensitive most-likely-to-starve-to-death skinks will probably try the second food, once their appetite is roused. Then- this is important- if he takes the second item, switch back to his favourite! It's like taste-bud training: pairing the yucky new food with the super tasty old food until they figure out that the new food isn't so bad. We have also done dual-feeding, where we pinch the favoured food and the disliked food together, so that if they take one they kind of have to take the other. You have to make sure that the mouthful isn't too much for them to swallow, though! Other than that, time, patience, and not giving up are key. If you never offer it, he will never learn to like it

 

[tim's owner]

oops

You could also try the "sandwich" method: I work with a lot of WC imports (not chams, other species) who get really "stuck" on one food. This is how we get them to eat anything else! You offer a single item of the favourite food (cricket) from your fingers or a tong, and then he eats it. Then you offer another item (silkworms, whatever) from your fingers in the exact same way, same place, same hand position: in my experience, even my WC super-sensitive most-likely-to-starve-to-death skinks will probably try the second food, once their appetite is roused. Then- this is important- if he takes the second item, switch back to his favourite! It's like taste-bud training: pairing the yucky new food with the super tasty old food until they figure out that the new food isn't so bad. We have also done dual-feeding, where we pinch the favoured food and the disliked food together, so that if they take one they kind of have to take the other. You have to make sure that the mouthful isn't too much for them to swallow, though! Other than that, time, patience, and not giving up are key. If you never offer it, he will never learn to like it

That's how I trained my bearded dragon onto pellets he ate superworms and meal worms (got him off those quick) I took a super and covered it half way with pellets and he ate them both.

 

[Ragerbro]

Thanks for the great reply MissLissa! Are wax worm moths and blue bottle flies small enough for a 3 month old chameleon?

 

[Ragerbro]

Honestly I think the main issue is the silkworms go unnoticed because they're small and don't move like crickets do. I'll have to give flies a shot. Here's a pic btw

 

[Ragerbro]

And his sire from FL Chams

 

[BayChams]

Nice chameleon!

 

[MissLissa]

I've had 3 month old veilds at work take blue bottles and waxmoths; your guy looks big enough. As long as the feeder is smaller than the width between their eyes, you're usually good to go! You could also try some phoenix worms (black soldier fly larvae); they are pretty active when you hold them in tweezers or your fingers which might interest him more, and them come in a few sizes. The adult black soldier fly is likely to big for right now, but boy, do the chams love them too.

You cham is lovely, by the way!

 

[Ragerbro]

Thanks guys!