Advantages / Disadvantages of having a feeder cup?

B

braboett

New Member
Are there any. Is it just an advantage for a lazy chameleon? Sometimes I think the crickets are good at hiding in the dark corners and my panther can't see them. But at the same time wouldn't it have to be a pretty deep bucket so the crickets would jump out? Or do you just put worms in the bucket.

Thanks!
 
There's an escape proof cup feeder somewhere around here, if I can find it I'll show you, it has a screen glued to the back so they climb up, since they don't jump backwards they don't escape but the cham can get them. If they can't escape they can't bite your cham at night, easier to find, especially if you have alot of plants, and easier cleanup instead of looking for carcasses.
 
IMHO, i think it all depends on the preference of you and your cham, as well as the fullness of cage (which is one of your concerns). Chams arent really hunters, so left over food could pose a threat to a sleeping chameleon.

though free ranging also have the benefit of extra and faster movement & exercises for the cham, as well as exercising the range and distance the cham shoots it's tongue. cup feeding all the time can cause the chameleon to become lazy with it's tongue, thus, weakening it as time goes by. (i do a bit of both)
free ranging also promotes longer feeding times, which IMO results in a healthier speed of eating.

i do not like free ranging worms though, unless i see the chameleon eat it in front of me. superworms will burrow in live plants, silk/hornworms will find those dark corners and make a VERY messy cocoon.

again, my preference is doing both, as both have pros and cons, and at times some quicker than others. it all depends.
 
ktravelet said:
Has anyone done this sucsessfully with roaches? I def don't want them getting loose
Click to expand...

A lot of people do it for roaches. If not cup feeding them, they handfeed them, to make sure they aren't roaming around.

I personally do both. I cup feed, depending on age of the cham, and the size of the cage they're in, and the size of the food items.

LPR08
 
I cup feed

I cup feed. I do this by using a glass mixing bowl. it is flat on the bottom with a wide rim and is about 5'' deep. The only crickets that have got out of it were the ones that i didnt drop into the bowl. Easy to clean just take out and wipe with water. The powders used for dusting builds up and the crickets can get closer to the rim usually after a week or 2. When they are able to get close to the top just wash it and start over. I wrapped my bowl with turquoise duck tape so that the inside is white and he can see the crickets better plus i only feed him out of turquoise so he gets the color association.
 
braboett said:
Are there any. Is it just an advantage for a lazy chameleon? Sometimes I think the crickets are good at hiding in the dark corners and my panther can't see them. But at the same time wouldn't it have to be a pretty deep bucket so the crickets would jump out? Or do you just put worms in the bucket.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I use a large bowl, and a coffee mug. Crickets dont jump out successfully.
Using these two containers allows me to keep bug food in the container keeping the bugs gutloaded at all times, to know exactly what the chameleon is eating, that no bug hides in the cage, that there are fewer to no escaped bugs in my house, ... and if I wanted to give my chameleons a new prey item, they'd be more inclined to eat it as they associate the feeder bowl with food already.
I also free-range some prey from time to time, when I'm around to watch the bugs get eaten.
 
I cup feed mostly, but have left crickets loose in there for far far longer than this forum would approve. That was before I heard that crickets are dangerous to leave in there. I put in a little feeding station with bug burger for them.

Somewhere online I saw a recommendation to not use glass, as it is hard on the cham's tongue. <shrug> easy enough to change to plastic.

A simple deli cup (small) seems to contain the crickets too, especially slippery with dust. My phoenix worms do a little congo line, the crickets don't get out.

Submitted for your approval,
Tyg
 
I have heard a regular red solo cup works well, I am thinking of switching from hand feeding and a little free range to cup feeding (his tongue is getting weak). Should I use a cup or a bowl? i feel like a cup would be easier for him to get to
 
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