baby cham won't eat crickets

[prettykttkat]

I have a Veiled cham I hatched out a few months ago. All siblings are sold but I decided to keep this one because she is just too cute I have fed her fruit flies since she hatched. Every time I offer crickets she will not touch them. I offer them every week and nothing. I've tried removing the fruit flies in hopes she would get hungry enough to eat the crickets but she just wouldn't eat then. I've tried pin head crickets to small crickets and still nothing. I can't dust the fruit flies with calcium so instead I give her liquid calcium with a syringe. This is a big pain in the butt. She is too little to eat any worms so crickets are the only things I can dust with calcium and vitamins. Anyone ever have this problem? How do I switch her over to crickets? BTW she has a great appitite and is a piglet when eating the fruit flies. She also acts normal and has no other issues.

 

[pssh]

How long do you starve her for? And how old is she? Are you trying to cup feed or free range?

Try small silk worms?

 

[prettykttkat]

I take out the fruit flies for a week at a time and put in crickets instead. I can't bear to do it any longer than that. She is only a few months so she is still very small. She does look like she could eat a small cricket if she wanted. I put feeders in a bowl.

 

[pssh]

My friend had a small chameleon that wouldn't eat if there was only one bowl, he had to have like 3-5 with a few food items in each one. His enclosure was a little large, but it was odd. Could that be her problem? I think it was maily that he liked only a feeder or two in each cup/bowl. Perhaps she is overwhelmed?

Maybe if you can get her to try the crickets by placing one in her mouth while she hisses she'll develope a taste for them? Or you can try other small feeders like normal flies, small soft worms, roach nymphs, and sow bugs.

 

[ponders]

This won't help with not eating crickets, but in the mean time, you CAN dust the fruit flies with calcium. I put the calcium powder in a small cup with a lid, then tap down all the fruit flies in their cup. Gently shake some into the small cup, quickly close both lids and then I just shake the ff and calcium and they get coated just like crickets do. At least she'll get some calcium until the crickets stop intimidating her.

 

[prettykttkat]

Hmm I don't think the bowl is the issue because she eats the fruit flies from one. I have a stick that she can climb down into it and come out when she is done. She practically runs down the stick to get the fruit flies, lol!

She is unusual, which is why I kept her, she is not afraid of me even though I barely ever hold her. She never opens her mouth to hiss at me. I could try force feeding but I really don't want to do that. I have roach nymphs but I'm too scared to put them in the cage for fear they will escape. I only feed roaches with tongs so I know they are eaten, lol! Not sure where to get sow bugs and worms small enough. You think silkies get small enough? Maybe they would be. I try getting some and see. Thanks

 

[prettykttkat]

Very cool ponders I'll try that, I didn't think you could dust fruit flies. They are sooo tiny, I thought they would die from calcium being stuck to them.

 

[ponders]

They seem to wander around fine all dusted in white. I've never seen them die from the calcium, but maybe try small amounts several times a day. Plus it slows them down a bit too!

 

[pssh]

New silk worms are pretty small, they can be less than a quater inch long and a mm or two wide.

 

[Julirs]

I would think this is one of those things that will work itself out. Eventually FF's are not going to fill her up and she should think crickets look pretty tasty!

 

[prettykttkat]

I sure hope so Julirs! I wonder if next time I hatch out babies I should just go straight to pin head crickets instead of fruit flies. Avoid this all together!

 

[jojackson]

maybe try houseflys.