Baby Chameleon Eating too much?

[Scoobysnak]

I have a baby male veiled, Scooby, who’s about 3mo old. I got him at around 2mo old. He has a crazy appetite and loves food. I started him on 10-20 small (1/4 in) crickets and now he easily eats 20-30 1/2 inch crickets plus a few 1/4 in dubias every day. I’ve given him more (40 or 50) only a few times before and his little belly just gets really plump but he still wants to keep eating. Then he has really big poos the next day. I know everyone around here says to let them eat as much as they want at this age but I honestly feel like he could eat himself to death.
I also weighed him a few days ago and he’s only 32 grams. Is that a good weight?

Also, I gutload all the bugs with organic carrots and dust them with calcium every day plus multivitamin every 2 weeks.

Thank you in advance.

Edit: He also eats the golden pothos leaves in his cage, like several leaves are demolished every week. I also saw him try to eat the moss on the bromeliad plant so I immediately covered it with a mesh/net.

 

[Troodlesn]

Can I see a picture of him? and here is a video!!


I hope this will help.

 

[Pluto_the_Panther]

I wish I had the same problem. My cham is so picky.

 

[Scoobysnak]

Can I see a picture of him? and here is a video!!


I hope this will help.

I don’t have the best phone so this was the most recent/best one I could find. He was shedding last week. I’ll take a better one with him in his cage when I get home today.

 

[Beman]

I have a baby male veiled, Scooby, who’s about 3mo old. I got him at around 2mo old. He has a crazy appetite and loves food. I started him on 10-20 small (1/4 in) crickets and now he easily eats 20-30 1/2 inch crickets plus a few 1/4 in dubias every day. I’ve given him more (40 or 50) only a few times before and his little belly just gets really plump but he still wants to keep eating. Then he has really big poos the next day. I know everyone around here says to let them eat as much as they want at this age but I honestly feel like he could eat himself to death.
I also weighed him a few days ago and he’s only 32 grams. Is that a good weight?

Also, I gutload all the bugs with organic carrots and dust them with calcium every day plus multivitamin every 2 weeks.

Thank you in advance.

Edit: He also eats the golden pothos leaves in his cage, like several leaves are demolished every week. I also saw him try to eat the moss on the bromeliad plant so I immediately covered it with a mesh/net.

32 grams is a normal weight for that age.
Now that he is 3 months you want to curb back. 10 each day. by 6 months you want him on 5 every other day. Then at 10-12 months you want to drop back to 2-3 feeders every other day. Monitor weight through this process. Make sure feeder size is appropriate. Larger feeders mean you feed less of them.

 

[Troodlesn]

He looks great!!!

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi. He’s a handsome little guy. You’ll want to remove the moss and anything else that you wouldn’t want him to eat. Veileds do like to eat their plants, so you need to make sure all are safe for him. Attaching a safe plant list. Do you think you could post a pic of your entire enclosure, including lights and floor?

 

[jamest0o0]

32 grams is a normal weight for that age.
Now that he is 3 months you want to curb back. 10 each day. by 6 months you want him on 5 every other day. Then at 10-12 months you want to drop back to 2-3 feeders every other day. Monitor weight through this process. Make sure feeder size is appropriate. Larger feeders mean you feed less of them.

Curb back food at 3 months? I always fed them as much as they wanted until around 9-10 months and then switched to every other day, eventually feeding once or twice a week for full grown adults.

I also agree with offering larger feeders.

 

[Beman]

Curb back food at 3 months? I always fed them as much as they wanted until around 9-10 months and then switched to every other day, eventually feeding once or twice a week for full grown adults.

I also agree with offering larger feeders.

With a veiled you do... Or you get a fatty mc faterson.

 

[PoseidonTheChameleon]

Curb back food at 3 months? I always fed them as much as they wanted until around 9-10 months and then switched to every other day, eventually feeding once or twice a week for full grown adults.

I also agree with offering larger feeders.

They get over weight doing that

 

[jamest0o0]

With a veiled you do... Or you get a fatty mc faterson.

Eh idk, a rapidly growing baby won't get overweight IMO as long as you stop it once their growth slows. Why would a veiled be any different than a panther or any other species while growing?

I'll add, idt you'd hurt the cham by cutting back a little, I just don't believe it to be necessary. Who has had a juevenile in prime growing age get obese? Maybe I'm wrong though!

Not trying to be rude either, just friendly debate

 

[Beman]

Eh idk, a rapidly growing baby won't get overweight IMO as long as you stop it once their growth slows. Why would a veiled be any different than a panther or any other species while growing?

I'll add, idt you'd hurt the cham by cutting back a little, I just don't believe it to be necessary. Who has had a juevenile in prime growing age get obese? Maybe I'm wrong though!

Not trying to be rude either, just friendly debate

This is just another thing in the hobby that varies keeper to keeper. But IME none of my boys would cut back lol they would all eat as much as they could get their little tongues on

And I weigh mine to make sure they are making gradual weight gains and not dropping grams with the reduction in feeders.

 

[MissSkittles]

While not terribly experienced with panthers, I do see that my guy takes his sweet time eating and sometimes leaves a feeder uneaten. All of my veileds on the other hand immediately scarf down their meals and are constantly looking for more. It’s becoming a regular thing now with Hammlet sleeping in his feeder and the girls usually sleep right in front of or very close to theirs.

 

[Scoobysnak]

Hi. He’s a handsome little guy. You’ll want to remove the moss and anything else that you wouldn’t want him to eat. Veileds do like to eat their plants, so you need to make sure all are safe for him. Attaching a safe plant list. Do you think you could post a pic of your entire enclosure, including lights and floor?
View attachment 287190

Thanks for that list. Here are some pics and a super close up of him. The plants are: pothos, mini dracaena tree, bromeliad.
And I just got a mistking delivered last week but haven't had time to set it up hopefully this weekend. The blue carton on top is a makeshift dripper and I handspray him.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks for that list. Here are some pics and a super close up of him. The plants are: pothos, mini dracaena tree, bromeliad.
And I just got a mistking delivered last week but haven't had time to set it up hopefully this weekend. The blue carton on top is a makeshift dripper and I handspray him.

Aww....he’s such a little cutie!
I would suggest moving your uvb towards the middle of the enclosure. Your plants are fine, but you need more...maybe another pothos on the other side of the enclosure. While the rope is a creative solution, I’d be concerned about him getting his nails stuck in the fibers. I use branches I’ve gathered from outside...just avoid pine and other sappy trees. Wash with dish soap, rinse well and dry and they’re good to go. For hanging branches, plants and vines, I love Dragon Ledges. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ Some have used garden trellis or created a scaffold type support structure attached to the enclosure frame.

 

[jamest0o0]

This is just another thing in the hobby that varies keeper to keeper. But IME none of my boys would cut back lol they would all eat as much as they could get their little tongues on

And I weigh mine to make sure they are making gradual weight gains and not dropping grams with the reduction in feeders.

While not terribly experienced with panthers, I do see that my guy takes his sweet time eating and sometimes leaves a feeder uneaten. All of my veileds on the other hand immediately scarf down their meals and are constantly looking for more. It’s becoming a regular thing now with Hammlet sleeping in his feeder and the girls usually sleep right in front of or very close to theirs.
View attachment 287261

Yeah I was messaging becca and actually changed my stance a little. Personally, I'd feel comfortable knowing when to cut off my cham, but I also don't think it would hurt any and may be beneficial to go every other day. So it's probably good advice for a new person to get in the habit of feeding a little less rather than a little more(for veileds which don't seem to regulate their food like some other species).

 

[Scoobysnak]

Aww....he’s such a little cutie!
I would suggest moving your uvb towards the middle of the enclosure. Your plants are fine, but you need more...maybe another pothos on the other side of the enclosure. While the rope is a creative solution, I’d be concerned about him getting his nails stuck in the fibers. I use branches I’ve gathered from outside...just avoid pine and other sappy trees. Wash with dish soap, rinse well and dry and they’re good to go. For hanging branches, plants and vines, I love Dragon Ledges. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ Some have used garden trellis or created a scaffold type support structure attached to the enclosure frame.

Thank you for the suggestions! Very helpful.

 

[Troodlesn]

I love the place so much!!
Put a plant in there as Misskittles said.
I love the plants so far! Here is a good video about plants !!!

 

[QuinnieLeeBlu]

haha it’s good that your chams getting food and getting strong!!!

 

[Scoobysnak]

Thank you for all the replies. For now I'll continue to feed him 20-30 small bugs a day (maybe closer to 20) and then start rationing it as he gets older. I just feel bad because he always looks like he is still so hungry. He even stuck his tongue on my hand thinking there was food but there was nothing.