Bioactive feeding

[Stephenasaurus]

Hi!

I have literally just joined so apologies if this has been asked before, nothing specific in the searches.

I have recently concerted my two vivariums to bioactive, I was wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks with feeding?

I have a male and a female; both were fed via a feeding cup, and if the bugs ever got out so be it! That being said; the bottom of the tank was always empty so I could always find strays and put them back in the cup.

Now however there is a lot of foliage. My chams have never really hunted. The male has actually become quite lazy and barely even uses his tongue!

So yeah; shall I just leave them to it and if bugs fall to the bottom let the two learn to hunt them? Just a bit worried they're not the brightest and will go hungry!

Also a but off topic but I'm guessing laying bin is no longer needed for the female? The substrate is just as deep as the bin was previously (will the clean up crew help dispose of eggs?!)

Thanks!

 

[Fchamel]

Hello. Chameleons should not be kept together in one enclosure. Also, do not take away your females laying bin.

Or, does it have a divider? While that may be okay, they should not see each other.

 

[Stephenasaurus]

Hello. Chameleons should not be kept together in one enclosure. Also, do not take away your females laying bin.

Or, does it have a divider? While that may be okay, they should not see each other.

Appreciate you're trying to help but if you'd read my post I clearly stated its two vivariums already. I know how to look after them and their needs, just my initial questions I am unsure of.

 

[Fchamel]

Appreciate you're trying to help but if you'd read my post I clearly stated its two vivariums already. I know how to look after them and their needs, just my initial questions I am unsure of.

It's been a day I'm so sorry. I thought you said you combined the two.

 

[AnamCara]

Can you hand feed out of a cup? If so, that's probably a good option. I feel my girl out of a cup I hold. It's kind of a pain, but it works. I do suspect they won't starve if some escape -- they're instincts will have them looking for food.

I have heard of female laying in bioactive details and the clean up crew should take care of the rotting eggs, however it's good to know how many she lays so you can know it's she is laying a lot / too many and it's taxing on her body. Know the amount and shape/density of the eggs will let you know if you need to change her husbandry.

 

[Stephenasaurus]

Can you hand feed out of a cup? If so, that's probably a good option. I feel my girl out of a cup I hold. It's kind of a pain, but it works. I do suspect they won't starve if some escape -- they're instincts will have them looking for food.

I have heard of female laying in bioactive details and the clean up crew should take care of the rotting eggs, however it's good to know how many she lays so you can know it's she is laying a lot / too many and it's taxing on her body. Know the amount and shape/density of the eggs will let you know if you need to change her husbandry.

Thanks. Yeah they're not shy thankfully, and have already explored the entirety of their new set ups which I'm pretty happy with! I'm probably just over thinking it but just curious if anyone had any good solutions. Unfortunately the cup idea isn't really ideal for me. What they have (in the picture) is basically a hanging cup anyway!

 

[AnamCara]

Thanks. Yeah they're not shy thankfully, and have already explored the entirety of their new set ups which I'm pretty happy with! I'm probably just over thinking it but just curious if anyone had any good solutions. Unfortunately the cup idea isn't really ideal for me. What they have (in the picture) is basically a hanging cup anyway!

You'd be surprised at their hunting skills. Do they ever try to nab at a isopod or other clean up crew? If a bug gets loose it's not the end of the world as long as a cricket doesn't bite your cham in it's sleep. But if they've escaped the feeders before than that could have already been a possibility. IMHO I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Stephenasaurus]

You'd be surprised at their hunting skills. Do they ever try to nab at a isopod or other clean up crew? If a bug gets loose it's not the end of the world as long as a cricket doesn't bite your cham in it's sleep. But if they've escaped the feeders before than that could have already been a possibility. IMHO I wouldn't worth too much.

CuC have only been in since yesterday so I'll have to wait and see. But I've barely seen them since they've been in as there's a lot of leaf litter; dead wood and foliage down there so hoping they survive haha!

 

[Lindasjackson]

Welcome to the forum! We’re glad you’re here! I would just keep feeding them as you have been and watch and see if they go after escapees in the bottom of their cage. I’ve never done bioactive but I’ve heard great things about it.

 

[Lindasjackson]

There are some members here that are bioactive o I’ll see if I can tag some in.
@JacksJill @kinyonga @summerseeking

 

[kinyonga]

Sorry...I've never done bio active with chameleons.

 

[MissSkittles]

Hi and welcome. I keep all of my chams bioactive. My girls just have one supersized laying bin. Lol They are yet to lay in their bioactive enclosures, though I suspect both may be doing so in the next couple of months. The cuc will take care of any eggs, but I’ll still be digging them out to count them. I may just put them back for the cuc to enjoy though.
Cup feeding is one option. I use these https://tkchameleons.com/products/shooting-gallery?variant=30018608595032 It’s relatively escape proof and all of my chams know exactly where to find their food. If you’re crafty, you could even try making one from a plastic storage container.
Veileds are always hungry and even the laziest one will happily hunt down any morsels. My male has been having a great time getting fat on his isopods. I feed all of my chams 3-4 feeders, 3 days a week and he’s the only one getting fat and I often see him on a low branch staring at the area I have cork bark for the isos.

 

[summerseeking]

Hi!

I have literally just joined so apologies if this has been asked before, nothing specific in the searches.

I have recently concerted my two vivariums to bioactive, I was wondering if anyone had any tips or tricks with feeding?

I have a male and a female; both were fed via a feeding cup, and if the bugs ever got out so be it! That being said; the bottom of the tank was always empty so I could always find strays and put them back in the cup.

Now however there is a lot of foliage. My chams have never really hunted. The male has actually become quite lazy and barely even uses his tongue!

So yeah; shall I just leave them to it and if bugs fall to the bottom let the two learn to hunt them? Just a bit worried they're not the brightest and will go hungry!

Also a but off topic but I'm guessing laying bin is no longer needed for the female? The substrate is just as deep as the bin was previously (will the clean up crew help dispose of eggs?!)

Thanks!

Hi, so all of my enclosures are bioactive and run-away feeders are a real issue lol. For me, once they are free they are free. I hope for my chams to find them again before they get free into my house but I never get confirmation that they do. I definitely catch my chams hunting/eating my isopods lol. I designed a new type of feeder that should resolve the escaping feeder problem but it won't be available until the start of the year. So that could be an option for you .

What I've done in the past, I check the bottom of the enclosure about 30mins after feeding and again at an hour. I keep my leaf litter light, this helps with finding bugs, and once a month a do a deep check and catch and stragglers running around. Chams want to live, so even if they are lazy, they will find food if they are hungry and healthy. Most of the time the feeders look for a place to hide. 90% of the time I find mine under bark pieces.

In terms of the lay bin folks do both. In two of my girl enclosures, I have lay bins, I have a new girl coming next week and I designed her enclosure in a way where the substrate can double as her lay bin. I have never tried this before but I have read about it working well for folks. My new girl is a baby, 4 months, so it will be a while before she tests this theory out. If the substrate can hold a tunnel and there are areas she can dig and feel safe, it should be ok. Again, this is based on research, I have not seen this play out within my own experience. It will make it a little hard to find the eggs and you have to pay close attention to your girl to recognize when she may have laid.

 

[Sonny13]

I´m doing the same and works perfect. Also I dig up the eggs to count (I get her first out of her free range and don´t let her see me dig them up) and then put them back in for the CuC to do their work. Here´s my story https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/first-successful-free-range-bioactive-egg-laying.182715/

 

[Stephenasaurus]

I´m doing the same and works perfect. Also I dig up the eggs to count (I get her first out of her free range and don´t let her see me dig them up) and then put them back in for the CuC to do their work. Here´s my story https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/first-successful-free-range-bioactive-egg-laying.182715/

Ahh that's good to know. Sumo always used to dig right at the bottom of the viv before discovering the laying bin, then second time around she went straight to the bin. I'm hoping she'll explore again, so will keep an eye on her. It's easy enough to put the bin back if needed

 

[summerseeking]

I´m doing the same and works perfect. Also I dig up the eggs to count (I get her first out of her free range and don´t let her see me dig them up) and then put them back in for the CuC to do their work. Here´s my story https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/first-successful-free-range-bioactive-egg-laying.182715/

That makes a lot of sense...don't let her see you dig them out. Thanks for adding that information.

 

[Sonny13]

That makes a lot of sense...don't let her see you dig them out. Thanks for adding that information.

No props and it´s just a gut feeling, however in my perception it would make sense that she doesn´t see it.

 

[Sonny13]

Ahh that's good to know. Sumo always used to dig right at the bottom of the viv before discovering the laying bin, then second time around she went straight to the bin. I'm hoping she'll explore again, so will keep an eye on her. It's easy enough to put the bin back if needed

Both times she explored her options, the first a took way longer then the second time. But she love to dig in the planter and it was big hole, both times under / near roots, however a different spot. The planter is 24" in diameter, therefore room enough to dig, even at several locations.