Chameleon Obesity and diets

Owlco

Owlco

Member
It was brought to my attention from a member in a chameleon facebook group that my chameleon looks a on the chunky side. Now I haven’t really put too much thought into my Veiled chameleon being over weight as he does not eat every day, but around 3-4 times a week. I will normally feed him between 4-6 large crickets one day. Skip, then 3 gut loaded super worms skip a day ect. I will sometimes feed him horn worms if I can find good ones but only as a snack.

The guy who made the comment also mentioned that super worms are bad and I shouldn’t feed my chameleon them. This is confusing for me as many people feed supers as a staple diet and I have heard many people saying that supers are good/ okay for a chameleon to have. I would like to know other peoples thoughts on super worms,
Now if my chameleon seems to be showing signs of getting fat, I want to make sure he’s put back on the right track.

Another question is how many times a week do you feed your full grown Male Chameleons ( Veiled if applicable ) and what do you feed them?

I am all for constructive criticism, and advice. So if anyone sees a health problem with my chameleon I would love solutions on how to fix it.


I have posted some pictures of my chameleon Carlo, I would like to know peoples thoughts on him.

Thanks,

Breanne
 

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No offense to others, but I'd wait for somebody with years of veiled experience to comment... superworms don't make a good staple for a couple reasons, but once a week is fine.
 
krikinit said:
Facebook is no good. He looks great! People get off acting like they know. We are all here for a reason...to be better keepers, not for kudos and up. Good channel too.
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Thanks so much! Yeah I am all for constructive criticism but I wish people would follow with advice and tell me how to fix things instead of stop replying after their initial comment, and come off as belittling me!

After the super worm comment I thought id reach out to chameleon forums, a community to which I know will provide answers ect. :)
 
I'm not belittling you, just telling you what I know. I keep Panthers and Parsons, not veiled. Your veiled looks great to me, don't get me wrong, but I also can't tell much obese vs healthy with veileds. And I've been keeping reptiles for about 20 years among other stuff. That's why I wanted someone else to comment. A lot of times here, people that have only had reptiles for a couple months give you the thumbs up when they really couldn't know the answer.
 
As for my superworm comment, they make poor staples because they are mainly fat versus crx/roaches being mostly protein. Think of it like a skinless chicken breast verse a very fatty piece of meat. Once and awhile it's okay, but probably not the best staple.

Superworms, and worms in general also hold very little in their gut in comparison to roach and crickets. So you get less gutload into the cham with them.
 
jamest0o0 said:
I'm not belittling you, just telling you what I know. I keep Panthers and Parsons, not veiled. Your veiled looks great to me, don't get me wrong, but I also can't tell much obese vs healthy with veileds. And I've been keeping reptiles for about 20 years among other stuff. That's why I wanted someone else to comment. A lot of times here, people that have only had reptiles for a couple months give you the thumbs up when they really couldn't know the answer.
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Oh no, I wasn't saying you were belittling me XD that was more for the people who say things and not try and give advice to fix ect. I had posted this post because I wanted to see what other chameleon owners had to say about the issue and for those chameleon keepers who have had chameleons longer than I have to share their information. Everything you've contributed so far i agree with. :)
 
jamest0o0 said:
As for my superworm comment, they make poor staples because they are mainly fat versus crx/roaches being mostly protein. Think of it like a skinless chicken breast verse a very fatty piece of meat. Once and awhile it's okay, but probably not the best staple.

Superworms, and worms in general also hold very little in their gut in comparison to roach and crickets. So you get less gutload into the cham with them.
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Okay gotcha! never knew that! I wish I could feed Carlo roaches, though I believe in Canada they are considered illegal. (not 100% sure but that's what i have heard)
 
I'm not a veiled owner but for chameleons in general the best way to judge their weight/fitness is by looking at the tail base and the casque. They inflate their lungs to puff their bodies up to look larger as necessary so the body is out for judging healthy weight. Regular weigh ins can also help spot health problems over the long term.
Your guy seems to have a bit of fat starting in his casque and his tail seems full but I can't judge normal for this species. @jannb @Brodybreaux25 what is your opinion?
 
JacksJill said:
I'm not a veiled owner but for chameleons in general the best way to judge their weight/fitness is by looking at the tail base and the casque. They inflate their lungs to puff their bodies up to look larger as necessary so the body is out for judging healthy weight. Regular weigh ins can also help spot health problems over the long term.
Your guy seems to have a bit of fat starting in his casque and his tail seems full but I can't judge normal for this species. @jannb @Brodybreaux25 what is your opinion?
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Thanks for your reply :) Would I cut down his food intake from skipping a day to skipping every two days? I just don't want to starve him. what do you normally do with your chameleons for feeding wise?
 
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