Did I stress him out???

[ToxiccKiwii]

So, this morning I opened up a can o' silkworms, decided to cut one in half because they all looked a little too big, and I didn't want to overdo it but he did NOT like the silkworm, not sure if he didn't know it was food because it was dead/canned, but he went full puffer-fish mode when he saw it.

I took it out of the tank, and ended up giving it to one of my geckos, waste not want not, but when I came back I noticed he was, not laying down obviously but stretched out / leaning on the spot I had the silk worm...

It's right in the middle of his basking spot so I wondered if maybe the silky being in that area is why he puffed out? I've also never seen him lean like this, but this will also be week three that I've had him...

Any thoughts, comments?

thanks

 

[jamest0o0]

It was likely threatening to him since he didn't recognize it. He'll be fine though. I wouldn't ever feed my animals those cans of dead insects. Preservatives, too dry, etc... chameleons are supposed to eat live food.

 

[ToxiccKiwii]

It was likely threatening to him since he didn't recognize it. He'll be fine though. I wouldn't ever feed my animals those cans of dead insects. Preservatives, too dry, etc... chameleons are supposed to eat live food.

Yeah, I wasn’t too sure on how to feel about the canned stuff but they seemed okay, still squishy and stuff. I figured between Chicken and the geckos one can wouldn’t be a bad idea to try.

I had given him about 10-15 crickets before I tried the worm bits, figured I probably should’ve introduced it differently but he doesn’t really like to hand feed,

He’s about three and a half months at this point, so I wanted to try something a little bigger than the crickets since he goes through those in a second.

 

[jamest0o0]

Should try some hornworms, silkworms, black soldierfly larvae, bottles flies, a few superworms, etc

 

[JacksJill]

He may be leaning just to get better exposure at his basking spot.

 

[laurie]

Hello there, and welcome! How long have you had your chameleon? If you are new, we can offer pointers, but you may not need that. Just tell me about you and your chameleon!

 

[ToxiccKiwii]

Should try some hornworms, silkworms, black soldierfly larvae, bottles flies, a few superworms, etc

Yeah, I actually ordered in some butter worms which came in today, I guess we'll see what happens with those! I know they're more of a treat-worm but variety nonetheless.

Hello there, and welcome! How long have you had your chameleon? If you are new, we can offer pointers, but you may not need that. Just tell me about you and your chameleon!

His name is Chicken! I've had him for about two and a half weeks, he's three and a half months old. Still learning the ways of the Chameleon, and he's still learning the ways of the annoying lady who comes and bothers him with food and water (me lol) Pointers are always welcome since he's my first Cham, and some things he does may be completely normal, but they make me worry 'cause I have no clue yet! He definitely might be trying to broaden his light exposure, though, he's been basking leant over on his side a few times, I wonder if I just never noticed.

He's been on a basic diet of Crickets, and the small Dubia, so I've been trying to broaden his food horizons. He's still pretty small, so I know there's a few foods out of the question right now just due to his size.

I added in a couple pictures of his coop, the room he's in is usually around 80 degrees naturally, and his humidity stays around 50-60% at all times. No live plants yet, I figured when I upgrade to a bigger cage I'd try to incorporate one, and maybe get some of the extra bits I have kicking around in there, I just want him to have plenty of things to hang out on/under and to climb on.

 

[laurie]

You have a good start! Think about how small his little feet are, and you will see he would like some small branches to climb on. If you can get a close up of him I can see your sweet boy better!
Do you know about the different vitamins and minerals he needs? We have lots of care sheet to help you along, since I am not sure what you know, I will just say message me back with questions!

 

[ToxiccKiwii]

You have a good start! Think about how small his little feet are, and you will see he would like some small branches to climb on. If you can get a close up of him I can see your sweet boy better!
Do you know about the different vitamins and minerals he needs? We have lots of care sheet to help you along, since I am not sure what you know, I will just say message me back with questions!

I looked through some posts, As far as I’ve been I know he needs calcium without D3 every day, a multivitamin once a week, and then calcium with D3 once a month, I haven’t read anything else, minus some nicely gutloaded feeders.

I added a few good pictures of him! I did just recently add some small vines across and around his coop, but when he’s not basking on those he seems to prefer to chill out on this little ladder I snagged him from the bird isle, he’ll sit on it and either drink from his vines or cool down after basking <3 I love this little guy

 

[Goose502]

Butter worms are decent feeders. I try to offer a couple a few times a week. The feeders to avoid really are waxworms. They are very fatty. I really recommend you add more foliage, live plants are much better. Make it hard for you to find him, he’ll feel much more secure that way. Also, as you’ve learned, don’t waste your time trying to feed dead insects, they won’t eat them. They’re hard wired to look for movement when they eat.