feeding quantities ?? please help !!

[darren]

hi guys, i have had my new cham for 3 days now and he always seems to be quite hungry ?? he is being fed 10-15 crickets daily, this is split into 2 feeds approx 7 at a time . the crickets are gutloaded with vitamins,calcium,and are hydrated with gel . thing is once he has eaten all of these he tends to scavenge around the bottom for more ?? he is 4 months old and he looks a good size and weight . thing is i dont want to under feed but at the same time i dont want to over feed . what are your thoughts on this guys..any feedback will be greatly appreciated..many thanks !!!!!

 

[voxxom]

hmm, well i usually feed mine each about 10 large crickets for their breakfast before i go to school, and another 10 around right now (4pm pacific time)

what size crickets are you feeding him?

and if hes scavenging around the ground (as do mine) id feed him more until hes satisfied.

just start cutting back slowly so hes on a more scheduled meal course.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

He's still growing...and some will eat as many as 20 a day during growth spurts.

 

[Frank Castle]

This is just a little advice, take what you will from it. Personally I only feed my cham once a day. He is 6 months old (Veiled). Crickets should only be in length, the distance of his head between his eyes. 1/2" is what I am feeding. Hunger is a normal thing. I think 10-15 (lets say 1/2") Crickets is enough per day. You should also be feeding him other feeders, like: Silk worms, Horn worms, meal worms, etc. With proper suplimentation this is enough for growth but not growing him to fast. Generally Veileds will eat anything you put in front of them. It is a natural habit. They eat what they can when they can because in the wild they dont know when their next meal is going to be. I would recomend looking over you feeding habits again. You may (maybe not) be growing him a little to fast? Good Luck

Frank

 

[Jordan]

Over time in veiled you will be able to signs of obesity. In a growing one it is harder to tell but you can still see it. The casque is triangular. The skin between each one of these points should start evenly at the bases, then slope nicely in, and the return level when it reaches the top. This is where they store some fat. An obese one while show eveness the whole way up or bulge above this imaginary line. This shows way better after the casque gets some heighth.

When ever I use other feeders I kind of do a side beside comparison to see how many crickets long they are and then leave that many out (if they are realitivity the same roundness). Like if I feed mine a superworm. Say the superworm is 2 1/4 long but they are usually way fatter so I leave off three crickets when I feed him that superworm.

 

[387]

is there a ratio of worms to crickets a cham should be fed (1 to 5?)

 

[Jordan]

I guess there is kind of a ratio that I use. I try never to let them consume more then 70% crickets in a week. I have veileds which in the wild would consume alot of crickets, grasshoppers, and locust. I guess in other species you might want to make it less. For the rest of their food I use superworms, wax worms, beetles, moths, grasshoppers, praying mantis and now silk worms (for adults). I do not actually count the moths. I just think it is funny to watch them eat them. They have almost no nutritional value.

Note: When I feed grasshoppers and praying mantis I remove the limbs that posses the jagged spikes. I do not think this would hurt them in the wild to get a little cut in their mouth but in closed quarters it can.