Feeding Schedule, Amount and Supplementation

ChamQuestions

ChamQuestions

Member
Hi everyone,
I'd like to know how to properly feed either a male veiled or male panther chameleon at each stage of their life, assuming I'm getting one at a responsibly young age. How often should I feed them, how many insects in one serving, what do I gutload and dust the bugs with, how often do I dust them with vitamins, et cetera... If it helps, I'm planning on using silkworms, good ol' crickets, hornworms, BSFL and waxworms as mainstays. I'm tempted to breed some insects as well, but only if their low-maintenance.
Oh, and I've also heard about phoenix worms and super worms, plus I that thought maybe some more vegetables in the cup would be nice. Are those worth incorporating into a diet?
Also, if someone could make some sort of rough schedule on how many of each type of the aforementioned insects I should include in each meal for each week, that'd be an A+.
Hope to hear from you all!
 
Phoenix worms are BSFL, they're also called calciworms.

Waxworms are pretty much a waste of time and money, small, not very nutritious, addictive... when my chams were smaller they enjoyed the moths though.

If they're Male chams, feed every day as much as they'll eat in the morning until around 9 months. Then switch to every other day. Panthers tend to slow down on their own and can get a bit picky as adults.
 
ChamQuestions said:
Would BSFL, crickets and superworms for staple feeders, and then hornworms and silkworms in addition, be enough variety for a cham? I can’t do roaches, though, because they are illegal in Canada.
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Hello @ChamQuestions super worms are very addictive to many chameleon’s . Often they will refuse all other feeders . Please use super worms as treats not staple . Crickets , roaches , silkies , BSF can all be staple . @jamest0o0 @Andee or @Matt Vanilla Gorilla can help you with other roaches if you have the interest .
 
Superworms should make up no more then 20% of the diet. So if you are feeding 10 feeders then 2 superworms. They are hard to gutload. The problem with your main question is that all these questions vary on age of the cham. How many and what type. These are going to be very different for a 3 month old vs a 9 month old. or even a 6 month old. Once you narrow down what you actually want to get then you will be able to have a detailed plan according to your cham. Diversity in feeders is very important along with gutloading. Once you come up with a feeding plan for what you will be getting then post it and we can give you detailed info.
 
Beman said:
Yeah my main staple are dubia's. Then he gets BSFL, BSF, Blue bottle flies, superworms, and hornworms.
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We do dubia’s , crickets and silks staple as you know the dubia’s are far superior to crickets . Then hornworms, supers , BSF , blue bottles and praying mantis . Here and there wax very here and there .
 
Kristen Wilkins said:
We do dubia’s , crickets and silks staple as you know the dubia’s are far superior to crickets . Then hornworms, supers , BSF , blue bottles and praying mantis . Here and there wax very here and there .
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Yeah I have silk eggs in the fridge right now. They grow so fast so I had a hard time just having 1 cham for them lol.
 
Beman said:
Yeah I have silk eggs in the fridge right now. They grow so fast so I had a hard time just having 1 cham for them lol.
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Oh yes that makes sense . We have 6 lol , 2 beardies , and a Leopard gecko :) . 3 of our Cham are female . We keep them pretty strict where we don’t plan to breed . Minimize Laying .
 
Kristen Wilkins said:
Hello @ChamQuestions super worms are very addictive to many chameleon’s . Often they will refuse all other feeders . Please use super worms as treats not staple . Crickets , roaches , silkies , BSF can all be staple . @jamest0o0 @Andee or @Matt Vanilla Gorilla can help you with other roaches if you have the interest .
Click to expand...
Roaches are illegal in Canada. I will probably use BSFL and crickets as staples. Then silkworms, superworms and hornworms in addition. Is that too few?
 
Beman said:
Superworms should make up no more then 20% of the diet. So if you are feeding 10 feeders then 2 superworms. They are hard to gutload. The problem with your main question is that all these questions vary on age of the cham. How many and what type. These are going to be very different for a 3 month old vs a 9 month old. or even a 6 month old. Once you narrow down what you actually want to get then you will be able to have a detailed plan according to your cham. Diversity in feeders is very important along with gutloading. Once you come up with a feeding plan for what you will be getting then post it and we can give you detailed info.
Click to expand...
I am aiming for a panther or a veiled male, four months old or so when I get them. Maybe a Jackson’s, also male, but that’s not very likely, so I wouldn’t factor it in. I’m going to figure it out more when I have my enclosure set up and then make any necessary changes. This is because I don’t know what will be available, at what temperament, at what age, at what health and for what price by the time that I am ready.
 
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As for a feeding plan, I don’t have a ton to go off of, but I guess something like this for an adult male
Every second day, two-to-three crickets, two-to-three BSFL, one superworm and one silkworm or hornworm. Then waxworks or butter worms maybe as an occasional treat? Usual dusting and multivitamin schedule found on the caresheet and usual safe gutloads would be used. Might breed some of the more expensive bugs if it is doable.
 
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