few general questions

[ir0k]

so, I have a few questions that have just been on my mind.

first. whats the best way to introduce new foods to your cham? im sure the answer will be just place them in the enclosure and she will try and eat it eventually but I bought a container of silk worms and she avoids them at all costs. is there a better method that I don't know about?

second. D3. I was told once that if your cham gets a lot of outdoor sun that there isn't a huge need for a D3 dusting. I have heard to dust with D3 about twice a month. but if my cham gets plenty of so cal sunshine, would giving her D3 dustings be bad in some way? can you over-do a D3 dusting when accompanied with a lot of sunshine? Also, what does D3 exactly do in reguards to chameleon health?

Thridly.
how often should free range be allowed? I have a 2 foot umbrella plant I took outside yesterday to get some sunshine. She loved it! when I put her back into her inclosure she was climbing all over the roof of the enclosure im sure wanting to get out back onto her little tree. She really seems to like being out of the cage as her colors show a lot of peach and light tan.

Thanks again for the advice and responses.

 

[Chiichan]

Here's my shot at answering your questions. (Senior members forgive me if i'm wrong and correct me as well please and TY! )

New Foods: If she is not taking an interest in the worms, I would suggest trying other feeders. (crix, dubias, supers, etc.) Every chameleon is different and not all will like to eat what others do, of course. I've read on several posts that their chams will turn their nose up on silkworms. Just a personal preference of their cham I'm sure. So you're not alone.

D3: I found this on a past thread that Olympia posted in response to the thread-
"Taken from here: http://muchadoaboutchameleons.blogsp...pplements.html

VITAMIN D3: Cholecalciferol, also nicknamed the “sunshine vitamin” is one that the body can synthesize in the skin when exposed to sunlight. It can also be consumed through diet, but in the case of reptiles, they count on basking to produce a significant amount of it. The purpose of vitamin D is to maintain normal, balanced blood levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body, and plays an important role in the absorption of calcium into the bones, helping them become stronger. It also plays an important part in maintaining immune system health.


There are risks associated with too much of this vitamin, which is why it is not recommended to supplement too heavily with this vitamin via diet. Too much of it will start affecting the nerves and muscles, and more severe toxicity will start to affect calcium levels; calcium will be highly elevated in soft tissues, such as muscles and kidneys, and begin to actually calcify these tissues, while debilitating the bones."

I'm sure there is an option to dust less on the D3, but depending on how much natural sunlight she is given I cannot say how much you really can decrease supplementing the D3 by as I do not know the "right" answer.

Free Ranging: I don't see why there would be any limitation to free ranging. We've free ranged our female since she was about 8-10 months old. We keep her in half of our double closet. It's also convenient because we can close the doors at night when she sleeps! Everyone has their opinion on free ranging though.
If you mean taking her outside to enjoy the weather and sun, I see nothing wrong with her enjoying her outside time for lengthy times as long as she has a place or places to go to for cover/shade when she needs.

Hope my info isn't too off or incorrect. All I can do is give you answers based on personal experience and experiences I've read about.

 

[ir0k]

thank you for your thorough response. much appreciated