General eating question.

[Jono]

George has been eating a lot less of late, no other change in behavior, he is well hydrated and as active as ever (well maybe basking more than he used to, lazy bugger). He has always eaten as much as I gave him but hes been leaving crickets in his tub, sometimes for days.

I'm guessing he is bored of crickets so I've started to mix it up a bit more with roaches (shiver!) and different cricket gutload but he doesn't seem to have the hunger like he used to. Do veileds start to eat less after they reach maturity? Or is he just tired of the same old food?

Hes about 1 year 2months now.

 

[jannb]

How often do you feed him? As adults I only feed mine 3 days a week.

 

[hallenhe]

Thaxter (panther, not veiled) slowed down considerably after he reached more or less his adult size (both in eating and in activity levels).

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Males especially will eat less, since they don't require all that extra nutrition for eggs, and have stopped growing.

Now's the time you can just feed him what he likes. Growing up, chams need a lot of food and nutrition, but adult males can afford to be picky eaters. As long as his tail looks nice and oval and his hip bones aren't protruding, and his ribs aren't OBVIOUSLY protruding, and he is well hydrated, he will be fine.

When I had veileds, my adult male would eat once every 3 days, sometimes go on hunger strikes for 10-15 days at a time, despite there being a variety of food available at all times.

 

[Jono]

I'm feeding him every 2nd day: 4 or 5 adult crix or 1 big roach but since hes stopped eating as much there is food in his tub most of the time.

I think hes getting a bit fat to be honest. I'll start reducing amounts and replan his feeding schedule.

Thanx for the input!

 

[Murrdox]

Yeah they definitely slow down as they get older, and it still throws me off wondering if he's healthy or not.

My Panther is totally off crickets and I've almost given up on trying to get him on them again. He likes superworms and waxworms and that's about it.

So much different than when he was 6 months old and eating 8-12 crickets almost everyday!