Getting him interested

[isamu]

Hi All,
My 1 yr old male veiled refuses to eat any plant matter what-so-ever. He also really hates silkworms.
My question here is -is this normal behavior and how do I go about getting him interested in veggies and silkies.
I cup feed and do add veggies to this, but he seems totally disgusted when he gets a bit in his mouth. (sometimes he will spit it out )

Thanks

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Simple:
Don't give him vegetables and silkworms.

Is he eating other insects that you offer?
Are you gut loading and dusting properly?
Don't worry .. he doesn't need plant matter and silkworms are only one of many feeders available.

-Brad

 

[PardalisGirl]

Not unusual.....

Yes, my male will not eat anything of a vegetable/fruit nature. Most of my chameleons like silkworms, but not all of them. Chameleons, like people, seem to have different food preferences. These preferences can change over time. You could try silkworms in a few months and he may decide to enjoy them. What is he eating on a regular basis?

 

[isamu]

Hi,
Thanks for the feedback.

I gutload properly (follow the recipe on adcham) and have a fixed supplementing regime.

He eats everything else offered. His staple are crix and roaches with the occasional wax worm, which he LOVES
He will on the odd occasion take a super worm, but not often. He originally did not like worms of any nature.
Every time I offered a worm, he would display a variety of - what seemed to me to be disgusted - colors. This is especially the case when introducing silkies into his enclosure

I just wanted to know if he had to eat vegetables as other veiled seem to enjoy it.
Other than the veg matter, he is a healthy strong boy He has a strong grip, strong bones and a nice straight casque.

Thanks again.

 

[dodolah]

Some chameleon just don't like silkies.
Mine abhors butter worms.

But, you can also make sure if your silkies are healthy.
Do some of them leave a trail of white or brown liquid on your feeder cage?

If they do, your silkies might be sick. (Grasserie make silkie taste bitter -not that i have try one myself-).

 

[isamu]

The silkies I have tried have all been very healthy. None of what you described.
He has reacted this way to silkies from the first time I tried to introduce them.

I try to introduce them every couple of months, but get the same reaction every single time. At least I also have a beardie, so I can feed off the silkies to her