Had no choice but to buy medium :/

[Kamillion]

Went to petco today for some small crickets but they were out until Tommorow. So I bought 5 medium just to get her through the day.I heard the rule of thumb is that if the crickets not bigger then the chameleons head then they should be fine.(thier not bigger). She first shot at one 3 times and just bounced off.. Too heavy?? Then she did get one and it was a mouthful. Is it possible to choke ?

 

[chameleoman]

YES!!!! She can go a day without food just make sure shes at least drinking water

 

[SpartyTessy]

The food should not be thicker than the distance between the eyes. Something as big as the head could be too big. Yes they can choke if the food is too large

 

[Kamillion]

I already left for work.. I hope those crickets are good at hiding!!!

 

[Ta2Smitty]

I've always heard no bigger then the width of their head as well. Although I don't think they carry measuring tapes in the wild.

 

[TreeTopChameleons]

I'm sure in the wild it is very common for a chameleon to attempt to catch a food item that is far too large for it, sometimes they manage to swallow, sometimes they choke to death. In captivity there is no reason to put a chameleon at risk when we can very easily provide the proper sized food items. As was already said, it is better to let your chameleon go without food for a day, rather than provide it with food that could potentially cause health problems or death.

 

[Kamillion]

Well she ate them all and didn't choke to death..

 

[ISA my Veiled]

Well she ate them all and didn't choke to death..

Good! lol I would have fed it to her anyway, they normally chew enough to where it isnt a problem for them. Mine certainly likes to chew

 

[sdheli420]

my huge male ate a locust once (i quit getting them afterwards) and he got it all down except for just a bit of the wings..i found in regurgitated on the floor 5 mins later..i wont risk too large of food items anymore other than hornworms (he loves them and chomps them down no prob since they are soft bodied)

 

[Zen Reptiles]

I have never followed that rule and I've never had an animal choke in 15 years. I've had them throw up from eating too much at once! but never choke.

When you watch lizards eat things in the wild, they go for things sometimes half the size of their own BODY.

Yes there is a choking hazard with anything, but it's comparable to kids no longer being allowed to go camping with school classes anymore because there is a risk someone might break a leg.

When they eat something bigger than usual, they just let it hang out in their mouth for a while and the digestive enzymes in their mouth soften the prey up and make it easier to chew/swallow.

 

[sdheli420]

I have never followed that rule and I've never had an animal choke in 15 years. I've had them throw up from eating too much at once! but never choke.

When you watch lizards eat things in the wild, they go for things sometimes half the size of their own BODY.

Yes there is a choking hazard with anything, but it's comparable to kids no longer being allowed to go camping with school classes anymore because there is a risk someone might break a leg.

When they eat something bigger than usual, they just let it hang out in their mouth for a while and the digestive enzymes in their mouth soften the prey up and make it easier to chew/swallow.

as much as i get afraid of the suffocation hazard, i agree.....im pretty sure its a rare thing for an animal to choke to death (same with humans) we just choke more often because we have too many of "us" in the "wild" so you have yearly statistics..personally ive never heard of a cham choking to death..they just spit it out..(they are actually quite good at rejecting food items if they dont want it, like it, or are beeing force fed (wc experience ...)...

but i still do also agree that "dont give them toooo large of food"

either way, mine are more interested in larger food items..even my pyg's love small crickets rather than fruit flies..