franticurchin
New Member
i tried to feed my new male cham he is only 3.5 months so the crickets he didn't are small and hard to find but i dont want him to get hurt from the crickets feeding on him
how do i catch the crickets
- Thread starter franticurchin
- Start date
melvbrooke
New Member
If you put like a carrot or a small pile of cricket food in the cage they shouldn't hurt your chameleon.
franticurchin
New Member
so if i put some cricket food in there they can just stay in there.... thats a great idea. thanks im gonna do that right now
franticurchin
New Member
if this is true why would you cup feed cause the crickets would be drawn to the veggie and the cham could just pick them off of it and at night they would be drawn to it so they could be counted that way also
ProjectChaos
New Member
Be 100%
Luring crickets away with food could be a solid idea, and COULD work. But a responsible keeper would go the extra mile. Bowl feeding crickets to anything is a terrible idea, these guys don't hesitate to jump if they feel they need to flee from a predator, thus, your crickets are no longer in a bowl... The only time I use crickets, period, is when I have to feed babies that can't take mealworms for several reasons. Mealworms provide more protein, easier to dust, they don't jump, they don't chirp, and they can be cheaper. be careful though, small mealworms fed to babies CAN chew through the lining of their stomachs. As I said, stick with the small crickets if you must, but upgrade to mealworms when they're big enough to chew their food completely.
When dealing with crickets, invest in 10inch stainless steel feeding tongs (http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Stainless-Feeding-10-Inch/dp/B0006L2Y7A) it is one of the best investments I have ever made for my Chams. I can completely monitor how much they are fed, when they are fed, and rest assure knowing there aren't any left in the enclosure to hurt my babies. use the food dish as a "Dipping bowl", reach into your cricket holder and gently snag a cricket with your tongs (Patients...), dip the cricket in your "Dipping bowl" that is lightly powdered with calcium supplement to coat the cricket, then introduce it to your cham holding it within tounge's reach, hold your hand as steady as you can and let your cricket do the rest. If you succeed in NOT squeezing your cricket to a pulp, it will kick and scream enough to catch the little guy's attention. pay attention though, try your best to time the Cham's strike so that you can release the cricket from the tongs simultaneously, and repeat. it's fun for you and your peers to watch, it's healthy, it's safe, it's the best in my personal opinion and experience.
Luring crickets away with food could be a solid idea, and COULD work. But a responsible keeper would go the extra mile. Bowl feeding crickets to anything is a terrible idea, these guys don't hesitate to jump if they feel they need to flee from a predator, thus, your crickets are no longer in a bowl... The only time I use crickets, period, is when I have to feed babies that can't take mealworms for several reasons. Mealworms provide more protein, easier to dust, they don't jump, they don't chirp, and they can be cheaper. be careful though, small mealworms fed to babies CAN chew through the lining of their stomachs. As I said, stick with the small crickets if you must, but upgrade to mealworms when they're big enough to chew their food completely.
When dealing with crickets, invest in 10inch stainless steel feeding tongs (http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Stainless-Feeding-10-Inch/dp/B0006L2Y7A) it is one of the best investments I have ever made for my Chams. I can completely monitor how much they are fed, when they are fed, and rest assure knowing there aren't any left in the enclosure to hurt my babies. use the food dish as a "Dipping bowl", reach into your cricket holder and gently snag a cricket with your tongs (Patients...), dip the cricket in your "Dipping bowl" that is lightly powdered with calcium supplement to coat the cricket, then introduce it to your cham holding it within tounge's reach, hold your hand as steady as you can and let your cricket do the rest. If you succeed in NOT squeezing your cricket to a pulp, it will kick and scream enough to catch the little guy's attention. pay attention though, try your best to time the Cham's strike so that you can release the cricket from the tongs simultaneously, and repeat. it's fun for you and your peers to watch, it's healthy, it's safe, it's the best in my personal opinion and experience.
Hoj
Friendly Grasshopper
sorry i have to disagree. first i say this person seems responsible as they took the time to ask. second in my opinion crickets are a better choice of feeder than meal worms ( for various reasons ) bowl feeding is not a terrible idea and if you bother to try i think you will find the crickets are not so smart as to jump out. they are acctually quite dumb and will just sit there and die if not eaten. hand feeding ( or tongs if you need ) can be a fun way to interact and feed your cham but not very practical and some chams just wont do it.
this is JMO and you as well as everyone else are entiteled to their own
hoj
this is JMO and you as well as everyone else are entiteled to their own
hoj
ProjectChaos
New Member
I know that you acknowledge my opinion but I would just like to add that that was my personal experience with feeding my chams, I was simply making a suggestion on feeding techniques. I don't mean to offend anyone by trying to make suggestions. To each his own, I suppose. I wish only the best for you and your Chams. 
