How long can you leave a Chameleon without feeding it?

[bugman]

If the water and heat/lighting are automated can a Chameleon go two days without food?

We have automated the lighting and heat with a timed power supply and also have automated the misting through misting systems on a timer so I was wondering....

Are there any automated feeders on the market that can store up to several days of food and rotate or release it into the cage? and if not what would be the level of interest if there was such a thing on the market?

 

[jdog1027]

I've entertained the idea of an automated feeder, as long as the feeders themselves are fed and watered as well. That aspect of it led me to think it was impractical.

 

[bugman]

Possible solutions?

http://www.dinodirect.com/automatic-pet-feeder-timing/AFFID-11.html?DinoDirect

http://www.dinodirect.com/pet-auto-feeder-lcd-clock-pf-08a.html

http://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Day-Aut...ner=neQRQBqOKtQ&sourceid=12963465793617696925

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000N33LLY...e=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B000N33LLY

 

[bugman]

I've entertained the idea of an automated feeder, as long as the feeders themselves are fed and watered as well. That aspect of it led me to think it was impractical.

Crickets? can't they go for at least two days with a little food and gel in the feeder?

 

[sandrachameleon]

A healthy adult chameleon can easily go a week, even two, without food. Provided there is water.

Which is not to say I recommend leaving your chameleon without food that long. If you're going to be away for more than a couple days, have a friend pop by every few days to ensure the lights are working, the water is working, the chameleon is okay, and to drop a few butterworms or whatever into the cage?

 

[Syn]

Crickets? can't they go for at least two days with a little food and gel in the feeder?

Are you suggesting the chameleon would eat the gel?

 

[hun73r]

I have thought about using the dog/cat feeders but when I went on vacation this summer I just ended up putting extra cups in the enclosure with food for the insects. I was gone for 5 days and he did just great and ate almost all the bugs.

Just to clarify, the cups were feeding cups with food in them for the bugs and the bugs themselves. I did not free-roam insects for 5 days.

 

[jdog1027]

Crickets? can't they go for at least two days with a little food and gel in the feeder?

Yeah, crickets can, but the chameleon can easily go more than 2 days, so that kinda defeats the purpose. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good idea and I've definitely pondered the idea myself. It's just keeping the crickets fed, watered and gut-loaded made it seem like it would be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[bugman]

Thanks!

Thanks all

 

[chams1]

Jerry:

It's not the feeding so much that I would worry about (because yes they can go a couple of days without food and at his age, I had recently started cutting back on his food anyway), it's more the checking up/in on that I would worry about. Things can happen with chameleons at the drop of a hat and I would be concerned that if you didn't check in on him in all that time, that something could be wrong and you might not be around to be able to help him. Whether it being suddenly ill or a drastic freak accident (such as the recent tongue loss as described by KShook), there may be something that requires your immediate attention that cannot wait a couple of days. I would also be concerned about any power problems in your office building over the weekend (but if you checked in on him, this would alleviate this issue as well).

 

[bugman]

Checking in....

The long holiday weekend went well. I checked in on him Saturday and Sunday and left him alone on Monday. All days were uneventful I think he liked his time alone. He is starting to adapt to his cage I keep adding new things like a Magnatural Mushroom shelf with two feeding trays and a bunch more sticks and vines. His Misting system has shipped so I should see that in several day (can't wait to have it hooked up! think I will run the lines today).

Good Point Julie, I will try to make it down at least one of the two days to check in on him prob. Sunday's. He is in the city - West Loop and on the cities power grid so outages rarely happen and when they do they are generally up within an hour it just would be to costly for the city to be down without power businesses would flee a big difference from the suburbs where we can be out for several days

 

[Clifford]

My guy chose to not eat for nearly two week once. I was breaking him of his superworm addiction, and he didnt want crickets.