How many crickets?

[saholliday]

We are new chameleon keepers, I have read some of the forum answers, but I'm still not sure how many to feed our veiled chameleon. I admit we bought her from the local big box pet store. I am assuming she is a she because there is no tarsal spur. We have had her about a month, but I have no idea how old she is.

 

[dasPantherchamaeleon]

it would be much easier to give you an right answer if i would know the age of the cham..

do you have a picture?

 

[saholliday]

Picture

I have just taken this picture, I hope it helps. She is just finishing molting. Thank you for answering.

 

[Psychobunny]

If your cham is cup feeding, that is the best way to find out how many
will fill them up.

Just but a few dozen 1/2'' cricks in a soft plastic deli container, like about
6 or 7'' tall, and about 3'' wide, hold it up to your cham, and let her/him eat
until he/she looses intrest. Then just count the number of cricks eaten

Do that a few times to get an average.

 

[nick barta]

Welcome to the Forums!

Your cham looks very healthy. If you don't use a feeding cup, you will tend to put more crickets in, as crickets hide everywhere. She looks much larger than a typical cham the box stores sell, have you had her for a while?

I would put 10 or so in, and see how many you can find after the day is ending. If none are found, up the amount. As she is growing fairly fast being young, more is better than not enough.

If South Hill is Puyallup, we are neighbors!

Nick

 

[saholliday]

Thank you Psychobunny and Nick Barta. I haven't been cup feeding, but free range. I usually put about 6 or 7 medium/large crickets in a day, plus every couple of days a few waxworms. Sometimes she eats a little mustard greens. I dust the crickets with calcium supplement a couple of times a week.

Nick, yes South Hill is Puyallup, just felt like using South Hill for a change. Oh and we've only had her for about 3 weeks. Rough estimate, she's about 7 inches long tail tip to snout.

 

[CarlC]

Keep up what ever you are currently doing she looks great! You could always give her a few extra crickets by hand feeding her.

Carl

 

[Andee]

Crickets need to be dusted with calcium supplements more than a couple times a week. What kind of calcium are you using?

 

[saholliday]

Thank you CarlC. Andee, what I have is called ReptiCal. How often should I dust the crickets? She doesn't seem to recognize them as food when they're dusted, the crickets will crawl right over the top of her and she doesn't try to eat them until most of the calcium powder has rubbed off.

 

[Psychobunny]

Sounds like u r using too much calcium dust and turning them into little ghosts

You can use a salt shaker and fill it with the dust and just tap a little on the cricks and shake them around so they all get coated.

 

[saholliday]

Thanks Psychobunny, that sounds much easier than shaking them in a sandwich bag. Although the last time I only had a little of the powder in the bag so they didn't turn into ghosts and Lizzie ate them better.

 

[Andee]

Reptical has two different kinds of calcium, Calcium w/no D3 which should be used every feeding, and Calcium w/D3 which should be used twice a month. You also need to use a vitamin supplement like Herptivite twice a month too.

 

[saholliday]

Andee, thanks for the information. I will get the right stuff. Lizzie is a cutie and I want her to stay that way.