I need a food plan

[Chameleon crazy]

For my three month old cham. I hear alot of different advice, so I'm looking for a tryed and true food plan, and also how much of the foods to give her.

Thank you!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I'm not sure you're going to get a satisfactory response to this question.
These animals are all different and go through stages at different times.
You can ask about supplementing schedules and feeder insects to see and review what others are doing there, but as far as a set amount of food per day or every other day....there are times when she will eat like crazy and other times she may not eat at all.
I do know at around 4 to 6 months controlling the females diet can help to discourage egg production but I have not kept a female and have no real experience with this.
Kinyonga seems to have the greatest success with this and it seems to be the
closest to what you are looking for. Still I would wager that even within that structure each animal is somewhat different.
It will be interesting to see what responses appear on this thread.

-Brad

 

[Maganda]

Hi, When I first got my cham (Cheech) at 3 months, I was feeding him 1/4 crickets (8 to 10 Monday... wednesday .. friday) dusted 3 times a week with calcium without D3 and calcium with D3 every other week (once). Then I would feed Silkies (5 on Tuesday ... Thrusday ... Saterday) on saterdays I would lightly dust silkies with herptivite until he was about 5 months. At that point I would offer everyday 6 crickets and 4 silkies and I still dust the same amount.

Hope this helps

 

[Vibrant Chameleons]

With my chameleons, I turn their lights on in the morning and in about 5 minutes time, they are ready to eat. I hand feed them until they won't take anymore. Sometimes they eat 1 superworm or 2 crickets, and sometimes they'll eat 5 crickets, 2 superworms and a bunch of mealworms. They'll eat if they are hungry, lol.

 

[Kam808]

My 10month jacksons is eating medium crickets. I feed 2 times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Usually between 7-8am and 4-6pm depending on when I get home. He usually eats 2-3 in each session depending on the size of the cricket. When he doesnt make a move to eat them, I stop and try to grab the loose cricket and put it back...if I cant catch it i let it run free and try later. All crix are gutloaded every day with various veggies and I always have a bit of cricket pellets in there.

I supplement with RepCal 3 times a week and supplement with HerpCal 2 times a month.

I try to provide silkies once in awhile..but my jacksons doesn't even go for them.

 

[rcagosto]

Well i have a 4 month old panther and i keep him indoors. I give him repcal with d3 3 times a week, repcal with out d3 3 times a week and once a week and mineral all o once every two weeks. I currently feed him crickets and one wax worm a day or every other day. He will eat about 5 to 6 1/2 to 3/4 in crickets now. When he is 5 months im planning on changing supplements up to depcal with d3 twice or once a week, then repcal without d3 4 times a week and herptivite once every other week and mineral all o everyother week and offer him silworms. I would give him sil worms now but they are currently too small. If this is wrong please help me make changes. Thanks.

 

[Cherron]

Well i have a 4 month old panther and i keep him indoors. I give him repcal with d3 3 times a week, repcal with out d3 3 times a week and once a week and mineral all o once every two weeks. I currently feed him crickets and one wax worm a day or every other day. He will eat about 5 to 6 1/2 to 3/4 in crickets now. When he is 5 months im planning on changing supplements up to depcal with d3 twice or once a week, then repcal without d3 4 times a week and herptivite once every other week and mineral all o everyother week and offer him silworms. I would give him sil worms now but they are currently too small. If this is wrong please help me make changes. Thanks.

That is an awful lot of D3 really. I would drop it down to at the most once a week. As long as you have a 5.0 UVB light (preferably repti-sun) that is not older than 6 months and that your chameleon can get within 6 inches of at any time, then that much is unnecessary. Remember.. D3 can build up in the system and actually inhibit calcium absorbtion... you CAN have too much of a good thing

 

[rcagosto]

Thanks cherron, i just changes my schedule to repcal w d3 once a week, herptivite once a week, repcal wo d3, the rest of the days, a mineral all o i still once every 2 weeks. Appreciate the advice.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

I use the Kammer's dusting shcedule. It consists of Multivitamin on mon/thurs, calcium with d3 teus/friday, and calcium w/o d3 wed/sat...I think that's it, i have it written on my door, so i never forget, LOL.

Jake

 

[rcagosto]

I need to try that lol put it on a big posterboard and hang it on my door. Lol.

 

[koabich]

Just as Westcoastchameleons suggested, I also use the Kammers schedule:
Monday/Thursday: Repcal Herptitive (sp?)
Tuesday/Friday: Repcal with D3
Wednesday/Saturday: Miner-All O
Sunday: Nothing

Some on the forums will say that is too much which is fine. But honestly, I do not think you will find as tried and true of a dusting scehdule as this. Are there people on here that have been keeping chams longer than the Kammers...I am sure there are(Testing, even if it's for 100 years, on a sample of 1, 2, or even 20 chams is not a large enough sample to come any real conclusion) . But there is no one that I know of that has kept and raised as many chameleons for as long of a time as the Kammers. If this works for them, then it's got to be pretty darn good.

Just keep in mind that dusting means dusting, don't overdue it. You do not want to coat the feeder with supplements. You don't want a brown cricket to appear white from the supplements.

 

[Ren]

As for remembering the schedule I wrote the days in which to give what supplement on the lid of the supplement, that way if I'm gone and the wife needs to dust it says right there and she knows what to give and what not to give...

 

[alchemy]

Just as Westcoastchameleons suggested, I also use the Kammers schedule:
Monday/Thursday: Repcal Herptitive (sp?)
Tuesday/Friday: Repcal with D3
Wednesday/Saturday: Miner-All O
Sunday: Nothing

This schedule is for small to subadult sized chams correct? What type of adjustments would one make for an adult that is fed every other day? Thanks.