I'm new to this :I

[vamperus]

My veiled Chameleon is 3 or 4 months old I'm guessing, I'm not sure because I got her from a pet store, and they didn't know much about where she came from sadly. I'm more of a Bearded Dragon person, but I fell in love with this Chameleon. She's very anti social, but I think it's just her personality. I've gotten her to the point where I can hand feed her, but she refuses to eat anything other than Crickets, I got her to eat a little bit of banana by putting it under a cricket, but she refuses to eat squash, and carrots, or any greens. I give her vitamins, but I don't think it's normal for her to only eat live things, shouldn't she be eating some veggies too? I'm thinking it's because the pet store only fed her crickets. Can anyone give me some suggestions to get her to eat more veggies? I also would like to know how many she should be eating at her age, I just sort of feed her until she stops eating, like 12-18 crickets, sometimes more sometimes less, she has shed once so far. Thanks in advance.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Hello, welcome to the forum Most won't eat veggies when they are youngsters anyway, and it's not very important really (as long as the feeder insects are well gutloaded). If you really want to persuade her then you'll just have to try wiggling leaves in front of her enticingly or slip a tiny bit in when she's chewing a cricket. At that age it's fine to let her eat as much as she wants.
There are loads of other food to try her on, silkworms are rarely refused, but flying things like moths and flies are often their favourites. Here is a great all-round caresheet for Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
good feeders to try - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
Some more gutloading info - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html

 

[nightanole]

Put baby meal worms in veggie mush. It will get some "contact" veggie when it goes for the worm, and they are problem aimers at that age so it might even get a tongue of food

 

[Trillian]

They don't tend to eat as much veggie stuff as beardies, which is why it's important to get veggies into them via the crickets and other feeder insects! Like hiding veggies in a child's pasta sauce! Long as you have cham-safe live plants in her enclosure and feed your feeders a healthy diet, she'll balance it herself.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

They don't really need the veggies, they are primarily insectivores. I sometimes, occasionally get Isabella(my Female Veiled) to eat it just for some extra nutrients but that is probably once every two weeks. She just eats the tip of oranges, very small piece. Then I will sometimes give her Kale when we feed our beardies. Not to often though with kale because I believe it has oxates in it which will get rid of most of the calcium you give her.

 

[vamperus]

Put baby meal worms in veggie mush. It will get some "contact" veggie when it goes for the worm, and they are problem aimers at that age so it might even get a tongue of food

That's a great idea, thanks I'll try that

 

[vamperus]

Hello, welcome to the forum Most won't eat veggies when they are youngsters anyway, and it's not very important really (as long as the feeder insects are well gutloaded). If you really want to persuade her then you'll just have to try wiggling leaves in front of her enticingly or slip a tiny bit in when she's chewing a cricket. At that age it's fine to let her eat as much as she wants.
There are loads of other food to try her on, silkworms are rarely refused, but flying things like moths and flies are often their favourites. Here is a great all-round caresheet for Veileds - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/chameleonsinmyhouse/395-veiled-chameleon-care-sheet.html
good feeders to try - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/74-feeders.html
Some more gutloading info - https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/75-feeder-nutrition-gutloading.html

Thanks for the info, I'll look into getting some silk worms, I tried waving a piece of banana but she just looked at me like I was insane lol. I'll start feeding the crickets different foods, so far I've just been feeding them chunks of oranges and the gel water. I just want her to be healthy.

 

[DavidBuchan]

Thanks for the info, I'll look into getting some silk worms, I tried waving a piece of banana but she just looked at me like I was insane lol. I'll start feeding the crickets different foods, so far I've just been feeding them chunks of oranges and the gel water. I just want her to be healthy.

Lol, chams will do that Some really good commercially available gutload is called 'bug burger' by Repashy. Also one called 'cricket crack' is highly recommended on the forum. You should be able to find those online quite easily if you can't get them locally.

 

[vamperus]

Lol, chams will do that Some really good commercially available gutload is called 'bug burger' by Repashy. Also one called 'cricket crack' is highly recommended on the forum. You should be able to find those online quite easily if you can't get them locally.

Awesome I found it, I'll be getting some cricket crack when I get paid, thank you so much. The only pet store around here is pet smart, and they don't have anything except the orange cubes, but at least I can get different bugs.