Is My Cham A Fatty?

[yokazooma]

i was feeding my chameleon small crickets but i recently decided to bump him up to mediums which are about 3/4 of an inch and [what seems to be] a little over twice as big as the smalls i was feeding him before.

before the switch he ate maybe 7 smalls but as soon as i switched it he's been eating about fifteen mediums a day (equals out to over 30 smalls maybe).

i noticed that the mediums are quick to climb to the top of the cage where my cham usually is. i dunno if he's eating so many because he's actually that hungry or if it's because once he sees them he can't help hunting them down. (the smalls typically stayed at the bottom of the cage).

OH my cham is a veiled about 5 inches without the tail. should i ration out his food supply so he doesnt over-do it or continue to let him "eat like a champ"? lol any experiences you guys wanna share could be helpful too

 

[eisentrauti]

The number of feeders you feed per day is enough for a hole week !

 

[yokazooma]

The number of feeders you feed per day is enough for a hole week !

but he just keeps eating and doesnt slow down til about 6 or 7 o clock lol so i should ration?

 

[Syn]

Chameleons, especially if female, will eat and eat and eat. They won't stop. It's instinct to eat whatever you can just in case you don't eat tomorrow.

 

[eisentrauti]

but he just keeps eating and doesnt slow down til about 6 or 7 o clock lol so i should ration?

Yes, rationate it ! Your cham won't live long, it will die because of adiposias. In the nature the chameleons eat everything they can get because they never know when they got their next meal. But in captivity they will always get something. So please stop feeding so much. Maybe 2-4 crickets 2-3 times per week. That's perfect

 

[pr3mo15]

How old is he/she?

 

[yokazooma]

eek, i had no idea. it's a guy though btw. i'll cut it down then. he's about 6 months

 

[eisentrauti]

Please do it when you'll have some happy years with him

 

[jannb]

At 6 months old I think 6 to 8 feeders a day would be ok for now. Then in another month or 2 go to everyother day.

 

[yokazooma]

alright, well i usually put in ten and then see how he does with them. i restock later if it's like 2 o clock and they're already gone but now i know i don't have to. i remember reading a few times on here about people who's chams would eat like 20 smalls a day (they were younger and i assumed they were eating so much cuz they were growing and that it was alright cuz nobody was yelling at them ) i think i'll bring him down to 7 a day for another month like you said

 

[eisentrauti]

But he isn't really sure how old he is and nearly no chameleon in captivity dies because of starvation. This number is a joke in comparison to the animals which die because of adiposias

 

[yokazooma]

But he isn't really sure how old he is and nearly no chameleon in captivity dies because of starvation. This number is a joke in comparison to the animals which die because of adiposias

the one who said 6-8 crix mentioned the age of my cham in the response :-\
i've gotten good advice from jann in the past so thanks and i'll cut it down but i think it's a bad idea to drop it down so low that quickly

 

[eisentrauti]

Yes, you are right, make it slow