Is my chameleon hungry!?!

[lottie]

Our 7 month old chameleon is always hungry! We feed him around 7-8 medium crickets/locusts a day. Occasionally a wax worm or wax worm moth as a treat.

He will literally eat anything that flies by him when he's out or that moves in his cage. Should i feed him more? I've noticed that we feed him what's recommended on here and perhaps we should feed him every other day.

He sometimes has a little belly (usually when he's asleep across 2 branches or puffs up) but i also think he has learnt to breathe in when we come home from work so he looks very skinny (you can see his ribs) and we feel guilty and give him an extra locust!!!

Any help? Will he eat until he's full or will he stuff himself silly! Has he learnt he will get more food if he looks pathetic!!

Thanks
Lottie

 

[lysinlight87]

Our 7 month old chameleon is always hungry! We feed him around 7-8 medium crickets/locusts a day. Occasionally a wax worm or wax worm moth as a treat.

He will literally eat anything that flies by him when he's out or that moves in his cage. Should i feed him more? I've noticed that we feed him what's recommended on here and perhaps we should feed him every other day.

He sometimes has a little belly (usually when he's asleep across 2 branches or puffs up) but i also think he has learnt to breathe in when we come home from work so he looks very skinny (you can see his ribs) and we feel guilty and give him an extra locust!!!

Any help? Will he eat until he's full or will he stuff himself silly! Has he learnt he will get more food if he looks pathetic!!

Thanks
Lottie

awww, mine's especially good at the pathetic look, "I'm just a poor old chameleon, sitting here looking sad...you know what would cheer me up? a wax worm!"
I worry about feeding him too much or too little as well. Is yours a veiled? cos I've seen on here that you should cut the food back to every other day at 7 months. Mine's still a baby so he gets as much as he wants, but I've learnt that some weeks he'll eat everything in sight and some weeks he'll barely touch a thing. The appetite seems to fluctuate & I'm trying not to worry anymore if he eats 10 locusts 1 day & only 3 the next (easier said than done, I know.)
Also, I don't think they get fat on their bellys? They don't gather fat under the skin, so you'll always be able to see his ribs. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong (I'm only a newbie ) but I think they get puffy around the face and neck if they're over weight

 

[AngieL]

You should see mine stare at the empty bowl when the treats are finished! I gave her a mealworm once and when it was eaten she just say and stared at the bowl longingly and kept going back to check if any more had appeared! I felt bad but you should really only feed the amount that is good for them. They can become overweight so you need to control the food intake at that age.

 

[lysinlight87]

They know how to pull our heart strings, that's for sure! It's like having a toddler & saying no to the sweeties, hold on for the tantrum lol

 

[AngieL]

They know how to pull our heart strings, that's for sure! It's like having a toddler & saying no to the sweeties, hold on for the tantrum lol

Hahaha that's so true!

 

[lottie]

He is a veiled chameleon. And he is so good at the guilt trip!

I'm starting to worry about what i gave him when he was a baby. What we read on forums and advice from the pet shop was 4-5 small locusts a day. So perhaps we underfed him and he's always been starving

He seems healthy and is quite active.

Another question. When he climbs up my arm his claws pierce my skin and leave little red marks. I don't mind this but is there anything i could catch from his claws?

 

[justjumpit621]

He is a veiled chameleon. And he is so good at the guilt trip!

I'm starting to worry about what i gave him when he was a baby. What we read on forums and advice from the pet shop was 4-5 small locusts a day. So perhaps we underfed him and he's always been starving

He seems healthy and is quite active.

Another question. When he climbs up my arm his claws pierce my skin and leave little red marks. I don't mind this but is there anything i could catch from his claws?

nah, they aren't dirty animals.

 

[AngieL]

If it's a veiled you could offer him fruit and veg (be sure to check if it's safe fruit and veg) and see if he's chomping on that regularly. My veiled loves kale, strawberry, steamed yam. He won't go hungry.

As for the claws i'm not sure. I have heard of salmonella maybe? But I think thats more of a feces thing.

 

[kokom05lb]

This last Sunday I was putting plants back into my girl Angels cage and she watched my hands like crazy. Been handing feeding her now and thats all she thinks my hands are good for... food! I was readjusting a branch and you could see her eyeing my hands and she even had her tongue locked and loaded.

 

[Krovah]

He is a veiled chameleon. And he is so good at the guilt trip!

I'm starting to worry about what i gave him when he was a baby. What we read on forums and advice from the pet shop was 4-5 small locusts a day. So perhaps we underfed him and he's always been starving

He seems healthy and is quite active.

Another question. When he climbs up my arm his claws pierce my skin and leave little red marks. I don't mind this but is there anything i could catch from his claws?

The first time I EVER held a Chameleon I saw that right afterwards. I thought maybe I was having a reaction to it or something