Is my veiled chameleon eating enough?

[Benclark]

So I have had this veiled chameleon for a week now, and I have concerns that he isn't eating enough. I have seen him eat one or two crickets, some lettuce occasionally, and even drink water droplet, but he as far as insects go, he only eats two to four crickets a day. I dust them with calcium and multi-vitamins, but I still worry that he isn't eating enough. Is this normal eating habits?View attachment 255805

 

[Thehippie]

they need a little time to acclimate to their surroundings so after 2 weeks have passed he should start eating around 6-8 crickets a day, when he becomes an adult he'll eat a little less than that at a few crickets every other day.

edit: i dont recommend handling at this stage it can be very stressful.

 

[nickeeyy]

How old is he/ she ?? Cham's are funny some eat a lot of 1 thing & some need a varied diet ... do some searches on this site for feeders in particular roaches ...

 

[Benclark]

How old is he/ she ?? Cham's are funny some eat a lot of 1 thing & some need a varied diet ... do some searches on this site for feeders in particular roaches ...

He is still juvenal, not more than two months old. I attached a picture on my original post if that helps you get a better idea on age.

 

[Thehippie]

He is still juvenal, not more than two months old. I attached a picture on my original post if that helps you get a better idea on age.

we cannot see the picture, attach it by clicking the picture icon and clicking the box that pops up then select from your gallery and attach it

 

[Thehippie]

if he really is 2 months he should eat as much as possible til about 3 months then switch to 6-8 a day and after 9 months switch to a few every other day

 

[Benclark]

if he really is 2 months he should eat as much as possible til about 3 months then switch to 6-8 a day and after 9 months switch to a few every other day

 

[Thehippie]

oh he is nowhere near 2 months, he would be much smaller, where did you get him where they would tell you hes 2 months?!

 

[Benclark]

oh he is nowhere near 2 months, he would be much smaller, where did you get him where they would tell you hes 2 months?!

How old do you think he is? I got him at a pet-co, he either said they had him for two months or he was two months old. Now that I think about it, I can't remember which it was.

 

[Thehippie]

How old do you think he is? I got him at a pet-co, he either said they had him for two months or he was two months old. Now that I think about it, I can't remember which it was.

he looks to be around 4 months old, pretty big guy for 2 months, I would be careful with Petco chameleons though, they can often times come with sicknesses and bacteria

 

[Benclark]

he looks to be around 4 months old, pretty big guy for 2 months, I would be careful with Petco chameleons though, they can often times come with sicknesses and bacteria

Thanks so much! I actually just gave him some mealworms that he ate so I'm becoming less and less worried. I'll keep an eye on him just in case he picked something up at pet-co. He seems otherwise pretty healthy.

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks so much! I actually just gave him some mealworms that he ate so I'm becoming less and less worried. I'll keep an eye on him just in case he picked something up at pet-co. He seems otherwise pretty healthy.

Hi there! Meal worms aren’t really a very good feeder for chams. Attaching the feeder help sheet for you.

 

[Thehippie]

don't feed mealworms, they can cause impaction in chams, their shells are hard to digest creating an impacted gut.

 

[Beman]

I dust them with calcium and multi-vitamins

When you say this what do you mean? Everyday both supplements? What exactly are you using?

 

[Benclark]

When you say this what do you mean? Everyday both supplements? What exactly are you using?

I only dust crickets once a week, alternating between calcium and vitamins.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum!

I dust my insects at almost every feeding with a phos free calcium powder lightly to help make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phos found in most feeder insects. I dust twice a month with a phos free calcium/D3 powder to ensure it gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest of its D3 from its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues. UVB produced from exposure tomuvbto won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will. I dust twice a month with a vitamin powder lightly that contains a prOformed (beta carotene) source of vitamin A. PrEformed sources (palmitate, retinol, retinyl) can build up in the system and should be used with caution only when needed.

You can feed it as much as it will eat in a couple of minutes at each feeding until it's grown if it's a male. Don't let it get fat though. For a female you have to be more careful not to overfeed it because it will likely produce a huge clutch of eggs. Female veileds can lay several clutches a year even when they have not been with a male. Does it have tarsal Spurs?

The insects should be of an appropriate size.

Any more questions...just ask.

 

[Benclark]

Hi there! Meal worms aren’t really a very good feeder for chams. Attaching the feeder help sheet for you.
View attachment 255827

Thank you so much for this chart! I discovered that he really likes spotted roaches, which I am now breeding myself.