Juvenile veiled chameleon loves dubia roaches!!

[Jhatch]

I've got a juvenile veiled Cham that loves dubia roaches. He would eat them all day if he could. I guess my question is how many medium size roaches should he eat a day? Also I wanted to start adding some fruits to his diet and was wondering which ones you guys had the best results with? The pet store I got him from didn't know how old he really is so all I can do is guess he's maybe about 2 months old give or take. He's about 8 inches long if that helps.

 

[Ineedtosell]

I've got a juvenile veiled Cham that loves dubia roaches. He would eat them all day if he could. I guess my question is how many medium size roaches should he eat a day? Also I wanted to start adding some fruits to his diet and was wondering which ones you guys had the best results with? The pet store I got him from didn't know how old he really is so all I can do is guess he's maybe about 2 months old give or take. He's about 8 inches long if that helps.

I've got a juvenile veiled Cham that loves dubia roaches. He would eat them all day if he could. I guess my question is how many medium size roaches should he eat a day? Also I wanted to start adding some fruits to his diet and was wondering which ones you guys had the best results with? The pet store I got him from didn't know how old he really is so all I can do is guess he's maybe about 2 months old give or take. He's about 8 inches long if that helps.

The Dubai riches should be the with of the top of his head and as many as he can eat.
Fruits is also a treat and really shouldn't be feed everyday

 

[Jhatch]

The roaches that he gets are the width of his head. So how many should he be eating the then?

 

[Decadancin]

Could you post a picture of him so I can see about how old he may be? (I know you said 2 months, but 8 inches seems older to me.) I can give a better answer about how much food. Also, I have always offered a variety of fruits and veggies to my veiled. I find what he likes and keep the variety as much as I can. Try not to offer lots of items that are high in oxalates and be sure to gutload your feeders well! As for types of fruits, strawberries are a good one to start with, but perhaps @jannb could share her ideas on this?

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums and please do post some photos of your chameleon. The rule of thumb is the width of the feeder should be no larger than the space between the eyes because they could choke or the feeder could hurt them. I think variety is best. I bet he'd love some worms like silks, butters or super worms.....all of the appropriate size. I keep veileds and offer them greens and veggies every week and fruits every other week. They like greens such as collards, kale, endive, dandelion, mustard and turnip. They also like shredded carrot. For fruits they all like strawberry and watermelon and some like banana, apple, blueberry and pear.

 

[Jhatch]

 

[Jhatch]

 

[Jhatch]

 

[Jhatch]

Could you post a picture of him so I can see about how old he may be? (I know you said 2 months, but 8 inches seems older to me.) I can give a better answer about how much food. Also, I have always offered a variety of fruits and veggies to my veiled. I find what he likes and keep the variety as much as I can. Try not to offer lots of items that are high in oxalates and be sure to gutload your feeders well! As for types of fruits, strawberries are a good one to start with, but perhaps @jannb could share her ideas on this?

Ok I uploaded some photos for you. I honestly have no idea how old he is. The 2 months was just a guess from some info I got from the pet store. I appreciate any and all help you can provide me. Thank you.

 

[Decadancin]

I would guess around 3 1/2 to 4 months by those pics. I would have said 5 months, but he still doesn't have a ton of markings, so I went low .

 

[Jhatch]

I would guess around 3 1/2 to 4 months by those pics. I would have said 5 months, but he still doesn't have a ton of markings, so I went low .

That works for me thanks. So how many roaches is a healthy amount for him to eat?

 

[Excaka]

My 4 month old hates dubias! Saw him spit it out and never touch them again.

 

[Decadancin]

I've always gone with the belief that you can offer basically as many as he will eat in one feeding if you are cup feeding, but if free ranging feeders, maybe 8-10 depending on their size? Its tough to say for me because I have basically cup fed. After about 10 - 12 months they may not eat as much or every day so you will have to adjust how much you feed him.

 

[Jhatch]

I've always gone with the belief that you can offer basically as many as he will eat in one feeding if you are cup feeding, but if free ranging feeders, maybe 8-10 depending on their size? Its tough to say for me because I have basically cup fed. After about 10 - 12 months they may not eat as much or every day so you will have to adjust how much you feed him.

I feed him with tongs. I pick up the roaches with the tongs and he gets all excited and goes after them as soon as I get the tongs with the roach inside his enclosure. I don't have a chance to just drop them in. Its really funny how excited he is to eat those things.

 

[chitzkoy]

Almost same age as my Cham. Mine did not eat for a week when I got him. Freaked the shit out of me. Day 8 he ate at least 10 dubia. Now I am running out of dubia supply lol!

I leave him 15 dubia before going to work daily. Some times he eats 10 or 13.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I am super conscious of what I offer my animals and their prey. Fruit is an incidental part of a Veiled's diet and not a regular occurrence. The greens mentioned are good ideas, as are grape and white mulberry leaves, hibiscus flowers, nasturtiums, and dandelion flowers. For fruits, cactus pears and fresh figs are among the few that have a good calcium to phosphorus ratio. Many keepers report that veileds show little interest in vegetation until the get older. Mine never bothers the greens I include with the feeders, in the feeder cup, but he does nibble on his cage plantings and he's about the same size and age as yours.
Regarding insects, I'd feed as many as he's eat at a time, and offer them several times a day. It's better for the chameleon to eat say 5 items, 3 times a day, than 15 all at once. Be sure to dust a portion of your feeders with plain calcium, at least 3 times a week and many recommend every day, and dust with a vitamin with preformed A and Calcium with D3, at least twice a month and no more than weekly, on a small portion of feeders.