My Cham eats too much!

[Salty]

So my blue bar is a year old. We have been feeding him once a day. Sometimes he eats 6 or 8 bugs... And sometimes he eats much much more. A couple of days ago he ate 24 bugs in one sitting! I could not believe it. So I told my son that we should try feeding him twice a day. For the past two days he has eaten his normal daily regiment two seperate times daily! I was considering spacing out his meals so I can fit a third meal in also. I have no idea how much this guy can eat and I'm thinking that if he wants food I should give it to him... I am considering feeding him 3 times a day. Each time I will feed him until he shows no interest in the food that is offered. Soooo.... What do you guys think? Is there any reason not to feed him this much if he willingly eats it?

 

[sandrachameleon]

So my blue bar is a year old. We have been feeding him once a day. Sometimes he eats 6 or 8 bugs... And sometimes he eats much much more. A couple of days ago he ate 24 bugs in one sitting! I could not believe it. So I told my son that we should try feeding him twice a day. For the past two days he has eaten his normal daily regiment two seperate times daily! I was considering spacing out his meals so I can fit a third meal in also. I have no idea how much this guy can eat and I'm thinking that if he wants food I should give it to him... I am considering feeding him 3 times a day. Each time I will feed him until he shows no interest in the food that is offered. Soooo.... What do you guys think? Is there any reason not to feed him this much if he willingly eats it?

are you monitoring his weight? his body condition?
it is very much possible to feed them too much. Just cuz he wants it and will eat more is NOT a good indication of whether or not he Needs more.
the appropriate quantity depends on age, growth, activity level, temperature, size and type of prey, etc.
my adults are given 1-5 bugs per day. would they eat more? yes, probably. Do they need more? no, certainly not.

did I enjoy that piece of salt water taffy I just ate? yes. Do I need 2 more, no but no serious harm done if I do. Do I need the 98 more I actually want to eat and could quite possibly end up eating if no one takes the bowl away from me? no.

You may find this blog entry informative: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...s-day-required-maintain-chameleon-weight.html
and this thread: https://www.chameleonforums.com/want-know-how-much-feed-your-animal-87130/

 

[Salty]

He really looks pretty good to me. I have not weighed him but he is growing. He he is getting a little belly but still looks healthy. I'll post a pic of him if you can tell me how to do it from my iphone

 

[Salty]

I was under the impression that charms will stop eating when they have had enough. Also, I doubt his crickets taste much like taffy. now mil worms on the other hand......

 

[sandrachameleon]

He really looks pretty good to me. I have not weighed him but he is growing. He he is getting a little belly but still looks healthy. I'll post a pic of him if you can tell me how to do it from my iphone

How does his head look? are the fat pads fat? flat? concave? convex?
what about his tail? round? oval?

luckily, I have not been sucked into the proprietary Apple world, so I cant tell you how to use your iphone.

but to attach photos to a post, start the post, then click on the attach file icon, which looks like a paperclip. the manage attachments window with pop open.
browse to where the image file is saved/located.
click upload.
repeat for another picture or close the window.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I was under the impression that charms will stop eating when they have had enough. Also, I doubt his crickets taste much like taffy. now mil worms on the other hand......

some do stop eating when they've "had enough" but many do not.

You arent just feeding him only crickets, are you?

And you're right, having eaten a few crickets myself, I can attest that they do not taste like taffy LOL

 

[Salty]

Has any one ever actually seen a Cham that has eaten too much and has witnessed any undesirable effects from this? I leave a bowl of food out for my dog all the time and he is still in great shape.

 

[Salty]

He gets 6 or 8 crickets, then some millworms and darkling beetles. Sometimes he gets other stuff, just depends on what I have.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Has any one ever actually seen a Cham that has eaten too much and has witnessed any undesirable effects from this? I leave a bowl of food out for my dog all the time and he is still in great shape.

As I've said, it is possible for a chameleon to over eat and to be overweight, and yes it is unhealthy to be overweight.

 

[Salty]

How does his head look? are the fat pads fat? flat? concave? convex?
what about his tail? round? oval?

luckily, I have not been sucked into the proprietary Apple world, so I cant tell you how to use your iphone.

but to attach photos to a post, start the post, then click on the attach file icon, which looks like a paperclip. the manage attachments window with pop open.
browse to where the image file is saved/located.
click upload.
repeat for another picture or close the window.

I can post pics from a computer just can't get it to work from my phone

 

[Salty]

I guess What we need is a healthy height weight chart for chams....

 

[Olimpia]

Has any one ever actually seen a Cham that has eaten too much and has witnessed any undesirable effects from this? I leave a bowl of food out for my dog all the time and he is still in great shape.

Yes, I know I've definitely seen chameleons on here that look like meatballs. Their casques (on veileds) are oval, not flat, on panthers their fat pads look like they're going to burst open, and their cheeks, necks, legs, and abdomen look completely rotund. How they don't just roll down the branch to their food, I don't know. I'm willing to bet these chameleons will get some sort of organ failure towards the end of what I assume will be short lives, just like in people or anything else that is obese.

I have chameleons that certainly know when to stop eating (one of my dogs is like this also) but others (and my second dog) would eat themselves to death very easily. My panther, Daedalus, has to be on a diet because he's one of these chameleons. If he eats more than 2-3 feeders a couple times a week he starts looking very rotund and I'd prefer it if he stayed leaner. If I ever left a tub of roaches open he would just gorge himself! lol Even my female is more moderate than he is.

 

[Salty]

Darn it. Ok back to one feeding a day...

 

[sandrachameleon]

Darn it. Ok back to one feeding a day...

actually I like to feed multiple times a day myself if I have the time. Just lower the quantity each time so the total amount it good

I agree an "average weight" chart would be kewl. The problem is that every chameleon is also different in terms of length etc. and age does play a roll. Your one year old is still growing at a faster rate than say my 5 year old or even my 2 year old. And yours may be more natrually active, burning more calories.
I think you'll know when he is getting too fat, and then just adjust accordingly

 

[Salty]

Although we could start a Cham sumo federation.

 

[TreeTopChameleons]

Ｉthink its important to remember, that although probably captive bred, your chameleon is still a wild animal, and in the wild there is no guarantee of if and when the next meal will come, so like all wild animals they will quite often eat way above the amount that is actually needed in case they are unable to find food for days or weeks to come. Agreed, the chances of a chameleon going for such lengths of time in the wild without food are very slim, but I don't doubt that there are times when the amount of food is extremely limited. I think over feeding can be worse sometimes than under feeding. If your chameleon looks weak and lathargic, maybe give him a bit more food from time to time, but generally, reducing the amount of food every so often will not harm your chameleon in the slightest, in fact it might simulate natural conditions they would encounter in the wild. Just my two cents tho