My chameleon wont eat from cups or feeder cup

[Big.D86]

Does someone know how to get my chameleon to eat out of the feeder cups? He'll eat of my hand or If he sees something on a branch but yet he has a feast in his feeder cup and ignores it and when I work I wanna make sure he's eating. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Place the run cup higher at basking level. Sooner or later he will be inticed and come around.

 

[JacksJill]

There is a new type of feeder available. https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/shooting-gallery-screened-cage-chameleon-feeder.169011/ you might want to give it a try.
No matter what feeder you use it will take time for them to get used to it. If they are getting too much food they will become picky.

 

[alphakenc]

U will need to spend lots lots time with the cham especially when the cham is young...just like caring any babies.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Cut that top off, or at least unscrew the blue lid.

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

Cut that top off, or at least unscrew the blue lid.

Very true Brody the blue could be what's causing him to reject it.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Seriously doubt it has anything to do with it being blue. But it’s definitely obstructing his view.

 

[Clayton0520]

I also made a home made feeder cup, I put my feeders in it but my little guy has never went to it to eat out of it. I pour them in and they crawl out and he hunts them. It used to worry me that he didn’t go to the cup to eat but as long as he’s eating I’m good.

 

[Zevil]

I strongly recommend the feeder cup from full throttle.

 

[snitz427]

I strongly recommend the feeder cup from full throttle.

That’s what Im using. My veiled barely lets the dust settle when I drop bugs in there - he knows that’s where to eat. The panthers don’t seem to really look in there unless the bugs are climbing the screen. So the dubia just hide along the wall or squeeze behind the screen. Really annoying... but I’m sure the chams are leaving them there because they wan’t somethig else.

 

[WashingtonCham]

Very true Brody the blue could be what's causing him to reject it.

Exactly what I was going to say cut it IN Half make sure edges are safe. To me if I had never seen that before it looks like a mouth if I put my tongue in I might not get it back lol

 

[Big.D86]

So I think he's bored of the dubias and I threw in some crickets inside the feeder cup and for some odd reason he climbed down, stuck his head in there and went for one. I stopped feeding him crickets simply cause they are annoying in my room all night chirping and they stink.

 

[Big.D86]

I'm going to switch the blue lid maybe build a different more taller feeder cup. I know he sees them in there. I shake that bad boy to get the roaches moving around..

 

[Big.D86]

I wanna ask your opinions on feeding him super worms everyday? Some tell me only 3 max a day. Some have told me just as a treat and just recently at a reptile shop the guy told me he can eat up to as many as he'd like on top of crickets and roaches and anything else he'll eat

 

[CamoChameleonsHuman]

I wanna ask your opinions on feeding him super worms everyday? Some tell me only 3 max a day. Some have told me just as a treat and just recently at a reptile shop the guy told me he can eat up to as many as he'd like on top of crickets and roaches and anything else he'll eat

Superworms are a treat. Reason being they don't gutload well.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Think of supers as candy, not food.

 

[Rst_Cham]

So I think he's bored of the dubias and I threw in some crickets inside the feeder cup and for some odd reason he climbed down, stuck his head in there and went for one. I stopped feeding him crickets simply cause they are annoying in my room all night chirping and they stink.

Maybe feed younger crickets...they only start chirping when they are mature. You'll have to feed more of them, since they're smaller, but they'll be less annoying than the big chirping ones!

 

[Franquixote]

Crickets also pretty much guarantee pinworms. My adult panther refuses to eat out of a cup. Unless he hasn't eaten in days he won't go for anything but hornworms, silkworms or other super treats. Gut loaded dubia or orange heads he won't take unless he is really hungry, but I refuse to keep crickets in the house and the other things are either really expensive or not always available- and limited "shelf life".
But he still has a lot of fat on his tail and neck so I guess he is doing OK.
So don't worry too much-
One other trick is using a laser pointer to wiggle on a roach, just make sure he isn't catching reflections off glass from it.

 

[JacksJill]

Crickets also pretty much guarantee pinworms.

That is not accurate. If you get your crickets from dirty sources they can transmit pinworms. Buy your crickets direct from suppliers and avoid pet stores esp. the big chains.

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

I am a big fan of free roaming crickets in my cages. In doing so the chameleon gets to hunt and get more exercise for his/her entire body, including his/her tongue.