Need advice on feeding

[shadys momma]

Hi I am a new member to the forum as well as a new chameleon owner. I just got a veiled cham this past Sunday. He is about 4 mos old. I noticed the first day he ate about 3 crickets and hasnt eaten since then. The pet store where I bought him told me to put about a dozen crickets in his cage at one time. That is what I did and there are still plenty of crickets in the cage. I am a little concerned becuase he hasnt eaten since Sunday. Do I need to remove the crickets and put some type of worms in there?

Also......how long do cham bask per day? I noticed mine basks pretty much the entire day.

 

[Brad]

Hello and welcome to the chameleon forums

First of all, we can help you much better if you describe your setup. Not all info is needed, but here is a link to a list of things you might want to include: [THREAD=66]setup list[/THREAD].

A new chameleon can take a couple days to a couple weeks to calm down from the big move into his new home. He is probably stressed, which could be contributing to his lack of eating. His setup could be a contributor too, so let us know more about it. Another cause could be his health. A description of your chameleon would help (picture would be great).

There is nothing wrong with trying some worms, just make sure they are not too large. When your chameleon begins to eat regularly you will need to take a second look at what you are feeding. Most worms are not good enough for daily use.

If your chameleon is basking all day, it might not be warm enough. Would need to know more of your setup info.

 

[neil nosy be]

Hi I am a new member to the forum as well as a new chameleon owner. I just got a veiled cham this past Sunday. He is about 4 mos old. I noticed the first day he ate about 3 crickets and hasnt eaten since then. The pet store where I bought him told me to put about a dozen crickets in his cage at one time. That is what I did and there are still plenty of crickets in the cage. I am a little concerned becuase he hasnt eaten since Sunday. Do I need to remove the crickets and put some type of worms in there?

Also......how long do cham bask per day? I noticed mine basks pretty much the entire day.

Hi

there could be any number of reasons why he/she isnt feeding,including just being moved from one cage to another(stress), cage size, temps,light,etc it would helpfull if you could post details of your setup

It could be that your leaving food in the cage as this can stress them out,try putting only the amount he/she can eat in one sitting say around 6 cricks(remove whats left) or try bowl feeding

Veild chams come from yemen which is near saudi arabia which is of course a hot country so its not unusual for them to bask for long periods (but make sure your temps are correct 25 to 30c )

Chams get bored with the same feeder insect day after day try different feeders including:

Locusts
grasshoppers
flys
silkworms
woodlice
zophoba (king mealworms)
roache's
moths
butterflys
field crickets

Just make sure if you collect from the wild its from a area free from insecticides

 

[shadys momma]

Info on Shady

Sorry I didnt include all the important info. My vieled cham is a male about 4 mos old. The terraniam I have him in is 30"H X 30"L X 18"D. I have an incandescent basking light 100w, a black night light that I use during nighttime hours, plastic foliage, a thin vine that wraps around a large branch that I have in his cage. I mist him twice a day and I also have a drip system that I am currently using. I have only fed him once the first day and I am using Miner-All brand of vitamins that I coated the crickets with. I do not have a thermometer in his cage yet. The setup that I have including him cost about $400. I decided to hold off on a few things.

Today he seems to be interested in his cage. He has moved about quite a bit exploring. I think he ate a few more crickets.....I am trying to keep count. However, I have noticed that he has been sitting around with his mouth open.....dont really know what that means. He seems to be in good health....and is moving around well.

I tried to upload some pics but it says that the file is too large.

 

[Brad]

What is the size of your image(s)? Settings are a little too strict at the moment, I need to change them. You can also get free image manipulation software to help you resize your images: irfanview.


First of all, you really need to be able to monitor temperatures and humidity. It is very important with chameleons. I know you have spent a lot of money and I can relate to how you feel, but you might lose your chameleon without purchasing temp/humidity gauges.

The terraniam I have him in is 30"H X 30"L X 18"D.

Is this glass, screen, or a combination?

black night light that I use during nighttime hours

This should not be used. Like us, they prefer darkness when trying to sleep.

I have noticed that he has been sitting around with his mouth open

Sounds like he trying to regulate his temperature. They do this when their body temp is too hot or moving up too fast. Can be normal if they are basking, but can also be signs of a respiratory infection. Your setup could be too hot.

Have you seen him drinking?

 

[shadys momma]

Thanks for the info on the humidity and temp guages. I think I overlooked that because of the temp in my area. I live near Galveston, TX and the temp has been around 97. My house temperature is usually around 74. Humidity is high too around here.

My cage is a wire cage all the way around.

I purchased the black light because it stated that it simulated the moonlight? I probably got sucked in by their marketing! I noticed that at nighttime when I turn his basking light off he crawls under one of the plants and goes to sleep.

I have seen him drinking.....usually when I mist the cage his will lick some of the water off the branches.

 

[shadys momma]

Greens

I was wondering if anyone has fed their cham greens. I read in a book that they would eat collard greens. I just went to the store and bought some. I put them in the cage so I guess we'll see what happens.

Also, I went to my local pet store (which isnt great) and they told me the only type of worms they get are meal worms and super worms. The guy told me that you have to cut their head off before you feed it to your cham. Is this true?

 

[Brad]

I visit Galveston almost once a year and you are right, the humidity is crazy around there.

My cage is a wire cage all the way around.

That is good to hear

I probably got sucked in by their marketing!

This is very common among pet stores. It happens to many people that are new to chameleons. I think it is a combination of lack of knowledge on the part of the pet store and greed.


Good to hear he is drinking. Has he pooped yet? If so, do you see any color besides creamy white and brown/black?

 

[Brad]

Veiled chameleons will eat vegies and sometimes fruits. Here is a great faq on veiled chameleons:
Veiled Chameleon FAQ: ChameleonNews.

Also, I went to my local pet store (which isnt great) and they told me the only type of worms they get are meal worms and super worms. The guy told me that you have to cut their head off before you feed it to your cham. Is this true?

No, this is not true. As long as the worms are a proper size, your chameleon should have no problems. I think the pet store employee might be referring to the myth about mealworms eating through chameleon stomachs. A better choice though would be silkworms. You would probably have to purchase them online.

Any progress with the crickets? Have you tried cup-feeding?

 

[Lady cham]

welcome shady's mom, it's goog to have you!!
I've never owned a cham that young. can you tell me about how big he is?.
Rule of thumb is not to feed them anything bigger than their head. that is the only reason I could think of for cutting the head off of worms.
When Herbie was little the previous owner had to pull the legs off the crickets because he was having a hard time getting them down.

About him not eating that much, how do you offer him food bowl, hand, free ranges, ect.? when he does eat, how is his aim? If he misses or the tongue is not skicky enough he probable needs more water. this could be making him frustrated.
in order for him to digest food he has to be able to achieve a body temp of a least 85. the temp and humitity gages are pretty cheap. if you have any kind of thermometer at home you can take the temp under his basking light 90-100 and then in the rest of his cage 75-85. Right guys?
I'm sure he will regain his appitite very soon

 

[aeris2126]

I just learned something new!

I've had my Faucker and krmsyn for 9 months now and I have used the black nightlight for both of them i didn't know it wasn't a good thing. They never had a ny problems with it that I noticed they sleep out on vines in the middle of their enclosures. Should I stop it now, or will it stress them because they've gotten used to it?

On another note congrats on your new cham chady's momma. You really should get the thermometer and stuff in there you don't want to overheat your cham. Another thing I would not leave crickets in there overnight. I had a friend who left crickets in the enclosure with his cham overnight and they attacked and killed it. I say just give him what he can eat in a day and remove the rest. Good luck!

 

[Brad]

I hear of people using night lights all the time. I think, at least for chameleons, it is just something extra the pet stores are trying to sell you. I don't think you will introduce extra stress by stopping the use of a night light.

You also want about a 10 degree drop in temperature at night. This might be harder to do if using night lights.

 

[shadys momma]

Feeding

I just bought 6 more crickets today because of the lack of worms in my area. I just put them in Shady's cage and he at 5 of them!!! I was so excited he ate. I was really afraid that he would starve. Can anyone tell me a good online source for buying silkworms? The only type of worm I can get locally are mealworms....has anyone had luck with those?

Brad - I have noticed poop in his cage that seems to be the normal color that is described on this website. What is cup feeding? I dont mean to sound ignorant I just dont know!

I also got a hygrometer and a thermometer for his cage as well.

No luck on the collard greens though....they just sat there.

Thanks for all the help I am getting from you guys!!

 

[Brad]

Good to hear he is eating
The gauges you bought will really help. I looked over your previous post and noticed you did not mention a uvb light. Sorry I missed it before. A uvb light source is a necessity, just like food and water.

Cup feeding is where you hang an opaque cup near your cham's basking spot or other frequently visited area. It is a popular feeding method.



Silkworms:

Silkworm Farms​

Mulberry Farms​

Great info at ChameleonNews: Silkworms! By B. J. Caruthers (lele)
​

 

[shadys momma]

Mealworms

Well I tried to feed Shady some mealworms for a change. I bought the little worm rock holder (feeder) thing and placed the worms inside. He took absolutely no interest in them at all. Any other ideas on how I can feed worms to him?

When I feed him crickets I usually just let them go free in his cage because he likes to catch them.

 

[neil nosy be]

mealworms

Hi

Mealworms in my opinion arnt really that good a livefood for chams you would be better off with zophoba morio (super worms) these are much larger and far more easier for your cham to digest. Try placing them on a branch so they crawl on it and look natural looking, failing that if you have a screen cage let them crawl up this or place some plastic screen (mozzi net) to the inside of your cage and let them crawl around on that

 

[Brad]

I usually place worms on leaves throughout the cage. My biggest problem is placing them on the leaves before my cham starts shooting at my hand .

Are the worms too big for your cham? Another worm that is usually available at local pet stores are wax worms. They do not provide enough nutrition to use as a regular food source, but chameleons seem to love them. I have never seen a chameleon in good health ignore a nearby waxworm.

I am sure you have already seen this on the forums, but I highly recommend silkworms. You will get the best deals at silkwormfarms and even ebay.