I got my first order today from lindasgonebuggie. We've been feeding him only crickets and we got him on the 12th. We bought 25 hornworms and 25 silkworms. The hornworms are pretty tiny so we started off with the silkworms. We put 3 in his cage on the vine he usually perches on. Oddly, the worms are just sitting there frozen in place( they were alive when we put them in there) and Rocco hasn't touched them. I'm wondering if anyone else has a chameleon that hasn't taken to new food right away. I'm not sure why he hasn't. The temp in his cage is 79. Is it not warm enough for him to want to eat?
Not taking to newly introduced food
- Thread starter Lilbunny1
- Start date
MamatoElvis
Member
If that's his basking temp then yes it's low. I'm not sure what kind of Cham you have but temps should be closure to 82 to 86 degrees. That may vary depending on the what type of Cham you have. Sometimes feeders take a little time. Try to place the worm on the screen, my guy ignores them on the branches too. Just keep trying. Sometimes my guy boycotts things and then he will eat them a few days later. Chams can get very picky, that's why it's so important to offer a large variety. If you want your hornworms to last store them in a cooler ( not the fridge ). Just make sure the ice pack doesn't touch the container with the worms. If you just keep them at room temp they will be to big to feed in a little over a week. If you keep them in a cooler they will make it much longer.
Wowbango
Established Member
Silkworms tend to be slower movers...so my guy took a while to get used to it. If your chameleon hand feeds, I would suggest you just grab one end of it and let him see that it wiggles around. Once he realizes it's food, he might start going after them more. I second the comment about the temperature, if you have a Panther, basking should be 80-90 degrees, and even higher for a Veiled Chameleon.
caietaro
Member
I've noticed too that when I place silkworms on a branch or leaf they tend to stay frozen in place, sometimes with half their body up in their air. I think it's normal, I'm assuming they're trying to avoid being seen and eaten. I hand feed them and hold one half of the body and then they wriggle quite a bit trying to get a grip onto something.
Thanks...the thermometer sensor isn't quite in the basking area. It's a little lower, but I'll look into moving it to get a better idea. Interesting about how the silkworms freeze up. I was going to put some ice packs around the hornworm container(without touching it) to slow growth, but these guys are tiny. I may do it anyways since from what I hear they grow like weeds. Anyways, thanks again! Btw I can't believe how bad silkworm chow smells.
Plus, I put a hermit crab heater on the case that contains the silkworm habitat. I understand they need the warmth to grow.
Plus, I put a hermit crab heater on the case that contains the silkworm habitat. I understand they need the warmth to grow.
junglefries
Avid Member
I place my hornworms and silkworms on the inside of the cage door, allowing them to climb the screen upwards. This allows the cham the opportunity to see them and feed.
I found the 2 silkworms still sitting on the vine this morning. Very frustrated that they are still there. He took down 3 or 4 good size crickets this morning so at least he has a good appetite. Been spraying all his crickets with calcium. Yea, I know I need to get the powder, but no one here carried it without d3 for daily use. I'll have to wait til I can get it. He's already taken 2 more crickets down again and he is a nice shade of green right now. Normally, he sits at a black gray color on top of his black vine( I've heard this isn't a good color to be), but when he moves through the foliage he's light green, turquoise, or forest green so maybe it is a camo thing I hope. I didn't supplement him the way I was supposed to right when got( I've only had him for 2 weeks), but we have him on the recommended schedule that people suggested here. Now all I need to do is to get him to eat his worms!
chamsarecool
Member
You need to measure both the basking spot and the ambient air temperature. I would get a digital thermometer with a probe like the acurite ones at Walmart work fine so you get two measurements with one device and are plenty accurate for general reptile keeping.
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