Panther Chameleon diet

[Michael_ChamLover]

Hello,

I've had Rio for about 3 months going on 4 months. He is 6 months old and his diet is really only 20 small crickets a day with a calcium power without D3 every day and a repetivite with D3 on the 1st and 15th of every month. I am curious as to when I can start feeding him large crickets and horn worms, super worms, and other little critters. He is an Ambilobe Panther Chameleon. Here is a picture of him.

 

[Carloscruz]

He looks like he is big enough to eat those big I would not feed he big ones because some can bite him

 

[Michael_ChamLover]

He looks like he is big enough to eat those big I would not feed he big ones because some can bite him

Thank you. So that's a yes to the big crickets and no to the the other critters or wait a little longer before I give him big crickets and other critters.

 

[bbyoda]

Thank you. So that's a yes to the big crickets and no to the the other critters or wait a little longer before I give him big crickets and other critters.

The general advice is you can feed anything that's the size between their eyes. For worms that's diameter not length. He could eat hornworms, silkworms, and superworms no problem. You can get smaller hornworms and silkworms too, then once they grow too big to feed let them cocoon, then feed him the moths for enrichment. He's a growing boy and variety will be great for him! Remember treats in moderation tho.

 

[bbyoda]

Thank you. So that's a yes to the big crickets and no to the the other critters or wait a little longer before I give him big crickets and other critters.

I think what @Carloscruz might be referring to is when hornworms are full grown they can bite the chameleon as they're being eaten. You can try to feed worms head first so they don't get that opportunity or you can stick to feeding young horn worms that are less fiesty. Superworms can also bite but I keep mine on the colder side so they are slow and their response time isn't great. But they wiggle enough to entice my chameleon. The other issue with hornworms is that the old ones can grip screen and branches very tightly, and potentially damage the chameleons tongue when it goes to grab them. You can hand feed them to eliminate that risk.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

The general advice is you can feed anything that's the size between their eyes.

If I may clarify... You can feed any feeder insect whose girth is less than or equal to the distance between the chameleon's eyes.

My male panther was eating "large" crickets by 6 months. IME, small/medium superworms should be OK; it's the large(r) ones that may bite. In lieu of superworms, I feed giant mealworms*—they're very close to supers, but don't pose any biting hazard. I also feed mine dubia roaches (it took a while—I guess they're an acquired taste for some chameleons—but worth it, IMO).

* 'Giant mealworms' are a regular mealworm ( Tenebrio molitor ) that has been treated with a hormone to delay pupation which allows them to grow to a larger size. Because Giants are regular mealworms this also allows them to be stored in the refrigerator and treated in the same way as large mealworms.
https://flukerfarms.com/reptile-u/blogmealworm-vs-superworm/​

 

[Michael_ChamLover]

If I may clarify... You can feed any feeder insect whose girth is less than or equal to the distance between the chameleon's eyes.

View attachment 313986​

My male panther was eating "large" crickets by 6 months. IME, small/medium superworms should be OK; it's the large(r) ones that may bite. In lieu of superworms, I feed giant mealworms*—they're very close to supers, but don't pose any biting hazard. I also feed mine dubia roaches (it took a while—I guess they're an acquired taste for some chameleons—but worth it, IMO).

Thank you very much this helps a lot. Once I go back to get more crickets this weekend I'll get a few big crickets and make sure Rio is comfortable with them before I start buying a lot. I'll also try some small hornworms and silk worms.

 

[bbyoda]

If I may clarify... You can feed any feeder insect whose girth is less than or equal to the distance between the chameleon's eyes.

View attachment 313986​

My male panther was eating "large" crickets by 6 months. IME, small/medium superworms should be OK; it's the large(r) ones that may bite. In lieu of superworms, I feed giant mealworms*—they're very close to supers, but don't pose any biting hazard. I also feed mine dubia roaches (it took a while—I guess they're an acquired taste for some chameleons—but worth it, IMO).

Great clarification! Thank you.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Thank you very much this helps a lot. Once I go back to get more crickets this weekend I'll get a few big crickets and make sure Rio is comfortable with them before I start buying a lot. I'll also try some small hornworms and silk worms.

They'll likely have giant mealworms as well—if you'd like to try them—though my experience has been those sold in pet stores are usually pretty small. I kinda like the small pet store cups; just enough to find out if your cham likes (or will eat) them—or to have on-hand for emergencies (running out of something). Then if they like/will eat them, you can order larger worms & numbers online. Last time I bought 500; just finished the first 250.

I still get my crickets locally though—50 per week (7/day) at that age.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Great clarification! Thank you.

Thank YOU!

 

[Michael_ChamLover]

If I may clarify... You can feed any feeder insect whose girth is less than or equal to the distance between the chameleon's eyes.

View attachment 313986​

My male panther was eating "large" crickets by 6 months. IME, small/medium superworms should be OK; it's the large(r) ones that may bite. In lieu of superworms, I feed giant mealworms*—they're very close to supers, but don't pose any biting hazard. I also feed mine dubia roaches (it took a while—I guess they're an acquired taste for some chameleons—but worth it, IMO).

If I feed my chameleon large crickets how many would I feed him and would it be every day or every other day?

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

If I feed my chameleon large crickets how many would I feed him and would it be every day or every other day?

IIRC, at that age (~6 mo.) Ol' Grumpypants was eating ~7 feeders* in a day, usually split into morning & afternoon meals. At that time I was feeding him every day.

Some time after that (between 6-9 mo.) he started self-regulating. Now he eats 3-4 feeders in a day, getting 1-3 'treats' twice a week, and fasts one day per week (as many zoos do).

When feeding, I usually count 10 feeders into his cup, and count how many are left when I remove it at the end of the day.

*All or some combination of crix, dubias, giant mealies, etc.

 

[Tarzanfam]

oh my gosh! I have a 6 month panther also (nosy be) and he is TINY compared to yours. May I ask how much your beauty weighs and how long he is, just for reference for me to have. I am trying really hard to get my little guy back on track after a 6 week bout of antibiotics immediately after his trip here. What a good looking cham you've got there! Our little guy is destined to be a pip squeak I think. His favourite food is silkworms. He eats about 5 small ones per day, and he likes crickets as well. I order silkworms from TCInsects and I got a cricket gallery to try and keep biting to a minimum from TKChameleon I think. It has really helped. (Get the large size!)