I got a new Jackson chameleon 1 week ago. He is 5-6 months old or so. I tried feeding him crickets. I have seen him eat only 3. I have also seen him eat 1 mealworm. I have tried feeding him 3 times a day and he is just so picky, he only ate 2 or 3 of those days. I know he is new and all, but it has been a week and he really needs to start eating. He cant go on 3 crickets and a mealworm for that long. I will be buying more insects very soon, what foods should I get to make him eat more? I have tried cup and tong feeding. I cant feed free roam because crickets get out of the cage. I just really want him to not be so picky and stop this mood where he eats so little.
Picky Chameleon, what to do?
- Thread starter Andrew27
- Start date
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Are you sure you have all the right temp requirements, lights, etc? That can effect eating habits if they are not right. Also you have only had him a week and he is still going through an adjustment period. Some chams will eat like crazy at first and some don't. Maybe try some silkworms. they are a good feeder.
carol5208
Chameleon Enthusiast
Well, if all your conditions are right hopefully it is just a settling in period for him. I got a panther from another member on here and granted he was an adult when I got him, but honestly he did not eat one single thing for 11 days!!! He slowly picked up his appetite as time went on. Try getting a few different feeders too, that might spark some interest. Is he drinking for you?
CVost
New Member
I got mine at http://www.mantispets.com/feeders--supplies.html on Friday. Worked for even the most picky eater. My youngest Jackson is very shy and will only eat free range insects without me watching. I was never sure if she was eating or they were excaping. She went after the flies right away.
Rush2112
New Member
Rush2112
New Member
Ooops. My bad, I should have read the rest of the thread.
pigglett79
Avid Member
My Jackson's can also be very picky; however he NEVER refuses blue bottle flies. He goes nuts for them. You are really just going to have to provide a variety of feeders. Mine eats silk worms, horn worms and blue bottle flies like crazy. It is a struggle to get him to eat crickets, roaches and other food sources. I typically keep butter worms, silk worms, horn worm, crickets, roaches and blue bottle flies around.
pigglett79
Avid Member
I can also vouch for matispets.com. Their price is reasonable and the pupae I order have been having consistent 100% hatch rate. I keep the pupae in the frig and take out about 15 per chameleon at a time. You can take them out and they hatch within 4-5 days. So I take out some every 3 or 4 days to hatch.
Rush2112
New Member
ok. Thank you for the instructions as well. Just ordered 100 from them.
pigglett79
Avid Member
No problem. The flies also will survive for several days to a week. I gutload them with the fly food from mantis pets and also some oranges. You can gutload them for a day prior to feeding if you like. I use deli cups with mesh lids and put the food in a small salsa to go container you can get and any fast food place. I put the pupae in the deli cup and the food in the tiny container as they hatch. You can put the flies in the frig for a couple minutes to slow them down if you need to open the lid or if you want before feeding them off.
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