picky eater

[Vince]

Well my chameleon is the biggest pain to feed i swear. He is a jacksons and he eats mainly roaches and supers. On occasion he gets silkies, and crickets. My problem is he is sick of all of the bugs he gets. He has been eating very small amounts. He eats every other day, and lately only one bug on these days. He use to polish off several in one day. I am certain he is just being picky. I say this because i sneaked a super in the other day. As soon as he saw a bug coming in his cage he flexed his tongue for it, saw what it was and lost interest.

His temps are all up to par.

Do there appetites go down when they start to get a little older? He is only a year and five months now.

Would it be acceptable or normal in anyway for me to just not offer him anything for two to three days to get him real good and hungry?

Ultimately i would like to find something else to feed him for a bit. Can anyone help me find some stick bugs? I have always wanted to give these a try and have no clue where to get them. Also, it has been a while since i have fed wax worms. Anyone know a good and cheap place to get these online?

 

[Lizardlover]

Try bluebottle flies or house flys (mantisplace.com), also If you have a grassy field near you try catching some grasshoppers.

ebay.com (keyword: stick insect)

 

[Vince]

Try bluebottle flies or house flys (mantisplace.com), also If you have a grassy field near you try catching some grasshoppers.

ebay.com (keyword: stick insect)

Wow, i have never even thought about looking for insects on eBay.

So i did as you suggested, went to eBay and typed the key word. There are so many different sticks on there. What is a good one for a jacksons?

 

[pssh]

It is winter. They don't really eat as much when it gets colder. It's perfectly fine to stop giving food for a few days. Have you tried hornworms? Flies, butter worms, wax worms, praying mantis, sow bugs, a different type of roach, Phoenix worms, and moths would be good to try also.

Sorry I can't help with Finding the stick bugs or wax worms

 

[Vince]

It is winter. They don't really eat as much when it gets colder. It's perfectly fine to stop giving food for a few days. Have you tried hornworms? Flies, butter worms, wax worms, praying mantis, sow bugs, a different type of roach, Phoenix worms, and moths would be good to try also.

Sorry I can't help with Finding the stick bugs or wax worms

Hey thanks for the ideas, i will have to try mantis and sow bugs... He is just sooo picky.

 

[pssh]

My guy loves the occational moth. The stupid things breed somewhere in my house every winter

 

[warpdrive]

Hi Vince,

my 10 month old panther male started to slow down his food intake around the 8.5 month old mark.
I now feed him every other day and slightly smaller amounts.

this is both normal and healthy for them.

while the winter months might effect them, my apartment is warmer in the winter months then the summer. so I feel that my guy slowing down in his eating is not from it being colder, but is from his age.

Harry

 

[Vince]

My guy loves the occational moth. The stupid things breed somewhere in my house every winter

I know my guy loves wax worm moths, he tied a silk worm moth and never ate another. I have never tried anything i have found (wild caught).

 

[Vince]

Hi Vince,

my 10 month old panther male started to slow down his food intake around the 8.5 month old mark.
I now feed him every other day and slightly smaller amounts.

this is both normal and healthy for them.

while the winter months might effect them, my apartment is warmer in the winter months then the summer. so I feel that my guy slowing down in his eating is not from it being colder, but is from his age.

Harry

Yeah i keep a pretty warm apartment in the winter too but, i let it get down to 68 69 degrees F during the night.

I have a feeling for my guy anyway, it is the time of year, his age, and the lack of change in his diet. All having a part of his not wanting to eat attitude.

Thanks for the info though, it is nice to know that they do just naturally quit eating as much and other people have noticed this behavior as well.

 

[pssh]

Aha, these crazy moths have never been outside... Thats the sad part. I think they somehow breed in my bird's seeds. We change it everyday, but they keep coming back!!!

 

[Shaboo10]

This happened to me a few days ago, since its winter, i just got a stronger heat bulb, after that he started to eat again.

 

[Digby Rigby]

Flying things and green things

They like flying things and green things. Phasmids and orthopterans make up a large portion of the wild diet. Orthopterans are grasshoppers and katydids. From what I have seen on Ebay it is European sellers, mainly from the United Kingdom who are offering stick insects for sale. If you buy phasmids from them for use in the USA you are smuggling.

Moths such as luna moths are also eagerly eaten. They have the dual attraction of being green and flying. Panchlora nivea aka Green banana roaches are also irresistible to chameleons. They are green like an unripe banana and can fly well.

Snails, earthworms like nightcrawlers, and isopods have also been used.

Digby Rigby