Picky eating panther!

[Twitchet]

Hi there, I have a very healthy panther, the trouble is he is picky with his food, I gutload and well hydrate insects with as wide an array of foods as I can but obviously I would like to see him eating a much wider range of feeder insects. I have tried crickets, ( he ate some for a while then stopped) Locusts( he's happy to eat them) , indian stick insects-wouldn't touch them, butter worms- ate one then no more- silkworms-wouldnt touch them, moths- he does like but in the winter hard to get and a bit fatty- butterflies- ditto, morio- yes but again I dont like feeding too many because of the hard bodies- i do pick out the recently shed ones though, snails-no, waxworms- as many as he could eat but again i feed no more than a couple a week. Dubia roaches- I set up a RUB, bred them successfully- tried him with all different sizes - ate one or two but that was it. Cant get hornworms as in U.K.
I either feed him by hand which he is happy to do or by soft ended forceps, roaches were in a large tray so he could see them, crickets in a cup, stick insects etc free range.
Is he being a bit like a child that wont eat his vegetables and happy to fill up on chips? Should i persevere with the things he's not keen on and hold back on the locusts and crickets? I'm always worried if he doesn't eat them he will stop eating .
He is not shy or stressed and eats the locusts with extreme gusto- he loves them and I never have any trouble so it isnt that he is not feeding , he is just not eating a variety. He is 100% in active behaviour, health, shedding. etc
Many thanks for any points of view

 

[NERVOUS]

Hmm... I'm certainly no expert here, but do you think he'll eventually get tired of eating the same thing all the time and transition to one (or more) of the other food items you're offering him?

If not, then I'd just stay on top of the gut loading, dusting, etc... And wait him out.

 

[FlChamMom]

Your boy is absolutely gorgeous by the way. As for the picky eating, my panther boy is picky too and I have noticed the same thing you have. I have 3 chams, so I always have a variety of feeders, but if he was the only one I would not worry too much if he only ate well gut-loaded crickets. Periodically add different feeders that he has been willing to eat. Keep up with your supplement schedule and if you notice anything different about his feeding you can adjust at that time.

 

[Twitchet]

Hi there, Thanks ever so much for your replies- I'm very pleased to read I'm not the only one and now more relaxed- I'll just keep trying him on new things or dress a stick insect up as a locust maybe and be thankful for the times he does decide to try something new. I've bought silkworms- the wonder food- on quite a few occassions hoping that he and the day geckos, dart frogs and others would benefit from these nutritious larvae but no one has ever taken to them.

Many thanks again and best wishes