Potentially overfeeding my Cham

[Kidogo12]

Hi,

My chameleon is looking a little fatter than normal. I was wondering if chameleons are like fish where they will eat if the food is available or do they only eat when they are hungry?

Thanks

 

[Jay1501]

I dont get the feeling mine eats because food is there i hand feed mine an he usualy has 6-8 locusts a day il always offer a few more though just to be sure but he wont have them i dont think you can over feed

 

[laurie]

Over feeding can and does happen. It can cause major problems for a chameleon! Those include organ failure, shortened life span, egg laying with females, that is just to name a few possible problems.

It is recommended that you cut down on the amount a cham eats as early as 6 months. Most people feed every other day. Based on what kind of cham you have, and the age of your cham, you need to learn, how much to feed, what to feed, and when to feed. But it can be a fun adventure for you and your cham.

 

[nightanole]

You can over feed a female quite easily. Too much food and she will start making eggs waaaaay to early and get egg bound. Cham eggs start production when a cham reaches a certain size, not age.

Males can get tubby, but its not nearly as bad.

 

[Jay1501]

Oh...i was just comenting on what i had been told previously how often should i feed my cross sambava/rustic red and ambolibe sorry about the name lol just what i was told i was buying hes still brown/white so young i think 3-4 months

 

[sandrachameleon]

Hi,
My chameleon is looking a little fatter than normal. I was wondering if chameleons are like fish where they will eat if the food is available or do they only eat when they are hungry?
Thanks

Many will over-eat if you offer more food than they need.
Often you can tell by body condition - shape of tail, fat pads on head - if they are too plump. This blog entry may also be useful to you:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blo...s-day-required-maintain-chameleon-weight.html

 

[Lathelia]

Oh...i was just comenting on what i had been told previously how often should i feed my cross sambava/rustic red and ambolibe sorry about the name lol just what i was told i was buying hes still brown/white so young i think 3-4 months

3-4 months is still quite young, so he can eat more. I guess around 15 crix?

 

[Todnedo]

You can over feed a female quite easily. Too much food and she will start making eggs waaaaay to early and get egg bound. Cham eggs start production when a cham reaches a certain size, not age.

Males can get tubby, but its not nearly as bad.

Where did you hear this at?

 

[nightanole]

Where did you hear this at?

What do you mean? Most female cham care sheets mention calorie restriction as early as 5 months.

Its a cham, birth, eat like horse, mate as early as possible, if you live long enough to see your eggs hatch in the wild you are the 1%.

 

[Todnedo]

What do you mean? Most female cham care sheets mention calorie restriction as early as 5 months.

Its a cham, birth, eat like horse, mate as early as possible, if you live long enough to see your eggs hatch in the wild you are the 1%.

I have raised many female panthers and never had a problem feeding them and egg binding. It must be Veiled chams your talking about.

 

[camimom]

How old is the chameleon in question?

 

[nightanole]

I have raised many female panthers and never had a problem feeding them and egg binding. It must be Veiled chams your talking about.

Sorry, yea veiled, the chickens of the cham world