Prepping to get my first chameleon

[Brodybreaux25]

Every feeder has a drawback. Dubia is a perfectly acceptable staple feeder but as said above variety is key. Think of Dubia as the main course and all the other feeders as the sides dishes.

 

[amfire125]

I've seen a lot of feeders on Ebay and have had success with it. Also Josh's Frogs has a lot of quality ones as well. I still end up going to the pet stores from time to time, sadly... and unhappily...lol.

 

[ERKleRose]

I have a local feeder insect breeder and a local exotics pet shop, so if I’m ever running low and shipping is too long or expensive, I always have a couple stand-by options that are reasonably priced and have the more unique feeders (not superworms, crickets, or a single hornworm). It’s definitely worth looking into. Of course, a regular pet store wil also work

 

[Brodybreaux25]

It may sound intimidating being a new keeper but every Cham keeper really should have feeder colonies going. They are really easy to maintain, especially Dubia. Besides the tiny crickets for Roux I couldn’t tell you the last time I paid for feeders, saves so much money!

 

[RyanBRZ]

I was actually watching a video on breeding dubia's last night, I may go that route if that is going to be my staple. This way I can stop at petstores for the variation items, while I will always have my staple item on hand. Can I start a colony if I buy say 1 male and 3 females, or should I do 2:6?

 

[SirWilliamj]

It's whatever works for you. I personally also have 100w basking bulb as my apartment gets very chilly and my temps are perfect. I tried a 75w bulb and my Cham didn't like it one bit, switched back to 100w and he was happy again.

All depends on what temperatures your room is really, there is no set rule it's just a case of trial and error.

I've been using these halogen par30 45W bulbs.. quite cheap and long lasting. I'm no expert but it has been throwing good heat and so far 6+ months with no burnouts. 85-90 degrees 6-8 inches below the light https://www.amazon.com/Philips-4197...651&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=halogen+par30&psc=1

 

[Brodybreaux25]

I was actually watching a video on breeding dubia's last night, I may go that route if that is going to be my staple. This way I can stop at petstores for the variation items, while I will always have my staple item on hand. Can I start a colony if I buy say 1 male and 3 females, or should I do 2:6?

This is what I would start off with, it will take time for the colony to start producing enough to replace what you use.

 

[RyanBRZ]

Will a chameleon eventually adapt to their light schedule? Since getting my cham he has been settling down to his sleeping quarters at around 7pm -- I've had his lighting at 11-11 since getting him. A few days ago I thought I would adapt to him since this was his schedule so I changed lighting to 7 to 7. He then started going to bed at around 5pm, which means when I get home from work at 5:30, he is already out of sight. I want to see him for a little bit when I get home each day, and give him a treat of some kind. I moved it back to 11-11, do you think he will adjust?

 

[ERKleRose]

Will a chameleon eventually adapt to their light schedule? Since getting my cham he has been settling down to his sleeping quarters at around 7pm -- I've had his lighting at 11-11 since getting him. A few days ago I thought I would adapt to him since this was his schedule so I changed lighting to 7 to 7. He then started going to bed at around 5pm, which means when I get home from work at 5:30, he is already out of sight. I want to see him for a little bit when I get home each day, and give him a treat of some kind. I moved it back to 11-11, do you think he will adjust?

Keep it at one schedule, don’t change it. If 11-11 works for you, leave it

 

[RyanBRZ]

Keep it at one schedule, don’t change it. If 11-11 works for you, leave it

I know.. I didn't mean to switch it up on him like that. Just trying to be able to see him each day. It will stay 11-11, hoping he adjusts.

 

[RyanBRZ]

Fishing shops. Amazon, eBay, and dubiaroaches.com all have butterworms, just to name a few. There are currently no silkworms but eggs are availabe, and they’re the same price for like 100-250 eggs as 25 silkworms are.

Thanks for the idea, I just ordered 250 eggs and a 1/2 lb of mulberry farms silkworm food. I have an incubator I can use from when I bred leopard geckos.

 

[ERKleRose]

Thanks for the idea, I just ordered 250 eggs and a 1/2 lb of mulberry farms silkworm food. I have an incubator I can use from when I bred leopard geckos.

No problem! Keep silkworms in the fridge, though. I believe its in the low 30s (F) so they don't hatch

 

[RyanBRZ]

Now that you say that, should I hatch all 250 in one shot? Or do maybe half now and a half in a few weeks? How long will they remain at an edible size for my little guy?

 

[ERKleRose]

Now that you say that, should I hatch all 250 in one shot? Or do maybe half now and a half in a few weeks? How long will they remain at an edible size for my little guy?

I take like 20-30 out at a time so once they get to size, I can feed them all off, since you can't refrigerate silks like you can horns

 

[RyanBRZ]

When you say take out, do you mean take eggs out of the fridge to incubate/hatch? But then you have X days for them to hatch and grow into a food item..right?

 

[ERKleRose]

When you say take out, do you mean take eggs out of the fridge to incubate/hatch? But then you have X days for them to hatch and grow into a food item..right?

I believe they're good for up to four or six months in the fridge. I take out the amount I know I will be able to feed off once they get to size (I've got two chams-and a turtle who'll eat what's too big), and let them hatch and grow at room temperature, no incubator needed. But if you want to breed your own, let a couple turn into moths and you can put the pupae into the incubator

 

[RyanBRZ]

Ok, so do you use these as a treat? I'd like to hatch to use as a staple item along with dubias. Maybe I can stagger them by 2 weeks or something. I need to look up hatching and growth time lines.

 

[ERKleRose]

Ok, so do you use these as a treat? I'd like to hatch to use as a staple item along with dubias. Maybe I can stagger them by 2 weeks or something. I need to look up hatching and growth time lines.

I use these as one of my staples (I try to always have at least 3-5 staples in rotation).

 

[RyanBRZ]

Ok cool, yeah FL chams told me he used silkworms as a feeder before selling him so I figured it was worth a try.

Regarding this "I take out the amount I know I will be able to feed off once they get to size", I assume you do not take out say 15 eggs, wait for hatching, wait for growth, feed, and then repeat? Can you give me some input on your process, it will really help me when I get my eggs.

 

[ERKleRose]

Ok cool, yeah FL chams told me he used silkworms as a feeder before selling him so I figured it was worth a try.

Regarding this "I take out the amount I know I will be able to feed off once they get to size", I assume you do not take out say 15 eggs, wait for hatching, wait for growth, feed, and then repeat? Can you give me some input on your process, it will really help me when I get my eggs.

So I'll take out ~20-30 eggs, or however many you can feed off before they get too big, and halfway through growing to the size I need, I'll take out another 20-30 eggs so I never run out of silkworms to feed off