Rotate food how often?

[GrogStudio]

I know it is good to feed a variety of foods but I just have one cham-- and a very picky eater at that. If I order a special food online (Grog LOVES hornworms), I want him to eat them up before they get too big or die. So for a few weeks he'll get a delicacy every other day rotated with an easily available bug (e.g., crickets and superworms). Then we take a month or two off from the delicacies until my wallet fattens up again.

Feeding special bugs every couple of months is better that than no delicacies, yes?

I've tried to talk local lizard owners into buying online with me so we can rotate more often but no takers yet.

 

[CarlC]

A lot of alternate foods can be raised at home if you have some extra room and time. Silkworms, hornworms, mantis, superworms, mealworms and roach's are all relatively easy.

Carl

 

[Lazy Boy]

I feed a variety thru each day. My panther will eat about 10 smalls dubias, 4 reptiworms/Phoenix, 3-4 silks and a super or two. Supers he only gets 3 times a week or so and ONLY fresh molted (white almost see thru) but I have way more feeders then my one cham could ever eat and I have had to kill some feeders off. I breed my feeders but reptiworms (smell nasty breeding) and supers (cheap and take forever to breed) so I keep a fresh supply going.

 

[sandrachameleon]

I know it is good to feed a variety of foods but I just have one cham-- and a very picky eater at that. If I order a special food online (Grog LOVES hornworms), I want him to eat them up before they get too big or die. So for a few weeks he'll get a delicacy every other day rotated with an easily available bug (e.g., crickets and superworms). Then we take a month or two off from the delicacies until my wallet fattens up again.

Feeding special bugs every couple of months is better that than no delicacies, yes?

yes - some variety now and then is better than no variety at all.

 

[GrogStudio]

Thanks so much for the input

A lot of alternate foods can be raised at home if you have some extra room and time. Silkworms, hornworms, mantis, superworms, mealworms and roach's are all relatively easy.

Carl

Alas we have a thriving and ever-growing dubia colony and Grog HATES roaches. If I starve him he'll maybe eat ONE and has had about 3 total in 4 months. We're trying to sell the colony. Maybe I'll try raising hornworms next as I know he loves those. I ordered silkies once but they all arrived dead so not sure if he likes them and I've heard they are tougher to keep alive.

I feed a variety thru each day...

Daily would probably not work for Grog. He would eat only his favorites each day and then hold out. Hornworms yes, mealworms yes (I only feed occasionally by hand) supers probably and then we get to the picky categories-- crickets maybe a couple times a week if nothing else is around, phoenix worms even more rarely, dubia almost never.

yes - some variety now and then is better than no variety at all.

Excellent. I'm glad to hear a confirmation from the expert . I try to keep increasing the variety but with one cham who's a picky eater, it's a challenge.

 

[sandrachameleon]

try changing up the way you offer the roaches and crickets, it may help.
you might also hold back on all the larva for a few weeks, to break the picky habit.

 

[kplatvoet]

Ordering eggs is a good way to save some cash - if you have access to a mulberry tree silk worms are way easier to raise - (at least for me) but I've done hornworms- their eggs can't be kept in the fridge for later use.

 

[ChameleonLady]

I feed a variety thru each day. My panther will eat about 10 smalls dubias, 4 reptiworms/Phoenix, 3-4 silks and a super or two. Supers he only gets 3 times a week or so and ONLY fresh molted (white almost see thru) but I have way more feeders then my one cham could ever eat and I have had to kill some feeders off. I breed my feeders but reptiworms (smell nasty breeding) and supers (cheap and take forever to breed) so I keep a fresh supply going.

Will you be my neighbor, please?

 

[werecat]

I am in a similar situation with one cham. We feed crickets and (some) supers as a staple and rotate in some variety when we can obtain it (our guy also turns his nose up at roaches... even the green ones). We recently hatched some silkworms from eggs and those are our chameleon's delicacy! It may be beginners luck, but they were not too hard to raise. We raised on chow. Problem is once they're big they are a bit of a pain. Hatch out very few because with only one cham you'll end up with a lot of extras. This is not so bad since our guy likes the moths too!

Make sure you gutload well and you should be ok with once in a while variety.

Have you tried flies? It's fun to add to the rotation from time to time. We like using the black soldier flies (reptiworms/calciworms/Phoenix worms).

 

[GrogStudio]

Ordering eggs is a good way to save some cash - if you have access to a mulberry tree silk worms are way easier to raise - (at least for me) but I've done hornworms- their eggs can't be kept in the fridge for later use.

I've been scoping out mulberry trees! I got a little scared off silkies when the batch I ordered arrived as a huge stinky brown goo-- the virus, I guess. Good to know you've had luck. I'll try again next order.

I am in a similar situation with one cham. We feed crickets and (some) supers as a staple and rotate in some variety when we can obtain it (our guy also turns his nose up at roaches... even the green ones). We recently hatched some silkworms from eggs and those are our chameleon's delicacy! It may be beginners luck, but they were not too hard to raise. We raised on chow. Problem is once they're big they are a bit of a pain. Hatch out very few because with only one cham you'll end up with a lot of extras. This is not so bad since our guy likes the moths too!

Make sure you gutload well and you should be ok with once in a while variety.

Have you tried flies? It's fun to add to the rotation from time to time. We like using the black soldier flies (reptiworms/calciworms/Phoenix worms).

My guy likes carrots, sweet potato and red peppers so I mostly gutload with greens and repashy. No longer likes phoenix worms so I've been putting in the flies as they hatch-- seems interested though I haven't seen him catch one yet.

Good to hear of another silkie success story. They are next on my list to try. Thanks.

 

[xephyr17]

I feed a variety thru each day. My panther will eat about 10 smalls dubias, 4 reptiworms/Phoenix, 3-4 silks and a super or two. Supers he only gets 3 times a week or so and ONLY fresh molted (white almost see thru) but I have way more feeders then my one cham could ever eat and I have had to kill some feeders off. I breed my feeders but reptiworms (smell nasty breeding) and supers (cheap and take forever to breed) so I keep a fresh supply going.

Is this a daily thing? o.o