What do you do?

[farkasjk14]

I am curious as to the feeding method people use; cup feeding or free range?

I know that free range gives the animal more activity, but I've also heard that there's a risk that the chameleon can splice his tongue if he hits it on a "sharp" stick.

Cup feeding is less active, but more safe?

Thoughts????

 

[jannb]

I cup feed and hand feed because I'm afraid they might get their tongue wrapped around a branch or something. When you cup feed and hand feed all the time they do get to where they don't shoot their tongue very far but that's ok with me.

 

[Sticktongue]

Cup feeding is nice because it's easy to keep track and remove un eaten feeders.

I like free range because I love watching them hunt.

Hand feeding is just plain fun I do all three....

 

[steppedinds]

Cup feeding is nice because it's easy to keep track and remove un eaten feeders.

I like free range because I love watching them hunt.

Hand feeding is just plain fun I do all three....

i also do all three. I have a cup in each of my tanks that I put a few crickets in a day, and also throw a few free range. then when I want to give them a treat, usually after handling, ill handfeed or hand-cupfeed some dubias or worms

 

[Klink]

Maybe someone can enlighten me here, but I've never seen or heard of a cham injuring themselves on a sharp stick or twig. I wouldn't think anyone has thorny, or spine like plants in their enclosures. Not trying to sound rude, just curious.

 

[Psychobunny]

Well, I pretty much hand and cup feed, so I can cut down on cricks getting
out of the cages and running around the house, chirpping their fool heads off

Kokie, however, will not have anything to do with eating out of a cup, but will
eat out of my hand!! go figure!!??

If I feel lazy, I just dump the cricks into their home-made DIY crick feeder, or
just turn em' loose in there!

 

[Psychobunny]

Maybe someone can enlighten me here, but I've never seen or heard of a cham injuring themselves on a sharp stick or twig. I wouldn't think anyone has thorny, or spine like plants in their enclosures. Not trying to sound rude, just curious.

Yes, it is possible for them to injure themselves and it actually happens more
then you may think.
One member had to take her veiled to a vet and have the tongue amputated
because it flicked it at a hot bulb and got badly burned.

Also, screen gages can have holes, tares, etc. with exposed, sharp wire.
And fake plants have metal wire inside them which can also get exposed
if a leaf gets knocked off.

The list of possible hazards goes on, and they would encounter far fewer of
them in the wild. Just need to keep from being another animal's dinner

 

[CLP]

For crickets, I cup feed so the crickets stay put and don't end up free-ranging in my house . My little baby gets some free range crickets, but only because the screen in his enclosure is small enough to keep the crickets in.

Roaches are cup fed because otherwise they end up hiding under something before my chams get to them.

Superworms and mealworms that don't hang on to branches get cup fed or hand-fed, and silks and horns get fed free range.

 

[Ctg]

I'm trying to cup train my 2.5 month panther but not having much luck so far.

 

[DrtyRdr]

I also do all three. I'll usually cup feed my Jackson's two or three of whatever it is I'm feeding just for the peace of mind of knowing he is eating, and then dump the rest into his enclosure so he can hunt. Hand feed when the occasion arises.

 

[pigglett79]

I hand feed most of the time, but will also place silk, horns or roaches on a leaf or branch and watch to be sure they are eaten. Oh and for Rex I put snails on braches because he really chomps those and would definitely bite my hand if I hand fed those.