What gets your chameleons apetite going?
- Thread starter Seegs
- Start date
Murrdox
New Member
Hunger strikes are common with just about any chameleon. My last panther went through MANY phases.
Didn't want to eat dusted crickets. Then ONLY ate dusted crickets. Then wouldn't eat crickets at all, wanted Superworms. Then back to dusted crickets, then back to Superworms, etc...
To get a chameleon off a hunger strike:
1) Double-check your temperatures / humidity. Dry climate or low temperatures can stunt appetite.
2) Don't offer any food for 2 days.
3) Offer different prey item (you've already done this)
4) Try feeding at different times of the day (morning / afternoon / evening). I've found morning feedings to be most effective, about 30 minutes after their light fixtures turn on in the morning. Somewhat related to this, sometimes feeding right after they've finished drinking can be effective.
5) Health problems (poor hydration, stress, other illnesses, etc...)
Didn't want to eat dusted crickets. Then ONLY ate dusted crickets. Then wouldn't eat crickets at all, wanted Superworms. Then back to dusted crickets, then back to Superworms, etc...
To get a chameleon off a hunger strike:
1) Double-check your temperatures / humidity. Dry climate or low temperatures can stunt appetite.
2) Don't offer any food for 2 days.
3) Offer different prey item (you've already done this)
4) Try feeding at different times of the day (morning / afternoon / evening). I've found morning feedings to be most effective, about 30 minutes after their light fixtures turn on in the morning. Somewhat related to this, sometimes feeding right after they've finished drinking can be effective.
5) Health problems (poor hydration, stress, other illnesses, etc...)
Seegs...please don't keep making more threads about the same chameleon that you continue to have issues with. It makes it hard for us to get the whole picture.
I can't see where you have posted photos of the chameleon in your threads so we could tell if it has MBD or not. I don't see where you filled out the "how to ask for help" questions in the health forum. The lack of appetite could be from something you are not doing with your husbandry but it could also happen if he has MBD. If you want help you need to give us proper information.
In the meantime...here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.
Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).
If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).
Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.
Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
I can't see where you have posted photos of the chameleon in your threads so we could tell if it has MBD or not. I don't see where you filled out the "how to ask for help" questions in the health forum. The lack of appetite could be from something you are not doing with your husbandry but it could also happen if he has MBD. If you want help you need to give us proper information.
In the meantime...here's some information I hope will help you with supplementing, etc.....
Appropriate cage temperatures aid in digestion and thus play a part indirectly in nutrient absorption.
Exposure to UVB from either direct sunlight or a proper UVB light allows the chameleon to produce D3 so that it can use the calcium in its system to make/keep the bones strong and be used in other systems in the chameleon as well. The UVB should not pass through glass or plastic no matter whether its from the sun or the UVB light. The most often recommended UVB light is the long linear fluorescent Repti-sun 5.0 tube light. Some of the compacts, spirals and tube lights have caused health issues, but so far there have been no bad reports against this one.
A wide variety of insects that have been well fed and gutloaded should be fed to it.
Since many of the feeder insects we use in captivity have a poor ratio of calcium to phosphorus in them, its important to dust the insects just before you feed them to the chameleon at most feedings with a phos.-free calcium powder to help make up for it. (I use Rep-cal phosphorus-free calcium).
If you also dust twice a month with a phos.-free calcium/D3 powder it will ensure that your chameleon gets some D3 without overdoing it. It leaves the chameleon to produce the rest of what it needs through its exposure to the UVB light. D3 from supplements can build up in the system but D3 produced from exposure to UVB shouldn't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of it. (I use Rep-cal phos.-free calcium/D3).
Dusting twice a month as well with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene (prOformed) source of vitamin A will ensure that the chameleon gets some vitamins without the danger of overdosing the vitamin A. PrEformed sources of vitamin A can build up in the system and may prevent the D3 from doing its job and push the chameleon towards MBD. However, there is controversy as to whether all/any chameleons can convert the beta carotene and so some people give some prEformed vitamin A once in a while. (I use herptivite which has beta carotene.)
Gutloading/feeding the insects well helps to provide what the chameleon needs. I gutload crickets, roaches, locusts, superworms, etc. with an assortment of greens (dandelions, kale, collards, endive, escarole, mustard greens, etc.) and veggies (carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc.)
Calcium, phos., D3 and vitamin A are important players in bone health and other systems in the chameleon (muscles, etc.) and they need to be in balance. When trying to balance them, you need to look at the supplements, what you feed the insects and what you feed the chameleon.
Please note that various supplements have various amounts of D3 and vitamin A and so some can be given more often than others. The idea still is not to overdo the fat soluble vitamins like D3 and prEformed vitamin A.
Here are some good sites for you to read too...
http://chameleonnews.com/07FebWheelock.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200605020...Vitamin.A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/200406080...d.Calcium.html
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/
http://web.archive.org/web/200601140...ww.adcham.com/
If you can't access the sites above that have the word "archive" in you can do it through the WayBackMachine.
Last edited:
You need to keep your Cham interested by frequently rotating or offering a variety of feeders.
If you are going through a strike then just starve the Cham for a few days and then offer crickets. If no luck, just go another day and repeat. Eventually they will give in. I will warn you though - they can be very stubborn in my experience!
Good luck
Edit - mine go nuts for juicy silkworms
If you are going through a strike then just starve the Cham for a few days and then offer crickets. If no luck, just go another day and repeat. Eventually they will give in. I will warn you though - they can be very stubborn in my experience!
Good luck
Edit - mine go nuts for juicy silkworms
MojoStylee
New Member
Are there any type of moths to avoid feeding to your chams?
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