Adult feeding: What's the dif between daily vs every other day?

paigesc

New Member
I have an adult ambanja that we've had for about 5 days (after enduring a trip from hell resulting in a 2 day shipment in outrageous heat)

We've been feeding him daily (beween 4/7 crix), yet he always looks for more?

Is there a difference between daily feeding vs. every other day? And how many crx per week is appropriate for a really stout male?

As a side note, are daily bowel movements to be expected in an adult or does the frequency of bowel movements slow down with age/feeding?

Thanks,
Paige & John
 
My panther poops like once every 2 weeks. That's normal for him. My veiled goes 2x a week and my jackson is every 2 or 3 days. They vary, just like people. As long as he doesn't strain when he goes and the urates look good then I wouldn't be worried.

I feed my adult panther 7-10 crix every other day and he will always eat more if I let him. Obesity can be a problem in these guys too though. He could actually stand to lose a little weight...but tough love is difficult. ;) If you're feeding every day I would feed less, like 4-5 crix a day and skip a day here and there. That's jmo but I think it helps everything keep moving better. I'm sure others have different thoughts on it based on their experiences. I tend to think that in the wild food isn't always readily available and there are probably lots of days when pickings may be slim (rainstorms, during droughts, etc.) so they can do well with variety in feeding habits.
 
Many thanks! I'm super worried about this cham do to the shipping nightmare. I have caught him napping a few times during the day since we got him and if it continues I'll def have him examined by the end of the week. I'm just trying to give him time to get acclimated to the new time zone and recover from shipping before I start freaking out. He's a sweet boy and def has an appetite. Not so much for water since he guzzled it on Wed when he first arrived, but he doesn't appear to be suffering or in any apparent distress. Just really calm and hungry.. and in the middle of a major shed at the moment (I'm sure caused in part by dehydration from shipping).

I keep looking for poop daily so it's nice to know he's not necessarily impacted right now.. His appetite is perfect so I hope that's a good sign for now..

I appreciate your reply!!
 
My panther poops like once every 2 weeks. That's normal for him. My veiled goes 2x a week and my jackson is every 2 or 3 days. They vary, just like people. As long as he doesn't strain when he goes and the urates look good then I wouldn't be worried.

I feed my adult panther 7-10 crix every other day and he will always eat more if I let him. Obesity can be a problem in these guys too though. He could actually stand to lose a little weight...but tough love is difficult. ;) If you're feeding every day I would feed less, like 4-5 crix a day and skip a day here and there. That's jmo but I think it helps everything keep moving better. I'm sure others have different thoughts on it based on their experiences. I tend to think that in the wild food isn't always readily available and there are probably lots of days when pickings may be slim (rainstorms, during droughts, etc.) so they can do well with variety in feeding habits.

I completely agree.

@OP- He had a long trip. Make sure you keep giving him daily showers. Right Now he acclimating to the new environment. Like Carol said, feeding too much may cause obesity, so you want to watch out for that. I personally have never owned an adult panther, but have owned adult quads, veileds, verrucosus, and jackson's. Sometimes, I would put 10-15 crickets in their enclosure, and feed them again after a day of no food offered. It all depended on what stage of growth or acclimation. The reason I did that is because there would still be crickets in there from the previous feeding. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the fact that when they are older, their metabolism slows down, just like any animal. This is why you could switch to every other day.

LOT08
 
Thanks guys. Temps are 85 basking, 77 mid and 70 at the bottom of cage. Lighting is reptisun 5.0 with 100watt zoomed for basking. He's not under the basking lamp, though. He is off to the side of it where temps are a bit cooler at around 78-80.
 
I have an adult ambanja that we've had for about 5 days (after enduring a trip from hell resulting in a 2 day shipment in outrageous heat)We've been feeding him daily (beween 4/7 crix), yet he always looks for more?
Is there a difference between daily feeding vs. every other day? And how many crx per week is appropriate for a really stout male?
As a side note, are daily bowel movements to be expected in an adult or does the frequency of bowel movements slow down with age/feeding?
Thanks,
Paige & John

I feed mine almost daily. About 6 days a week. 1-5 bugs each day.
What is the length and weight and age of your chameleon?

Yes, adults eat less than growing young and thus poop less.

Ensure plenty of water is available.
 
I feed my adult panther 7-10 crix every other day and he will always eat more if I let him.

Oh my god... I would never recommend such masses of food in an adult panther chameleon. That will be about 28 to 40 crickets in one single week. :eek: :eek: From my experience 10 a week seem to be absolutely enough - in summer. And I don't wonder anymore why lots of people here worry about their chameleons not eating for a day or two. Well, they're reptiles... and most seem to be overfed.
 
Oh my god... I would never recommend such masses of food in an adult panther chameleon. That will be about 28 to 40 crickets in one single week. :eek: :eek: From my experience 10 a week seem to be absolutely enough - in summer. And I don't wonder anymore why lots of people here worry about their chameleons not eating for a day or two. Well, they're reptiles... and most seem to be overfed.

Well that's your opinion. He's a big panther, about 285g and while I strive for every other day feedings sometimes they get skipped, like today because I woke up an hour late. If I have worms available I cut down on the crix. I weigh him every few weeks and he is staying steady at his current weight so I am not worried that he is overeating.

Why weren't you horrified by sandracham as well? Up to 5 crickets daily would be the same as my up to 10 every other day wouldn't it? Just saying...
 
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Why weren't you horrified by sandracham as well? Up to 5 crickets daily would be the same as my up to 10 every other day wouldn't it? Just saying...

Right, no big difference... and still too much in my opinion. I've seen too much fat livers and other "nice" results in fat chameleons.
 
Oh my god... I would never recommend such masses of food in an adult panther chameleon. That will be about 28 to 40 crickets in one single week. :eek: :eek: From my experience 10 a week seem to be absolutely enough - in summer. And I don't wonder anymore why lots of people here worry about their chameleons not eating for a day or two. Well, they're reptiles... and most seem to be overfed.

I have a question for you. In the summer you recommend 10 feeders the size of adult crickets a week, correct? What do you recommend for the winter for panthers and veileds?
 
I have a question for you. In the summer you recommend 10 feeders the size of adult crickets a week, correct? What do you recommend for the winter for panthers and veileds?

Three fruit files and a drop of water... for the season. :D
 
Why are we getting our knickers in a twist about the number of bugs?

Stating a flat number of feeders per day or per week is useless.

How much one should feed depends on the activity level of the animal, the type and size (length) of the animal, the type and size of the insect (1 fat superworm packs more calories than 3 small crickets).

An animal recovering from injury or egg laying or one that is growing has different needs from ones that are not. A one year old adult panther eats more than a 7 year old adult to remain the same weight.

I do feed 1-5 per day, which averages out to around 8-12 per week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. My animals are all healthy, not over weight.

There is no hard and fast rule, folks.

Keep an eye on the weight and body condition - that's the only true way to know.
 
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