feeding question

hey im sorry im sure this has been asked already but what are good ways to feed a chameleon i have about a 2 week old female chameleon and i dont really know the best way to feed her i want to make sure she is actually eating the food and it not just hopping around in her cage...so what would yall recomend...

stevenidlett said:

hey im sorry im sure this has been asked already but what are good ways to feed a chameleon i have about a 2 week old female chameleon and i dont really know the best way to feed her i want to make sure she is actually eating the food and it not just hopping around in her cage...so what would yall recomend...

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how bout flightless fruitflies?

Fruit flies and pinheads...

Not to seem like an a-hole... you should do your research, not knowing what to feed a chameleon isn't great chameleon keeping.

http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/babycare.html
(that site will help you out)
Goodluck

David

see thats what the lady at petco said...but do i just put a bunch of flightless fruit flys in her cage or what???

and dave if u will take the time out to actually read the post i made it says that i dont know the best way to feed the chameleon not what to feed her...

stevenidlett said:

see thats what the lady at petco said...but do i just put a bunch of flightless fruit flys in her cage or what???

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ahhhh petco go figure
did you buy the 2 weeks cham from them?
Seriously, they shouldn't sell underage chameleon to a first owner.
2.5 months old is the youngest they should sell..

how big is your enclosure?
if it is small enough, i think you can let the fruitflies free roam.. try cup feeding 1 day old pinhead crickets if you have too.
BTW, can you post a pic of your enclosure and the ambient temp and the light you are using..

If you bought the cham from petco and follow every advices that they give you,
be prepared to refund most of the equipments..
they are notorious in giving advices that kill your chameleon within a month.


lemme guess what petco tell you to buy:...
exo terra 12 12 12 inches (for a baby this might work actually. although u will be needing to buy another cage when he reached 2.5 months)
compact UVB
100 watt UVA
a fountain
coconut fiber substrate
fake plants
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If i hit the jackpots, those are the things that will kill your chameleon pretty soon (especially for a 2 weeks old chameleon).
So you need to change it ASAP.

no...i dont really buy anything from petco if i can help it...i did for my first herp tho a ball python....huge mistake buy from the overpriced/over rated franchise...regardless i got the chameleon from a reptile expo in round rock tx...and i have all the correct lighting and heating on her...and i mist the hell out of her...i dont have a fountain and i just use kinda a turf like substrate u can buy in sheets i think its some kinda reptile carpet...and the cage is a 38 gallon reptarium...all mesh and i do have fake plants...

stevenidlett said:

no...i dont really buy anything from petco if i can help it...i did for my first herp tho a ball python....huge mistake buy from the overpriced/over rated franchise...regardless i got the chameleon from a reptile expo in round rock tx...and i have all the correct lighting and heating on her...and i mist the hell out of her...i dont have a fountain and i just use kinda a turf like substrate u can buy in sheets i think its some kinda reptile carpet...and the cage is a 38 gallon reptarium...all mesh and i do have fake plants...

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phewww!!!
alright first things first...
get rid of the turf.. you don't really need it.
the best substrate for chameleon is no substrate at all.
eh for now, fake plant is ok.. but you might want to consider buying a real plants for him soon. make sure it's pesticides free or if you bought it from local nursery, make sure you prepare the plants first b4 you introduce them to your chameleon.

check the link that Dave provides.
That is a good one to provide best care for babies..

I can't believe someone sold you a 2 week old baby... Either way, Cup feeding is probably the best way to make sure that it is eating, but honestly they usually have a very good appetite. Make sure to keep food available for them throughout the day. She is a growing little booger and needs all the the food she can get.
Are you well versed in female veiled chameleon care yet? I mean about egg laying and stuff? It will be quite a while before you have to worry about that but it's better to gain the knowledge now rather than when she is pacing around and not eating and you don't know what to do.

stevenidlett said...."i dont really know the best way to feed her "...if she is in a non-mesh/screen cage where insects can't escape then the insects can be let loose in the cage. If your chameleon is in a mesh/screen cage then you need to use a cup method to keep the insects from escaping. As was already said...it doesn't matter if the insects are moving around the cage...as long as the cage isn't too big she will find them.

I'm not a fan of cup-feeding in most cases...but somethimes its necessary. I believe that free-ranging the insects gives the chameleon (and its tongue) exercise and is more natural.

I also prefer to use real non-toxic plants that have been well-washed...both sides of the leaves.

Do you know about gutloading, feeding your insects a nutritious diet, supplementing?

Here are some sites that you might like to read that have good information...
http://www.adcham.com/
http://www.chameleonnews.com/
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/uvinviv.htm
On this last one pay attention to the information on the problems caused by some compact and tube UVB lights.

Regarding keeping female egglaying chameleons..its important to provide a suitable egglaying site once they are close to sexual maturity in case they produce eggs. (Some produce eggs without having been mated.)

This is a good place to ask questions....so fire away!

stevenidlett said:

and dave if u will take the time out to actually read the post i made it says that i dont know the best way to feed the chameleon not what to feed her...

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You're right I apologize, well that link will help anyways...

David

preciate the link

well when i first go my veiled i took a a tupperware with a lid and cut a hole in the top with a small twig going down into it. i filled the bowl with phoniex worms. they are high in calcium and he would eat about 50 a week. they were very small tho. be warned phoneix worms arent cheap.