Feeding pinky mice?

How big should your cham be before you can start to feed in pinky mice? Lazer is pretty good size, he is 1 1/2 yrs old. I don't want him to choke, so I'm not sure if its worth it or not. Here is a pic of him, what do ya think??

i think most will advise you not to feed pinkie mice

I was thinking that once or twice a year would be a good thing added to the chams diet. It will give it some fats and a little calcium that regular feeders do not supply.

i think it might be a good idea if they have recently laid eggs to give them a bit extra calcium, but i wouldnt just for the sake of it

funny ive heard not to countless times on this site, yet my vet (who is in my experience, the best in toronto) said feeding an adult male panther a pinky once a week would be very beneficial. so needless to say there are two trains of thought on the subject. i took the advice with haste & only feed a pinky every half a year or so. i think some people dont feed pinkies because they are cute little squeakers & dont see the need since chams can thrive without.

Pinky mice do not have calcium as they are made up of cartiledge. Also pinky mice are mainly for the larger chams like parsonii, melleri, outslets. It is used to fatten up skinny chams or as a treat once or twice a year.

pantherlover said:

funny ive heard not to countless times on this site, yet my vet (who is in my experience, the best in toronto) said feeding an adult male panther a pinky once a week would be very beneficial. so needless to say there are two trains of thought on the subject. i took the advice with haste & only feed a pinky every half a year or so. i think some people dont feed pinkies because they are cute little squeakers & dont see the need since chams can thrive without.

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I would have to ask what studies you Vet has done or believes in that makes him think this is beneficial. Anyone can say they "think" this would be beneficial. Pinky mice are not just laying around available for chams to snap up in the wild.

I believe it would be a good treat, but also would wax worms and any other larva. But in my opinion it is okay a few times a year as a treat or to give a little extra fat to a skinny chams diet. You will hear mixed reviews so really it is up to you.

Julirs said:

I would have to ask what studies you Vet has done or believes in that makes him think this is beneficial. Anyone can say they "think" this would be beneficial. Pinky mice are not just laying around available for chams to snap up in the wild.

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Actually some mice and other rodents do make their nests in trees, off the ground from predators. Just thought I would share Mice are exceptional climbers, they can climb almost anything.

Julirs said:

I would have to ask what studies you Vet has done or believes in that makes him think this is beneficial. Anyone can say they "think" this would be beneficial. Pinky mice are not just laying around available for chams to snap up in the wild.

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ya, true enough. im sure the best vet in toronto is not even in the same realm as many of the vets availible in the rest of north america. some adivce was good like bumping up the heat to get my old guy to be a litlle less picky of an eater. i didnt take his pinky advice full heartedly. needless to say ive learned to really stay ontop of things by doing my own research. harry from chromachameleons has given me, by far, the best advice ive taken in on a one on one. id imagine larger chams would snatch up the odd baby bird out of a nest & males panthers, for example, would attract bugs attracted to flowers... a pinky once a week seemed outlandish to me. i wouldnt defend the train of thought, seeing as how i dont know nearly enough about it. im just saying it exists.

i think my vet might have suggested it because my cham was going in & out of hunger strikes & is to this day. so my guess is a little exra emergency fat wouldnt be a bad thing. many days ive got to offer 3 ir 4 different feeders daily to find out what he randomly wants to munch on. so in certin circumstances, feeding pinkies more often than every half a year or so might be a good thing.

In my opinion, having had chameleons for more than a decade, pinkies are unnecessary. Anything a pinkie could provide could be provided via insects.

Try for a variety of insects, you can even go outside with a butterfly net, go into a field, swipe around in the grass a bit and pick through what you find. Gutload them accordingly and feed em off. Just make sure they are safe, you do that when you pick through them.

so sandra, do you think wax worms would be the best choice to fatten up a skinny cham?

justjumpit621 said:

Try for a variety of insects, you can even go outside with a butterfly net, go into a field, swipe around in the grass a bit and pick through what you find. Gutload them accordingly and feed em off. Just make sure they are safe, you do that when you pick through them.

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I'm not sure if that's the best idea. Everything I've read suggests that you should only use captive bred feeders to be sure they have not come into contact with pesticides and other harmful things.

I know in the wild chams eat native feeders, but those chams have already been exposed to parasites and have built up a natural tolerance to them. Our captive bred chams have no defenses to fight off naturally occurring parasites in wild caught feeders.

I never use rodents of any age as feeders for chameleons.

ya, cant go catching wild feeders where i live so im stuck with all the well known feeders.

pantherlover said:

ya, cant go catching wild feeders where i live so im stuck with all the well known feeders.

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Good thing they love what we give them!

It seems like its a 50 50 hung jury. I think Lazer is getting a treat after I get off work

id only be fair in stating that the people that have opposed the idea on this thread have much more experience than myself and others who have stated they do it with the exception of donna who is a great keeper & been a big help to me, who said she will feed a pinky on occasion. sandrachameleon and julirs have proven themselves to be pros at cham keeping. id hold both of their opinions in very high regard. ive learned something new from each of their posts daily.