a couple questions, please answer!

[amanda509]

1.) for one chameleon, how many do you feed a day,how many crickets do you get at a time, how long do they last, do you breed them? any other info?

2.) what do you feed the crickets? how long does it last/need replenished? how much to you feed per how many crickets?

3.) cricket crack, how long does it last for as many crickets you need to sustain one chameleon?

4.) how do you start off? buy so many at a petstore and breed them? online?

5.) personal experiences and anything else i need to know

i want to know everything i can about sustaining crickets for my future cham...that way i dont have buy them every week, or end up spending a fortune on sustaining them...

 

[camimom]

1.) for one chameleon, how many do you feed a day,how many crickets do you get at a time, how long do they last, do you breed them? any other info?
Amount of feeders depends on the age of the chameleon. I buy 1000 crickets from mulberryfarms.com about once a month, not quite a month when my cham was younger. I dont intentionally breed them, but will be doing so soon
2.) what do you feed the crickets? how long does it last/need replenished? how much to you feed per how many crickets?I feed dandilion leaves, apples, oranges, potatoes, mustard greens. I dont measure out how much i feed, just give them food and replentish as it is devoured or begins to mold.

3.) cricket crack, how long does it last for as many crickets you need to sustain one chameleon?never used it

4.) how do you start off? buy so many at a petstore and breed them? online?I buy online, I only buy from a store when i run out. And i hate doing this at petsmart and petco crickets never stay alive for very long

5.) personal experiences and anything else i need to know I plan on using a big tub (like the red green xmas tubs), cutting a large square out of the lid, glueing mesh down, then placing some sponges, alot of egg cartons, and crickets inside, hope they breed.

i want to know everything i can about sustaining crickets for my future cham...that way i dont have buy them every week, or end up spending a fortune on sustaining them...

See my ansewres in red.

 

[amanda509]

any idea how many to feed a 6 month old jackon's?

 

[hallenhe]

Jackson's are smaller than panthers and veileds, and don't eat quite as much. My Jackson's was nine months when I got him; I would estimate 3-5 smallish (1/4 inch to 1/2 inch crickets) crickets daily for a 6 month Jackson's, depending on the size of the chameleon. As they get bigger and older, they can eat bigger bugs, but tail off on the feeding, as they no longer need the big quantities to put on weight and increase in size; as an adult, my Jackson's got ~ 3-5 large (inch or so) crickets OR a superworm every other day.

 

[camimom]

any idea how many to feed a 6 month old jackon's?

I would still let him eat as many as he can. assuming its a boy. I dont know how appetite varies between species, but my male veiled would chomp 5-15 medium crickets a day.

 

[amanda509]

i forgot to ask about vitamins. i know its calcium without d3 everyday, and with d3 and a multi 2x a month. depending on how many crickets my cham will eat, how many should i dust? all of them? a couple...same with with d3 and multi?

 

[camimom]

i forgot to ask about vitamins. i know its calcium without d3 everyday, and with d3 and a multi 2x a month. depending on how many crickets my cham will eat, how many should i dust? all of them? a couple...same with with d3 and multi?

dust all. light dusting, dont 'ghost' them.

 

[BocaJan]

If you only have one chameleon I wouldn't order a thousand crickets. I have 25 chams eating different size crickets and I buy crickets every week. I buy a box of 1000 of adult crickets (about 3/4" to 1" size) and a box of 1/2" Plus 1000 pins. Even though I clean the bins of the adults and 1/2's they still smell and I get little gnats in the boxes. I let the adults lay eggs in an egg laying bin and hatch out pins for my baby pygmys, but the box of adult crickets still smells before it's time for the next visit to the store. I compared costs of getting them from the reptile store vs buying them online and paying shipping and found it was cheaper for me to get them from the store. I didn't have to worry about remembering to call so I wouldn't be out. Then, there was the cricket plague when the crickets were all dying.....

Anyway, you can probably just get yourself a large cricket keeper and a hundred fifty crickets a week and you will be ok. Just give your crickets fresh fruit and veggies or the orange cubes you can find at a large pet store and you will be fine.