Am I feeding my boys too much?

[kokom05lb]

Ok so my husband took out Freckles our Beardie and said that he was getting fat. He's 3 y/o and is a eating machine! He eats 5-6 roaches, 2-3 crickets, and his veggies and still acts like hes starving! I dont know if its because his previous owner didnt feed him much (they didnt give him fresh veggies and meat portion). He is getting thicker since we've had him (since August). But he has the chance to run the house during the day when we are home... Runs from his favorite window sil thoughout the entire livingroom, hallway, kitchen, etc!
Ringo is 10 months old and eats alot less than Freckles. He doesnt like the roaches and prefers crickets so he gets 5-6 crickets a day and I throw 2 roaches in just in case he decides to try them. I would really like to order some silkies for him but moving next month and dont have address yet. I feel like I'm overfeeding Freckles and underfeeding Ringo

 

[chameleoman]

when ever mine wants to eat ill give him an extra few depending on the feeder but my big boy limits himself to only 6-8 crickets a day, sometimes he wont eat for almost a weak and then i try feeding him again hell only eat 10-13 but ya i would defiantly try some silks, horns, butters, supers, locust, mantis, or butterflies, what ever rocks there boats

 

[kokom05lb]

Oh man Freckles is worse than a kid! I have to constantly sweep because if he finds something on the floor he wants to eat it lol. I love my boys though thats for sure... my husband says no to mantids though =/

 

[chameleoman]

my husband says no to mantids though =/

aww man why? theyre good feeders and pets how about walking sticks?

 

[carol5208]

I cannot comment on the Beardie cause I do not own one and know nothing about their diet or eating habits. I don't think you are underfeeding your chameleon. 5-6 feeders a day sounds good and pretty soon you can cut back to every other day if you want. I feed my two adults every other day and I started that when they were about a year old. In the wild it is hard to say how much they eat a day. There is probably days when they cannot catch of find food I would think.

 

[SarahcoadunatioZac]

Yeah in the wild chameleons likely go hungry very often, and remember they have very short life ranges in the wild.

Why no to the mantids? Seriously? Coolest feeder besides butterflies.

 

[kokom05lb]

My husband likes them too much to feed off =/
But Ringo looks good to you guys right? https://www.chameleonforums.com/ringo-10-months-old-94864/ Hes going though a hard shed atm... will post more pics when hes done!