The Biologist
New Member
Three weeks ago my girlfriend and I became fascinated with these unique creatures and set up with a 3 month old Veiled Chameleon. After Hemingway ate up the batch of appropriately sized crickets we bought at the same time as him, I picked up a few dozen more "small" crickets from a closer pet store.
However, there were a few very large crickets (the size of his head at least) in the mix of smalls. I am now very aware of the very serious dangers of choking and I'm very careful to not let any that are too large in the cage; however, when I filled up his feeding cup that is suspended in the large cage I noticed a couple of these beasts. While attempting to remove them from the feeding cup, one of them parkoured off my hand and out of the cup and I lost track of it in the surrounding foliage.
Here is the interesting part: Having only been in his new world here for a week, Hemingway was very, very timid of us while the door to the cage was open and would hide at a distance until the coast was clear. He would consistently hide low keeping still for at least 2 minutes after we filled up the feeding cup, then proceed to slowly and cautiously ascend to the edge of the cup and have at them. But this time, he took an all out charge toward the large cricket that had escaped with no concern for my presence and ate it. When I say charge, I mean charge. There was nothing I could do fast enough because I wasn't even sure exactly where the cricket was.
The angle he captured it was very lucky, but watching him choke this thing down was one of the hardest things ever to watch. He had it head first, with the legs of the cricket extending 2-3cm out both sides of his mouth. Uncertain of how to deal with the situation, I took to a frantic google search. At one point, he was standing on his back two legs, snaking side to side and waving his front two arms in the air.
I had finally found a good source from someone who had dislodged a cricket from his suffocating chameleon's throat, which distracted me long enough for him to go to the edge of his feeding cup where he zeroed in on the other massive cricket. With a choice between 8 safe sized cricket and the one the size that he has just spent 3 minutes choking down, he decided he was going to eat the large one sideways. This was bad, but he managed again.
Again, I am now fully aware of the appropriate size of crickets to allow Hemingway access to, but I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this strong attraction for the largest food available. I take great interest in animal behavior and I am puzzled as to how Veiled Chameleons could manage in the wild with a preference for such dangerously sized prey. I mean, there is an obvious nutritional benefit to larger prey due to the nature of expanding volumes relative to surface area (in this case, exoskeleton), but damn - an adaptation to avoid prey that will choke you, particularly with the opportunity for smaller prey would be expected. The getting must not be too great in Yemen. I guess that corresponds with the fast rate of development and short longevity (relative to other reptiles) of chameleons...
However, there were a few very large crickets (the size of his head at least) in the mix of smalls. I am now very aware of the very serious dangers of choking and I'm very careful to not let any that are too large in the cage; however, when I filled up his feeding cup that is suspended in the large cage I noticed a couple of these beasts. While attempting to remove them from the feeding cup, one of them parkoured off my hand and out of the cup and I lost track of it in the surrounding foliage.
Here is the interesting part: Having only been in his new world here for a week, Hemingway was very, very timid of us while the door to the cage was open and would hide at a distance until the coast was clear. He would consistently hide low keeping still for at least 2 minutes after we filled up the feeding cup, then proceed to slowly and cautiously ascend to the edge of the cup and have at them. But this time, he took an all out charge toward the large cricket that had escaped with no concern for my presence and ate it. When I say charge, I mean charge. There was nothing I could do fast enough because I wasn't even sure exactly where the cricket was.
The angle he captured it was very lucky, but watching him choke this thing down was one of the hardest things ever to watch. He had it head first, with the legs of the cricket extending 2-3cm out both sides of his mouth. Uncertain of how to deal with the situation, I took to a frantic google search. At one point, he was standing on his back two legs, snaking side to side and waving his front two arms in the air.
I had finally found a good source from someone who had dislodged a cricket from his suffocating chameleon's throat, which distracted me long enough for him to go to the edge of his feeding cup where he zeroed in on the other massive cricket. With a choice between 8 safe sized cricket and the one the size that he has just spent 3 minutes choking down, he decided he was going to eat the large one sideways. This was bad, but he managed again.
Again, I am now fully aware of the appropriate size of crickets to allow Hemingway access to, but I am wondering if anyone else has noticed this strong attraction for the largest food available. I take great interest in animal behavior and I am puzzled as to how Veiled Chameleons could manage in the wild with a preference for such dangerously sized prey. I mean, there is an obvious nutritional benefit to larger prey due to the nature of expanding volumes relative to surface area (in this case, exoskeleton), but damn - an adaptation to avoid prey that will choke you, particularly with the opportunity for smaller prey would be expected. The getting must not be too great in Yemen. I guess that corresponds with the fast rate of development and short longevity (relative to other reptiles) of chameleons...
I would highly recommend separating the bugs before you put them in his cup or at least before you put the cup in the enclosure.
