Best time of day to feed?

[NinjaFeet]

Hi everyone, fairly new here and getting most of it figured out so far, but a quick question I haven't been able to find the answer to yet.

I understand that heat aids in digestion with chameleons, but there's not really any mention of how long they need to sustain the heat for a healthy process.

In Psychobunny's blog on taming your chameleon it mentions you should establish a routine with your pet and attempt to feed it around the same time and same way each day.

I'm usually off to work at 7, and so far have been feeding him in a bowl on my way out the door. This doesn't however give me much interaction with him. So if I wait till the evening when I get home, is 3 hours or so enough heat before he goes to bed, or should they fully digest all day long before metabolism slows down?

Also, is it ok to possibly feed 2/3 of daily intake in morning, and then a lighter bit of food in evening just to establish ties yet be mostly digested?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jannb]

Welcome to the forums. What kind of chameleon do you have? In your situation I would feed the majority of the feeders in the mornings and save a few for treats when you come home. If you start to see undigested feeders in the poop then you would want to stop feeding in the evening.

 

[FlChamMom]

I feed mine around 11:00 am, my guys like to have a drink and warm up before breakfast. There are keepers here who feed in the afternoon too. I would give the majority of his food before you go to work then maybe give him a treat by hand when you get home. That way you get interaction and he gets to digest his big meal during the day. In the wild, a cham is not going to refuse a juicy bug at 7 either!

 

[NinjaFeet]

He's a 5 month old Panther Chameleon. Thanks for the fast replies! I'll stick to that and keep an eye on things.