ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
Im checking local pet stores for pinheads, my usual store is out... if I'm not able to find any today what can I do to feed my babies? Are they going to die if they don't eat for a day? This is so stressful!
Can a baby jacksons chameleon go 1 day without eating? Local pet shop out of pinheads....
- Thread starter ConfusedHornwormGuy
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bruce the cham
Avid Member
chameleons can go 2 weeks without eating dont stress it just get them soon as possible
bruce the cham
Avid Member
you can get fruit fly's those are pretty small
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
Actively working on getting a culture producing and going to purchase a second fruit fly culture right now.
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
These are newborns, is that true for newborns?
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
Oregon
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
I put 15 pinheads in their cages daily
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
If they have been eating well, one day is not going to hurt. With that said, they are not nearly as hardy as adults. An adult could go two weeks or more without food while that would be a death sentence for a baby.
One day won't hurt. Baby chameleons certainly eat more in captivity than in the wild. The way that babies are being raised is similar to power-feeding a snake, trying to make them grow as fast as possible. Slowing the growth may be beneficial, but slowing it too much may cause the individual to get stunted growth. One day won't cause stunted growth. Nobody knows where the fine line is, which is why most people prefer to take the safer approach (as we are dealing with live animals) and feed the babies every day or multiple times a day. Make sure that your hydration schedule is on point.
One day won't hurt. Baby chameleons certainly eat more in captivity than in the wild. The way that babies are being raised is similar to power-feeding a snake, trying to make them grow as fast as possible. Slowing the growth may be beneficial, but slowing it too much may cause the individual to get stunted growth. One day won't cause stunted growth. Nobody knows where the fine line is, which is why most people prefer to take the safer approach (as we are dealing with live animals) and feed the babies every day or multiple times a day. Make sure that your hydration schedule is on point.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
Definitely not true for newborns. 2 weeks without food would kill a baby chameleon.
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
That's what I thought, just making sure. I fed them some fruit flies out of my culture today, hopefully it wont impact the boom too much.
Mendez
Chameleon Enthusiast
Keep the ff culture between 70 and 80 for the quickest results. Keeping them cooler will only slow down the time till boom. I wouldn't go any higher than 80 or you risk them going sterile. I think the number is around 85 fot sterility, so 80 is a safe number to aim for and gives you some leeway
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
I have it sitting next to the baby cages where the temp is around 70 degrees
Just elaborate on the the- "2 week idea" that seems a bit to long (but never experienced it so can't confirm it).
Many of my babies would not eat for 3 to 5 days after being born and a few right away. I have had some go a little over a week but did see they had egg yolk still attached for a few days after leaving the egg, until it fell off or absorbed. Usually it all dried up and fell off.
That being said, once they start to eat--- get lots of food.
A little extra info: learn their habits quick, since if a baby stops eating there might be a problem.
Many of my babies would not eat for 3 to 5 days after being born and a few right away. I have had some go a little over a week but did see they had egg yolk still attached for a few days after leaving the egg, until it fell off or absorbed. Usually it all dried up and fell off.
That being said, once they start to eat--- get lots of food.
A little extra info: learn their habits quick, since if a baby stops eating there might be a problem.
Is this all you are feeding? Neonates need a ton of food. They are fed unrestricted amounts.
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
It's all I've been able to supply. These babies were unexpected and I've bought out my local pet store, I only have 1 fruit fly culture producing so I've been giving around 15 insects a day - I dump a lot in there so a little more than 15, but I just try to estimate the clump. I'm working on starting more cultures right now so I can feed more but local stores are out.
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
In reality im probably putting closer to 25 in there, and they eat them usually throughout the day. Every day I check their cages and they seem to have 1. Either eaten all the insects 2. Some of them escaped, and it's probably a mix of the two, overall they seem to be doing well, they go to the bottom of their ferns when hungry (i feed them at 11am dailt and that is when they start moving low) and after feeding they all move back up to bask, and at that point I provide some afternoon humidity and a misting for them to drink, at night I give them another misting and burst of humidity, the routine has been repeating daily for the last few days and the babies seem to be on board, and don't roam low looking for more food until 11am the next day.a
You will need to order them and have them shipped. Check rainbow mealworms site. They sell crickets and are very inexpensive.
ConfusedHornwormGuy
Avid Member
Ive got a third producing culture on the way, my main culture is still producing and I have a second culture ive started myself, I'm considering starting another today for a total of 4. I went to the local pet shop and bought an almost dead culture and dumped all the excelsior and bad fly food that was at the bottom into the trash and put a banana in there, I'm going to use the remainung flies in there to start the 4th culture. That should be enough to sustain these babies for awhile and I will just keep it going. Still going to the local pet store to supplement for more feeders.
And fingers crossed, no babies lost as of yet, which is amazing to me, considering I helped one of them hatch, it's the preemie, tinier than the rest but still going strong, so precious.
Also, should I be giving the babies any vitamins at all? Like in a couple weeks should I give them a vitamin dusted batch?
And fingers crossed, no babies lost as of yet, which is amazing to me, considering I helped one of them hatch, it's the preemie, tinier than the rest but still going strong, so precious.
Also, should I be giving the babies any vitamins at all? Like in a couple weeks should I give them a vitamin dusted batch?
