Can you Over Feed Chameleons?

[Blazor26]

Hi was wondering if you can over feed Chameleons? My Male Ambilobe Panther Chameleon is about 14 inches long and he ate 20 Crickets I put in the Bowl in his Cage all in about 5 Minutes. I have a Veiled Chameleon in another cage and he is about 2 years old and about 19 Inches and would like to know how many to feed him as he doesn't like to eat out of the bowl yet.
So basically how many and how often should I feed both of my Chams? Thx

 

[Andee]

Yes it is possible to overfeed chams, but usually only after they have become 12-18 months. How old is your Panther cham? I would feed either once every day for your veiled a small amount of cricks and veggies, or every other day cricks and every day veggies. (though I'm not positive on veileds this is just what I hear) You might want to wait until someone with more experience with Veileds comes along.

But panthers when they reach maturity should only be fed once a day a small amount, like about I'd say 12-16 large crickets. (though this shouldn't be the only thing that makes up their diet) Or should be fed every other day a large amount.

 

[pssh]

As adults (12 months or older,) they should be fed every other day. People usually recommend 6-10 large crickets or the equivalent for males. Some need a little less, others need a little more to maintain their weight so start from there and adjust as you see fit. If you want, you can feed every day but feed half as many items each day. If your veiled likes veggies, you can offer them daily.

When panthers and veileds get fat, their head pads get pretty round/bulbous. The pads should be either flat or slightly rounded, but should not look like their brains are about to pop out of their head. The head pads should never become convex or sink in, as that means they are either underweight, dehydrated, or both. If you post some pics, people can tell you if they are fat or not.

 

[Blazor26]

Thx for all the answers but I have a question to the replies about my Veiled Cham eating Veggies. What type of Veggies and how do I feed them to him? I thought they would only eat moving critters, I do how ever have Live Ficus Plants in there would the green leafs suffice as Veggies?

 

[pssh]

They don't need veggies, and some wont even eat them. The same fruits and veggies you gutload with, cut into thin slivers/chunks, would be fine. Some eat the plants in their cages, others don't. Just make sure all the plants are non-toxic and you should be fin.

 

[jmacphee9]

post some pics of that big ol veiled you got!

 

[Andee]

Now that I think about it Ryker is almost at 12 months and he has started slowing down by himself to about 8 every day though and yet he's still perfect weight. Just a quick question for you Pssh, don't mean to hijack the thread, but should I slow down the feeding as soon as he turns 12 months? or should I start now, he's about 11 months now.

 

[ridgebax1]

My Veiled is 6-7 months old; sometimes he eats every day some times not; I offer him food daily but no longer get worried if he does not eat. He continues to gain weight and is now around 80 grams; He gets a varied diet, phoenix worms, butter worms, silks, horns, and dubia roaches. He has not had crickets for a couple weeks, I think I am only going to use those on days he is supposed to get his vitamins. He is not a reliable dubia eater so I can't count on them to deliver his vitamins. I am waiting for some Turkistan roaches to see if he likes them. I am hoping he will as they are more active than dubias. Once he is mature I will cut back to every other day feedings.

 

[pssh]

Now that I think about it Ryker is almost at 12 months and he has started slowing down by himself to about 8 every day though and yet he's still perfect weight. Just a quick question for you Pssh, don't mean to hijack the thread, but should I slow down the feeding as soon as he turns 12 months? or should I start now, he's about 11 months now.

For males, I usually start feeding every other day around 8-10 months or so and then cut back around 12 months again. I do it based on the individual animal though. For the fast growers I might start a little sooner, and for the slower growers I might not limit the food at all. If he is basically a nearly full sized adult right now, you can cut back. If he seems like he still needs to do a bit of growing, he might not need to have his food cut back. A scale really helps a lot. You can monitor his weight to make sure he is still growing well/maintaining his weight. Looking at the head pads/cheeks/hips/tail area is also helpful. If the head pads/cheeks are really round and bulbous, then he needs to have his food cut back.

 

[kinyonga]

You should be able to tell if you are overfeeding your chameleon constantly because it will get fat. In my experience its not easy to constantly overfeed a male panther chameleon as it is for a veiled. A female of either species is another matter!

The head pads on a panther chameleon should be protruding quite a bit IMHO.