Cham does not seem interested in eating crickets

[Virgil1972]

I have a male veiled chameleon that is a sub adult. He does not seem to want to hunt crickets that I put in his cage. He is in a 260 gallon screen cage with live plants and branches in it. I started watching him from a distance after I put about 2 to 3 crickets in his cage and he does not seem to care about them. They will crawl right by them and he seems to ignore them. I also give him meal worms, not at the same time as the crickets, and I put the meal worms in a little dish and he eats them right away. I am wondering why he will not go after the crickets and how I can make him more interested in hunting them?

 

[HueTheChameleon]

You may want to put a smaller tank in the larger tank and put the crickets in the small tank. Have branches leading to the smaller tank. Then put the crickets in the smaller tank so they can't jump out. This will let your chameleon know where the crickets are and learn to hunt them. Eventually you can remove the tank and he'll have the instinct to hunt them. Also, make sure you're giving your chameleon crickets he can handle. The general rule is to buy crickets no longer than their mouth is wide. Usually small to medium are the right size for sub adult.

Even then, phoenix worms are better than crickets for him anyway, so if you primarily feed phoenix worms and only vary with crickets, wax worms, leafy greens, etc you're still doing a good job.

 

[Virgil1972]

Thank you I will try that. I am limited to what I can get for food in the winter. I live in Wisconsin and I dont want to order bugs online and have them die because of the cold.

 

[MSMorgan]

Thank you I will try that. I am limited to what I can get for food in the winter. I live in Wisconsin and I dont want to order bugs online and have them die because of the cold.

Virgil,

Welcome to the site. Glad you found us. If you don't want to order bugs in for fear of the cold, you might take a look on Craigslist.com for your local area. There maybe someone that is raising dubia roaches of crix for that matter and is close by. As Hue has mentioned, "variety is key." Do what you can and when it warms up a little..........

 

[HueTheChameleon]

I live in Chicago. You can order phoenix worms and have them hold them for you at the post office. They guarantee live delivery that way. I order about once a month, even through this rough winter and have always received alive.

I usually order from rainbowmealworms.net. I used to use crickets primarily, but even with occasional dusting my chameleon wasn't getting enough calcium. Phoenix worms have high calcium content, don't have a hard shell like super worms (so are easier on your chameleons digestive tract), and aren't fatty like wax worms. They also are extremely low maintenance. I just pick out 10-20 throw some water in their container to get off their food/media (the worms float so you can pick them out and the media sinks, so you can just toss the dirty water after picking out the worms). You don't have to feed phoenix worms either, since they come in that media. You don't have to dust the worms either since they naturally are high in calcium.

Also, the worms are much quieter than keeping 1000 live crickets.

EDIT: It's best to order on a Monday or Tuesday so you get delivery by the end of the week, so you can stop by the post office on Saturday to pick up.

 

[Virgil1972]

I did not know they can survive cold temps.

 

[HueTheChameleon]

I did not know they can survive cold temps.

If you have them delivered to your door and are left outside, they probably would not survive the cold temp.

If when ordering, you select for your delivery to be held at your local post office, your local post office will hold the shipment for you in the warm building. You can then stop by and pick them up whenever is convenient for you. They are really nice about this. I just noticed that they have a sampler pack that I may get for my chameleon next month once we run out of phoenix worms: http://www.rainbowmealworms.net/chameleon-sampler-pack/

If you're concerned about temperatures during shipping and not just sitting on your front porch, you shouldn't really. The airplane cabin can reach -71 degrees Fahrenheit, so the packages are shipped in somewhat insulated methods. The real danger is leaving it on your front porch when the individual package is no longer in the large bundle that is usually insulated.

 

[Virgil1972]

My cham will still not eat crickets or roaches. I have tried letting them roam cage free and putting them in a bowl and a cup. He just ignores them. He will only eat things that are worm shape. I can only buy crickets, roaches, and meal worms where I live. If I want stuff like super worms and other things like that I have to ether go online or make a two hour round trip to buy some. I would really like him to eat crickets and roaches. Does anyone have any ideas to get him to eat them?

 

[alphakenc]

He will only eat things that are worm shape

Once you feed the cham with mealworm n superworm they will start getting addicted to them,that is the reason ur cham is not eating cricket or roaches,the only thing U can try is silkworm n hornworm,then slowly switch back to crickets,it might take as long (when u start feeding them mealworm) as twice much of the time to correct the problem,and you will need to start soon as now.

 

[Virgil1972]

Once you feed the cham with mealworm n superworm they will start getting addicted to them,that is the reason ur cham is not eating cricket or roaches,the only thing U can try is silkworm n hornworm,then slowly switch back to crickets,it might take as long (when u start feeding them mealworm) as twice much of the time to correct the problem,and you will need to start soon as now.

I have been feeding him hornworm and he really likes them. I put some hornworm and cricket in a cup that has about a two inch opening and is about 2.5 inch tall. When I mixed them in that small cup then he ate the cricket because he could not target the hornworm with out getting the cricket to. Do you think this is a good idea to get him to start eating crickets and roaches again? Or should I dress the crickets in hornworm costumes? JK

 

[alphakenc]

Remember,cricket without gutloaded vegetables is useless like the mealworm,its all about the proper gutloading feeder,what u feed ur feeder is what ur cham going to be in the health conditions,read up the gutload stuff in the forum,nutrition plays a big roles in the cham health,just like proper right food does to the human body!!

 

[Virgil1972]

I feed my crickets and roaches commercial gutload with vegetables. He is a healthy cham with good poop.

 

[alphakenc]

I also give him meal worms, not at the same time as the crickets, and I put the meal worms in a little dish and he eats them right away.

Then why give him the mealworm at first place??
I wouldnt drink a protein shake n have soda potatoes chips to make my body confuse.

 

[Virgil1972]

The pet store in town ran out of crickets and roaches so I bought a hundred meal worms.

 

[alphakenc]

Then you need to find the solution since the problem are already created,get him back on track with right gutloaded feeders ....
If i eat whooper everyday....i be ending up look like a whooper ,feel like a whooper,and poop like a whooper....maybe end up with tumors...cancer....heart diease.....
Since ur cham cant go out n eat a healthy meal,he is depending on you to feed him the right healthy feeders in order to become your healthy pet,so the choice will be yours to make,no one can feed him but you.