Chameleon doesnt eat very much.:(

[cbeal1]

Ok so i have an ambanja chameleon and i have had him for about 3 months. ever since i got him he hasnt been eating as much as i think he should be eating. he only eats like 5 or 6 crickets a day. and he sometimes eats a couple superworms. iv tried waxworm and am still trying the waxworms. iv only seen him eat 2 of them. he eats from my hands sometimes but usually i have to put the cricket on a leave or branch right in front of him. he is very slow, and takes a long time to aim and shoot at the cricket. it just worries me that he eats so little. i want to try silkworms and hornworms. but my problem with that is its like -1 degrees F and nobody guarantees shipping that cold. i would be glad to order some if they would arrive alive. but he drinks all the time and he seems pretty active. im trying to get him to eat from a cup(i have 2 cups in different locations) but he refuses to eat from them. i NEED him to eat from the cup. so any suggestions on how i can get him to eat from the cup would be great. thanks in advance!

Chameleon info
Species- Ambanja Panthers from chameleon keeper. i think he is 5 or 6 months old
Cage- i just moved him from a 18x18x36 to a custom 30x30x66. in the cage is 2 golden pothos, 2 umbrella plants, and 2 ficus trees. all with organic soil. and river rocks to cover the soil. i have 10 or 12 vines in the cage. some twisted together because it looks cool. also have a couple different size dowels in there to.
Supplementing- every feeding with rep-cal calcium W/O D3, 2 times a month with d3 and 2 times a month with herptivite multivitamin.
Lighting- i just got my 24 inch shop light fixture with 2 reptisun 5.0 linear tube lights. and i have a 100watt ceramic heat emitter for heat( basking temp is 85, everywhere else is around 72 to 78
Water- i have a mistking set up and it goes off 5 times throughout the day. i also have a dripper going too.
drainage- pretty simple, i just have some holes in the bottom with a bucket to catch the water.
Feeding- Crickets, superworms, waxworms. Gutloading with spring green mix, blueberries, oranges, apples,carrots.

 

[kinyonga]

Why 2 UVB lights?

Where does it sit in the cage?

 

[cbeal1]

idk, i just bought the shop light fixture and i didnt want just 1 bulb in it. its hanging about 4 to 6 inches above the cage. should i not have 2 in there? could i get a plant grow bulb to replace 1 of them?

 

[carol5208]

you only need one and yes you could put a grow light in there.

 

[cbeal1]

But is it bad to have 2 in there? before i moved him to his new cage he only had one 18" 5.0, and he still didn't eat very much.

 

[Elizadolots]

At 6 months old, 5 crickets a day would be eating really well, as far as I know. At that age they typically slow down and many owners only feed every other day.

 

[carol5208]

At 6 months old, 5 crickets a day would be eating really well, as far as I know. At that age they typically slow down and many owners only feed every other day.

Mine ate atleast a dozen a day at that age, but I guess every chameleon is not exactly the same. As far as the light, it is just not necessary so why waste using two lights?. It is not going to increase his appetite if that is what you are trying to accomplish.

 

[cbeal1]

At 6 months old, 5 crickets a day would be eating really well, as far as I know. At that age they typically slow down and many owners only feed every other day.

thats a rough estimation of age. i asked the seller what his hatch date was and i got no response. he seems small still. i will post a pick of him on my hand. and thats on the higher side of what he would eat.

 

[cbeal1]

Mine ate atleast a dozen a day at that age, but I guess every chameleon is not exactly the same. As far as the light, it is just not necessary so why waste using two lights?. It is not going to increase his appetite if that is what you are trying to accomplish.

I guess your right! ill buy a grow light and save the other reptisun for when its time to change out the other one. does anyone live in a really cold area, and order silkworms and hornworms. i would like to know if they arrive ok. i just see so many people say there chams eat lots of crickets and then i look at how little mine eats and i just get kinda worried.

thanks for your responses everyone!

 

[yoshi9]

I guess your right! ill buy a grow light and save the other reptisun for when its time to change out the other one. does anyone live in a really cold area, and order silkworms and hornworms. i would like to know if they arrive ok. i just see so many people say there chams eat lots of crickets and then i look at how little mine eats and i just get kinda worried.

thanks for your responses everyone!

I know exactly how you feel. It seems like we are doing everything pretty much right but you still never know for sure. I have a veiled not sure on age maybe two or three months, he eats 3 or 4 dubias my guess though is its cause it is the second time I've moved into a bigger cage. Maybe you should get a fecal sample.

 

[melric]

My Veiled's didn't eat from a cup for a while. I switched to using a clear see through cup so they could see them from anywhere. It worked for me.

 

[yoshi9]

My Veiled's didn't eat from a cup for a while. I switched to using a clear see through cup so they could see them from anywhere. It worked for me.

Yup that's what I use theing is I have a auto mister so so I'm nervous the water will flood the dubias if any are left over or take of the powders.

 

[melric]

Make a couple of holes at the bottom or sides so it can drain. Small enough so the roaches don't escape.

 

[cbeal1]

i was worried about that but i just put the cup in a spot that the mist didn't hit.

 

[Jimturner]

How are you offering food? Seems like you want your cham to eat right in front of you.... A timid cham wont be the best eater with a big, possibly predatory mammal looking at it. .. different scenarios work for different chams. A good way to start is just put ONE feeder in the bowl/cup and walk away. Your cham wont be overwhelmed with choices and can aim at a single target. If your cham hand feeds try wiggling a bug above or in your cup/bowl. Once it takes one from whatever source you are on your way. Chams are pretty aware of what is going on in their general area and if they actually SEE the food as food they are most likely to take it, as long as they don't feel threatened in some way. All I am saying is try out a few different techniques and figure out what works best for your individual cham. All of my chams hand feed but it has taken several tries, techniques and bribes/food items to get them started. Avoid eye contact. Hunger is a great motivator. Good luck. Cheers.

 

[cbeal1]

How are you offering food? Seems like you want your cham to eat right in front of you.... A timid cham wont be the best eater with a big, possibly predatory mammal looking at it. .. different scenarios work for different chams. A good way to start is just put ONE feeder in the bowl/cup and walk away. Your cham wont be overwhelmed with choices and can aim at a single target. If your cham hand feeds try wiggling a bug above or in your cup/bowl. Once it takes one from whatever source you are on your way. Chams are pretty aware of what is going on in their general area and if they actually SEE the food as food they are most likely to take it, as long as they don't feel threatened in some way. All I am saying is try out a few different techniques and figure out what works best for your individual cham. All of my chams hand feed but it has taken several tries, techniques and bribes/food items to get them started. Avoid eye contact. Hunger is a great motivator. Good luck. Cheers.

Thank you for the advice i will try that in the morning!

 

[cbeal1]

So does anyone live in a cold area that has ordered some silkies or some hornworms. I would like to know who i should order from in this weather.