Well maybe he'll eat them before too many of them die I'm not putting but a few in there at a time and I'm working with trying to get him 2 eat out of a cricket run or cup or something but the Crickets don't stay in them they jump out and he just kind of looked at it like what's that. so I'm kind of doing both right now
Concrete cricket hides
- Thread starter Rootman
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edtheroach
New Member
I am new to Chameleons and I know everyone says to feed them with a cup of bugs but my girl likes hunting too...so I keep a piece of corkwood at the bottom of the cage, resting against the screen so the leftover insects have a home and can crawl up the screen to gain her attention. I also see her hunting on the bottom of the enclosure but when I catch this awesome behavior, she hisses at me.
So here is the main issue with free feeding... If there is a parasite issue and you are treating with oral antibiotics they can recontaminate themselves by targeting a bug that happens to have walked through old fecal matter containing oocysts. So the cycle repeats itself. Some parasites are much worse than others. Using a feeder run still gives them that feeling of hunting but it contains all feeders. Full throttle and shooting galleries are two that I like and have used. So that if you have to treat for parasites your not dealing with as much re contamination risk.
The other issue... Allowing bugs to live in your enclosure because the cham has not eaten them yet means these bugs are not gutloaded and they are not supplemented. Crickets actively clean their bodies so the supplements are not going to stay long at all on them. We supplement to correct the phosphorus to calcium level of the feeder. So this becomes a very important aspect of husbandry.
The other issue... Allowing bugs to live in your enclosure because the cham has not eaten them yet means these bugs are not gutloaded and they are not supplemented. Crickets actively clean their bodies so the supplements are not going to stay long at all on them. We supplement to correct the phosphorus to calcium level of the feeder. So this becomes a very important aspect of husbandry.
Jpeff
Chameleon Enthusiast
If you new it's not recommended to free range feed. For all the reasons Berman said. There alot of others to. Like crickets are active at night so when you cham sleeps they will in time will bite your cham. Them they get infections need vet and meds to heal. There is also mbd. Search cricket bites on from there plenty of examples for you to read. So even lost parts of tail so it's a risk you shouldn't take
I always free ranged my insects. It gives the chameleons exercise hunting the insects down.
I put a tiny dish of food and calcium in the cage for the insects so that they were fed/gutloaded etc while still alive in the cage....and they only ever bit a chameleon and caused an issue if the chameleon was sick and couldn't kick it off.
There are things to be said for both methods of feeding...just as you'll find with many other things to do with chameleons.
I put a tiny dish of food and calcium in the cage for the insects so that they were fed/gutloaded etc while still alive in the cage....and they only ever bit a chameleon and caused an issue if the chameleon was sick and couldn't kick it off.
There are things to be said for both methods of feeding...just as you'll find with many other things to do with chameleons.
Jpeff
Chameleon Enthusiast
I do to for some of my chams. but wouldn't recommend for newbie. Like my fat parson who now is on diet I always free ranged her. But when I frist get one I want to monitor food intake and everything till there frist vet appointment after that they go free range once poop comes back clean. It is beneficial in ways. I've never had a bite. I also don't really do crickets I do grasshoppers roaches beetles flies and supers every other day. I know alot of great cham keeps that free range. And your right is more natural. That's why when I say most of time at beginning not recommend for newbie out of 4 that I have only one that uses feeder but I just got her and she goes to vet mid July after that she will free range
After dealing with coccidia, I would never free range feeders... When you teach a chameleon to eat a certain way this is what you end up dealing with. Which can be harmful if you have to suddenly switch over to a bowl or a feeder run. They do not pick up on it as quickly and when you are trying to treat for a parasite you need them to eat as much as they are able to. I release flying feeders for exercise but that is the extent of feeders being free in my enclosure.
Okay first off the cups and Cricket runs and such. they do not keep the Crickets in them they jump out so much for keeping all the feeders contained. and as far as the Crickets and stuff being gut loaded and dusted yes I know the dust doesn't last long on them but when you have food in the cage for them to eat that is gut loading food with calcium and vitamins in it for the Crickets to eat then yes they are still gut loaded.
You know if you keep food in the cage for the Crickets to eat that they like they won't be roaming around in the cage looking for other stuff to eat and biting your chameleon. And yes I look in the cage at night with a flashlight to see what the Crickets and night insects are doing and it's not like the cage is full of crickets
Well the issue with the chameleon I have is he is almost grown and he was wild caught so he knows nothing but hunting his food and when you put his food in a cup or Cricket run he ignores it he'll look at it and then go to other way so you people saying you have to have a Cricket Run or something what are you supposed to do let the lizards starve until he figures it out
Jpeff
Chameleon Enthusiast
Movement is what makes them eat. You don't need run or feeder. It's just better for newbie cham keeper. Have u tried full throttle run. Like one in pic. These ones I use for all my new chams. I do free range feed. But use these till they get checked. Now cups takes time for them to learn cause they don't move. These I through in and alway frist day they use.
Don't mind mess in pic
Don't mind mess in pic
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MissSkittles
Chameleon Enthusiast
I use the shooting gallery feeding station which does a great job at containing crickets and other feeders. All of my chameleons have learned that’s where the food is. Sometimes though, a couple don’t notice that I’ve put their bugs in it. Usually I’ll just run my fingertip on the outside screen of the feeding station to catch their attention, which works 9/10 times. My male veiled can be on the opposite side of his double wide enclosure (3+’ away) and picks up on the vibration of running my finger on the screen and he comes running over for food.
As I said the full throttle run or the shooting gallery work very well. It is not a cup. They respond to movement not the chase. So in both of the feeders I mentioned it is like free feeding in the fact that they see movement of the feeder and go eat from it.
In the end it is your choice what you want to do with your wild caught cham. I will leave your thread now. Not really worth my time sharing info about why it is not good or safe if your not open to hearing it or open to options to replace it.
When I started keeping chameleons over 30 years ago, there were no feeder runs...you could use a cup...but the only other option was to free range. That's how I started off and since it worked and because I had food/supplements for the insects in the cage, the chameleons never seemed to get bit, I just carried on that way.
I have one similar to that but the crickets don't stay in there no time before they jump out. He want eat superworms or mealworms he will however eat hornworms I'm looking into other foods for him problem I'm running into is the amount you have to get if you order them and if he want eat them they're no longer food they're just bugs I have to get rid of so I'm looking at pet stores and such to find smaller amounts to try before they're ordered
I will have to look into one of those
Where do you get your food from if you don't mind me asking. The issue with Shrek is that he was wild caught and almost grown when he was caught. And I do keep fresh gut loading Cricket food for the Crickets to eat in the cage which seems to keep them out of the plant. He's picky about what he eats so far crickets and hornworms is all I've been able to get him to eat he doesn't like the superworms or mealworms. So we're working on it
Khrysjam
Member
I don't know how my cham was being fed by the last two owners. I'm assuming free feeding? This might be why she looks at my cup like what the heck is this? I don't want the grasshoppers to escape and be all over the enclosure so I have to search for them at the end of the day. Would the shooting gallery be a better option in terms of keeping them contained? If so, do you have a recommendation. I found one on Amazon but the reviews are iffy.
I really like the large shooting gallery. It worked great when I was transitioning one from free feeding. And for the most part feeders stay in there. I never used it with grasshoppers though.
