crickets

[plant bootlegg]

so i have been feeding my fischer's chameleon crickets, and he didn't show any interest in mealworms, so what else could i try and feed him? its likely boring to just eat crickets all the time. also, he never seems interested in the dusted crickets, so could i put the liquid calcium supplement i have into his waterfall? i left 6 crickets in a 2 litre pop bottle feeder thing i made when i left this morning and they were all still here when i got home from work today. he eats the crickets when i just hold the breeder box they are in under the leaf he sits on, but also he only really eats 2 or 3 then wanders off. should he be eating more? he seems healthy and poops with urate at least twice a day, so i'm not terribly concerned, but i would still like advice from people with experience.

 

[carol5208]

how old is your chameleon? Also, do you have another way to hydrate him besides a waterfall? They are breeding grounds for bacteria.What if he poops in it and you are not there to remove it and then he drinks the water? Why not use a dripper instead. You are probably going to get more negative comments on the waterfall. I cannot personally answer your question about the calcium but how would you know what was enough or not enough?. As far as the feeders, you can feed silkworms, hornworms, locusts, dubias roaches, phoenix worms, wax worms which are some good feeders. One of the poorest choices of feeders are meal worms. They have hardly any meat and are all hard shell which is not the easiest to digest. So I would steer away from those if your cham is tired of eating crickets. As far as how many he eats, it really depends on his age. They slow down their eating habits as they get older and you do not even need to feed them every day when they are older.

 

[plant bootlegg]

he has had at least one day where he did not eat any crickets. i will be putting a dripper in when i decide on the new cage for him, and will set the waterfall up in a place that he can not be above(to avoid the poop problem) when i got him the store told me he is a juvenile, but from what i have read and his size i think he is full grown, so beyond the 6 month mark. as for secondary hydration i mist with warm water on a window plant when he is out in it, and i also mist his cage in the morning right before i turn his lights on and a few minutes after i turn on his heat. i also mist it once in the middle of the evening with him in it about an hour before i turn out the lights. i mist with warm water for about a minute, and he seems to hate it but also licks up the water when i stop spraying

 

[carol5208]

If he is an adult then they definitely slow down their eating and you could offer him food him every other day. Mine just hates crickets and refuses to eat them now for about 2 months. I give him super worms and silks at the moment. I have some wax worms also but have not tried them yet and if I do it wont be many. I just tried to reintroduce crickets again to him this week and he would have no part of it! As far as the waterfall, if you insist on having it then you better make sure you clean it everyday so no algae of anykind or bacteria breeds in there, not just from poop! You have to be careful!!!

 

[VeiledOwner87]

i now have 5 months keeping kinyonga multituberculate in captivity, no where near some of the other keepers, but keep in mind that those keepers most likely now have and have been captivating CB K. Multi. what you have is 99% most likely WC, and with WC's are complications other than condition and parasites. They are fussy eaters with not the biggest appetite. My guy hates silkworms and eats a hornworm on occassion. He does like crickets but doesnt eat many at a time. He loves superworms, wax worms, meals and i fed him his first dubia roach today.

I advise that you try and not get frusturated with seeing all of the food in the feeding dish/cup/jug. this is very unfamiliar with WC species, as they hunt for their food in the wild. They also seem to not like a population of bigger insects like crickets, supers and roaches in one confined area. Thomas will just stare at the insects all day, and the moment i let one loose, he'll go for it. also, on the note of being picky eaters, in the wild where the come from in tanzania, they dont have some of the feeder insects that the trade offers, such as hornworms and silkworms, but will eat grubs since our grubs look like that of where they come from. this is a hint on why they dont like some foods we offer.
all i can say is be patient, offer a variety, and wait it out. it will probably take a long time to cup feed train him, but to ensure he eats, just free range. 4 crickets at a time or one worm at a time. he may not even want to eat with you watching him.

on the note about the waterfall, like the other guy said, its a breeding ground for bacteria. its a big NO NO here in the forums. yes, i admit, they look esthetically awsome, but its not worth the risks of the animals health. im actually upset that these companies market (safe and easy to use, quick clean up, great filtration) when these products offer nothing. anyways, 3-4 mistings a day for F. Multi is good. their humidity can go down to 50% in the day, but needs to be relatively higher at night. they drink alot, and for montane species, hydration and water is very important to them. a ZooMed "Big" or "Little" dripper is the absolute best thing you can purchase along with your mistings. or if you get crafty, you can make your own dripper with a container, an aquarium air nozzel, and some air tubing. just do a search to see how its done. or just save yourself the time and buy a dripper. i realy do not think it is necessary to put liquid calcium in his water, unless he isnt eating at all. and follow the free range guy, he WILL eat. you can however, declorinize your water with aquarium solution or zoomeds reptisafe (SAME STUFF IN IT) just make sure that you have electrolytes in the solution.

anything will work, and your two-horned will get the jists of things. how long have you had him for? if it is recent, then he is most likeley still acclimating, and will be for the next little while. my guy STILL is uncomfortable with my presence.

but i hope this post helps you out, and i appologize for my very long reply. best of luck

- Phil

 

[VeiledOwner87]

lol i posted before reading the rest of the thread. oh well, hopefully you can appriciate the elaboration lol

 

[plant bootlegg]

i distill the water i use for him, both in the mister and in the waterfall. the waterfall thing claimed some science that it was made of something that would not develop algae and bacteria. i'm not saying i believe it, i mostly just like the asthetic. i made him a plastic cup dripper with a cup underneath for the basin. seems to be working. i have had my guy for about a week now, but he does not seem to have much of a problem with us. he freely climbs out of his enclosure and up my arm. then hangs out on my shoulder when i pace around. any time i put my hand in front of him he climbs on it. i think he trusts me, but i could be wrong.


ALSO!! do not worry about the extended elaboration. i have kept a veiled before, but the care was different. so i have no issue with getting information from people with experience with the species, or even just more experience with chameleons in general.