Cup feeding?

[Yessabub]

do you have to cup feed i noticed a lot of people do it ive been just putting it the feeders and letting him hunt them he seems to like that

 

[jannb]

No, you don't have to cup feed. You just don't want to leave crickets in the cage over night because that may eat on your cham while he sleeps.

 

[sandrachameleon]

Agreed. Not necessary to cup feed. More natural NOT to cup feed.

But cup/bowl feeding is sometimes helfpul / expedient, so it doesnt hurt to get the chameleon used to the idea.

Cup feeding allows you to count how much is eaten in a given amount of time, without having to be there watching.

Cup feeding, once the chameleon has associated the cup with food, helps you when introducing a new prey item easilly.

Cup feeding can contain things like roaches or crickets, which you wouldnt want escaping into your house if uneaten, or left to potentially nibble on a sleeping chameleon.

Bugs kept in a cup waiting for their demise can themselves be kept fed more easily (and thus be kept more nutritious) than free-ranged prey.

 

[jesses]

are there any cons for cup feeding?

 

[Chameleon Company]

You just don't want to leave crickets in the cage over night because that may eat on your cham while he sleeps.

.... or left to potentially nibble on a sleeping chameleon.

Providing you minimize the possibility of your chameleon being nibbled on, our experience is that chameleons do better with free-range (loose) bugs, especially when raising younger ones. You can manage/minimize the risk by doing several things:

1) Larger cage, with more climbing-perching opportunities. This reduces cricket-chameleon interactions while the chameleon is sleeping;

2) Some loose crickets (like about a half dozen) vs. a lot of loose crickets (20-30). Again, reducing interactions;

3) A piece of carrot in the bottom of the cage, replaced every 2-3 days. Or something else, such as a collard leaf. Not a replacement for a good gut-load, but a nice alternative to chameleon nibbling.

Crickets become equipped to start to nibble at about 3/8" size.

Cup feeding is safer, but the best thing is to know how to manage all options, then you decide.