Doesn't want to eat from cup.

[brownie64]

I'm used to veiled Cams, and they would eat out of a bottle cut into without a problem. But I just got some Jacksons a month or so back, and I noticed even though they will eventually eat from it they don't like to. I've even seen my male walk right by the bottle look at the cricket and walk by only to turn and snap it up when it luckily or unluckily jumped out and landed on a branch. Is this just something that jax normally do or will they eventually come around? I also noticed they eat smaller amounts throughout the day, where my veiled would dive right in and eat two dozen at one time. Do you have any suggestions as to how I should feed them.

 

[Bush baby]

Yes, Jackson's don't eat very much which is why you have to make sure you gut load and dust adamantly on schedule.

Mine will only eat about 3 medium dubia roaches and 1-2 super worms per week and that's it. I try to feed him more, but he just doesn't seem interested in it.

Their slower metabolism due to the cooler temps they like must influence their appetite.

Mine hardly cup feeds either. I place food in the cup and he'll just stares at it, but as soon as i take that food item and place it on a nearby branch he goes right for it.

 

[Lathis]

Yes, Jackson's don't eat very much which is why you have to make sure you gut load and dust adamantly on schedule.

Mine will only eat about 3 medium dubia roaches and 1-2 super worms per week and that's it. I try to feed him more, but he just doesn't seem interested in it.

Their slower metabolism due to the cooler temps they like must influence their appetite.

Mine hardly cup feeds either. I place food in the cup and he'll just stares at it, but as soon as i take that food item and place it on a nearby branch he goes right for it.

This has been my experience as well. My Jax is pretty small - about 55 grams at a 18 months - and he is definitely not a gobbler like people describe their veileds or panthers. He prefers to snack He will cup feed, but he definitely prefers free range feeders. I usually give him one bug and let a few more loose in the enclosure. It's good enrichment IMO to let him hunt.

My Jax is very sensitive to supplements, too, so pay close attention to your products and schedule.

 

[DeremensisBlue]

Movement appears to be very important to a chameleon's feeding response. A chameleon can sit around a food bowl all day and ignore the bugs inside until you take that food bowl and empty it up against the screen side so that the bugs latch on to the screen and run up. Suddenly they are interesting and get snapped up.

Let's look at this from the other side too. Chameleons don't burn a lot of calories sitting in a cage. We also can fall into the danger of offering a ton of food with little variety. This can produce a situation where a full chameleon is bored looking at the same shaped food that they have been for all its life. In this situation we have to invoke its primal feeding response to get it to snag one more cricket. This isn't necessarily a good thing.

In my experience, cup feeding takes a little getting used to by chameleons, but I have not yet had a chameleon who does not figure it out. But I think chameleons eat when they are hungry and if they are not hungry they eat when their eating response is triggered by something attractive. Something attractive could be different shape, different color (green is a favorite), or is flying.

Which applies to your chameleon? The one way to tell is to weigh your chameleon on a weekly basis. Get a gram scale and chart his weight. If he isn't eating and his weight is not going down then there is nothing to worry about. Chameleons go through periods where they don't eat. If there is consistent or significant weigh loss then you know there is a problem. If the chameleon is losing weight it points to sickness and/or parasites. Chameleons will lose a couple grams one week and go up a handful the next. It is consistent loss over a couple weeks that is concerning. You should see an adult chameleon maintain a consistent level (+/- 5%?) or slightly gain while babies should have a steady gain slowing as they reach adulthood.

And, yes, Jackson's are much more chill about food than Veileds. Veileds tend to have that "every insect I see may be my last meal for a week" type attitude towards food!

Bill

 

[spottea]

Well, that's a relief! Piko hasn't eaten much over the last week, but has lots of bugs in her cage. Of course, she may have eaten some that I just haven't noticed. I bought her some hornworms the other day, to stimulate her interest, placed one on a branch near her, and she just did that jerky head thing. Never ate it, just watched it amble away. LOL! I could scream sometimes, but then when she does eat,,usually a dubia or superworm, I'm so relieved.
She just looks at me, as if to say, 'what? I only just realized I was hungry.'
They are funny aren't they?
This weekend is going to be nice and warm outside, around 80, so I think that should perk up her appetite!

 

[brownie64]

relieved.

Thanks for the info guys, I was concerned they weren't eating write. I love this site!

 

[brownie64]

Figured it out

I solved my cup feeding dilemma. I took a wooden dowel nailed it to the bottom of the cup. I take off the back legs of the crickets, and they can't jump. They still climb up the dowel rod but still can't get out. Zap there goes another cricket works like a charm, and I know exactly how many they are eating. It's all about the movement with these guys.

 

[KatiLemons]

You should think about letting them hunt their food. This allows for good active exercise for them and it keeps them sharp. They will instinctively hunt which is a good thing! I feel like cup feeding chameleons makes them lazy. Unless it is necessary for health reasons.

 

[KWALA]

But free ranging bugs can dig into plant dirt, and crickets can feast on chams at night. I cup feed in a big wide milk jug with mesh.

 

[KatiLemons]

You need to take proper precautions when free ranging food. Such as properly gutloading and hydrating crickets (this would deter any possibly cricket feast) before they are put into the cages, which should be done regardless of free range/cup feeding. You would want to make sure the chameleon isn't too small aswell. An adult chameleon is not going to let bugs eat it unless the crickets are left really high numbers with no gutload at the bottom.

 

[brownie64]

agreed

But free ranging bugs can dig into plant dirt, and crickets can feast on chams at night. I cup feed in a big wide milk jug with mesh.

That's why I insist on cup feeding, I had a male once and it was a full adult, had a chunk ate out of his tail. from that point it was cup feeding for me. Besides there are less chance of them getting out. Nothing worse than that cricket you can't find keeping you up at night.

With this dowel thing it triggers their hunting mode, so it's still hunting just easer for them, and me. I'm also able to better keep track of how much they eat