feaces
- Thread starter bradley
- Start date
eisentrauti
Avid Member
That's too much food ! 
20 big crickets should be enough for a week, depending on how big she at the moment is
20 big crickets should be enough for a week, depending on how big she at the moment is
eisentrauti
Avid Member
I'm not a calyptratus keeper but isn't this a bit small for 11 months ?
eisentrauti
Avid Member
That's also too much. They are reptils not mammals !
eisentrauti
Avid Member
that's the complete wrong way ! she need lots of different feeders and good supplementation but not much food ! calyptratus live in semi desert areas, they don't have much to eat there
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Yes, and now ? When you go on with those feeding cyles she would live longer than two years, believe it - or another question: Did you ever heard of an calyptratus which died in captivity because of starvation ?
Nearly all of the calyptratus die because of adiposias
Nearly all of the calyptratus die because of adiposias
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Oh sorry it's pronounced adiposis, that's when the inner organs save the fat which isn't need for their basal metabolic rate
ChameleonAyer
New Member
The chameleons I care for are not the same as yours, but I thought I'd let you know my experience. Moose, a Veiled, defecates rather regularly at about two times per week. He is 1yr old and eats 8 med/large crickets every other day along with occasional treats of fruit and other insects. Adonis, a Ambanja Panther, defecates less often, but is just as healthy. He is 8 or 9 months and eats about the same amount of crickets, sometimes more because he is still growing. I've read before that some owner's chameleons defecate less than that.
Hope it helps! Have a wonderful day!
Hope it helps! Have a wonderful day!
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Puh...English is not my native language, but I try it.
All feeders have a special calories niveau. Some of those worm feeders have much calories, they are fat, crickets are ok, and flies don't have much of them, depends on what their last meal was.
For their normal activites they need not much calories = energy. Because they have not a constant body temperature they need not as much as mammals or birds do.
That's one of the biggest problems in the captivity of reptiles and amphibians: They need much less to eat. Chameleons and other reptils store fat in their organs, like the liver.
When the inner organs are too fat they reach an critical point and the animals die because of it
All feeders have a special calories niveau. Some of those worm feeders have much calories, they are fat, crickets are ok, and flies don't have much of them, depends on what their last meal was.
For their normal activites they need not much calories = energy. Because they have not a constant body temperature they need not as much as mammals or birds do.
That's one of the biggest problems in the captivity of reptiles and amphibians: They need much less to eat. Chameleons and other reptils store fat in their organs, like the liver.
When the inner organs are too fat they reach an critical point and the animals die because of it
moody232002
New Member
My male veiled of 9 months eats on average 3-4 extra large locusts a day(he sometimes misses a day) and defacates once a day(almost to the hour)
i think with females and i'm sure i will get corrected if i am wrong,they need restricting with diet as this has a bearing on the size of their clutches of eggs.
too many large clutches can shorten their lives.
)i think with females and i'm sure i will get corrected if i am wrong,they need restricting with diet as this has a bearing on the size of their clutches of eggs.
too many large clutches can shorten their lives.
eisentrauti
Avid Member
Jup, agree 100% Christine. Just imagine how the animals live in their natural habitat.
eisentrauti
Avid Member
I didn't have kept any calyptratus, but she seems to be gravid - please listen here for the hints from people who have breed this species.
Try to look for more different feeders. For example normal house flies, dubias and other roaches, caterpillars. The crickets are good as a basic feeder but to get a healthy animal you need more different feeders.
Just feed her all 2 days 2-10 feeders, depending on what you give her, for example 2 bigger roaches or 10 flies.
That's really enough. Maybe you can catch some food outdoors when you live more in an rural area, at the summer my chameleons get 60-100 % self catched feeders
Try to look for more different feeders. For example normal house flies, dubias and other roaches, caterpillars. The crickets are good as a basic feeder but to get a healthy animal you need more different feeders.
Just feed her all 2 days 2-10 feeders, depending on what you give her, for example 2 bigger roaches or 10 flies.
That's really enough. Maybe you can catch some food outdoors when you live more in an rural area, at the summer my chameleons get 60-100 % self catched feeders
djfunkshowkid
New Member
Out of curiosity, when chams are in the wild...nobody is there to regulate how much it eats right? So why do we do this in captivity? I mean, of course we're not going to be providing 100 crickets a day or anything...but doesnt the cham know when it is full? I put about 5 crickets and 1 or 2 superworms in Gary's cage per day. I will notice that he might eat both superworms and leave the crickets, or eat 1 worm and a couple crickets...or he just might eat the crickets and leave the worms. I just replace his food supply daily.
My point is....He decides when enough is enough...and doesnt over exert himself and eat everything that is on his plate.
Im not trying to prove anyone wrong here, again....I am very curious by nature and am just wondering why there is a "set amount" of food that is given to all chameleons in captivity. Once again, in the wild...there is nobody there to tell it that it can only eat XX amount of bugs.
I belive that our job as owners are to provide a habitat that closely resembles its own natural environment, by matching light, humidity, UV, etc. But when it comes to food, besides giving supplements, I don't understand why we have to interfeir.
Again, not saying anyone is wrong...im just expressing my opinions. If there is a particular reason, please let me know. Thanks!
My point is....He decides when enough is enough...and doesnt over exert himself and eat everything that is on his plate.
Im not trying to prove anyone wrong here, again....I am very curious by nature and am just wondering why there is a "set amount" of food that is given to all chameleons in captivity. Once again, in the wild...there is nobody there to tell it that it can only eat XX amount of bugs.
I belive that our job as owners are to provide a habitat that closely resembles its own natural environment, by matching light, humidity, UV, etc. But when it comes to food, besides giving supplements, I don't understand why we have to interfeir.
Again, not saying anyone is wrong...im just expressing my opinions. If there is a particular reason, please let me know. Thanks!
Similar threads
