feeder cup help needed

[Jewel]

We are trying to train a 5 month old panther to eat from a feeder cup so we can prepare him for a larger cage but he refuses to eat from it. It is about 2 inches deep and is white. We have placed it in different areas of the tank but he still won't use it. We have tried not putting in any loose ones for a few days but he still refuses to eat from it. He has stared at it but won't eat from it. We have tried different amounts in the cup and nothing. We have been trying for a month now. He is one stubborn little guy. Any suggestions on how to get him to use it.

 

[rcagosto]

Try putting it stick or something to get him closer to it, or put his favorite food in it, to try and catch his attention.

 

[Jewel]

I have placed it in several spots in his cage, all within easy reach for him. When I place a silkworm in it he will eat the silkworm only but leave the crickets.

 

[rcagosto]

Does he ignore the crickets when they are loose also, maybe it just might be that he is not interested in crickets right now. Maybe he is in his "silkworm phase", if he is, he might break out of it soon. Try a superworm, or a waxworm. See if he ignores those.

 

[Jewel]

He will eat the crickets when they are loose but won't eat them from the cup. He will only eat the silkworms and wax worms from the cup. I really need to get this figured out so I can put him in the bigger cage because he seems to be getting stressed now in the glass tank, I guess he is getting mature and see's his reflection now. The new cage is 4x2x2 so I know it is to big for him to be able to hunt for his food properly so that is why we are trying to get him use to the feeder cup.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I sound like a broken record but...
http://www.chameleonnews.com/year2003/jan2003/hints/hints.html
Also, have you tried having him in the new enclosure with the feeder cup?
Sometimes a great amount of patience is needed when trying to get them to do this.

-Brad

 

[MWheelock]

I actually don't use a cup. I use a metal dog bowl 8" diameter and @4" deep. Deep enough to keep in bugs but wide enough to seem less restrictive. I kept a little carrot shavings to buffer the tongue blow at first, but dispensed of this practice once I realized that Manga barely touched the bowl with his tongue (pretty accurate.)

When he was in his small cage, I would lay the bowl on the bottom of the cage with a branch hanging over. Now I have a vine that holds the bowl in his big cage. I imagine I could switch to something smaller, but it is easy to clean (can put in the washing machine.)

Good luck,
Matthew

 

[Hannah]

I've recently started using a feeding cup too, and I've noticed that he has good days and bad days with it, which i ususally just attribute to his appetite. He goes through phases regarding what he eats, how he eats, how much, and when. I'm sure that if you put a decent sized feeding cup in the large enclosure, he will get hungry and go for it. Just make sure that he can reach it, and see the food and I think he'll clue in soon enough.