Feeding a reluctant eater
- Thread starter salty dog
- Start date
Matt Vanilla Gorilla
Chameleon Enthusiast
He is beautiful! If you can get him through the next few months he will be fine. Hunger strikes are often brought on by feeding superworms. Completely cut those out of his diet for now (if you are feeding them). Also if you are not doing so only feed him every other day. This helps with hunger strikes. Sometimes what you gutload with can cause hunger strikes too! Experiment a little! Fruits often helps with appetite! The other thing that causes a declining appetite is being dehydrated! Hope this helps!
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Good post matt, never thought much about how gutloading could affect appetite. Mind sharing what you've noticed? Like are there certain gutloads that feeders will eat that make chams reluctant?
James&Monet
Member
Why are hunger strikes caused by super worms? My panther just went through this. He stopped wanting crickets so I introduced flies and superworms. He loved both so I continued to feed him the superworms, with no interest in crickets. Then he stopped eating all together for a week or longer. I cut out everything and just now re introduced crickets. He can't get enough of them!!! Eating upwards of 8 a day! He wont even touch superworms now.
Matt Vanilla Gorilla
Chameleon Enthusiast
It seems like the superworms are quite addicting to most chameleons. Then, once they get bored with them as they do with any other bug, they have hardly any interest in other bugs!
Matt Vanilla Gorilla
Chameleon Enthusiast
It seems like fruity gutload and dusting with bee pollen increases appetite for the chameleons under my care. It also seems that gutloads that gives bugs "a bounce in their step" makes them more attractive/appetizing! It also seems to me that the same stuff that gave my human kids colic (when they were still breastfeeding and mom ate it) affects my chameleon children's appetite negatively too. Chameleons are smart enough to learn what makes them feel yucky it seems!
I believe that a big variety of feeders and interchanging feeders frequently is very helpful too!
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salty dog
Chameleon Enthusiast
Thanks, for some reason he will only crickets, which are gutloaded with mangos, kale, and carrots, last time I fed he didn't eat any. I put dubias, bsfl, silkworms and crickets in his cup every few days,he picks out the crickets.. I gave the hornworm to him for hydration, I give all my chams a hornworm every 3 days and I dust them with whatever I dust with on that peticular day, I have never fed my chams superworms
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