i dont think its a huge issue but i agree with ss. imo captive chams dont have the same metabolism, mindset or perfect environment that a wild cham does. imo, a wild cham has a higher metabolism and is likely more easily distracted from food.
cham digestion is dependent upon temps, and ideally, imo, you want a nite temp drop of 10-15*, im not saying you cant have a thriving cham by feeding throughout/later in the day, but ideally i think the earlier part of the day is the healthier choice.
imo, its not good to over feed regardless of schedule, im not a big fan of cricks but as a size/volume reference, i would say 4 or 5 cricks (or equivalent volume of feeders) a day, 4 or 5 days a week , is plenty. i recommend at least one day of food rest per week.
imo, infinitely better to underfeed than over feed. under feeding means a lean hungry cham, which is good within reason, but over feeding can lead to gout, edema, impaction, and a # of other metabolic issues, especially if the diet is off balance, which all captive diets are to some degree. if a cham is being underfed, its something you can always ramp up as needed, but if a cham begins showing metabolic issues related to overfeeding, the damage has likely been done or at least hard to reverse.
all of that being said, i think that issues of hydration, balanced diet and balanced conservative supplementation/gutloading, and food volume, are far more important than feeding schedule. jmo
I am glad that you figured out I was doing it wrong!
