Feeding at random times in the day...

[Tiberius]

I have not fed at a consistent time in the day since I've had my chameleon.
Would it be beneficial to do feed at a specific time every day?

Also, I've heard that most people feed in the morning so they can soak up the uvb rays to help with digestion. So I do try to feed in the morning when I can but that isn't always the case.

 

[carol5208]

I don't think it makes that big of a difference. They are not on any set schedules in the wild I don't think. I mean if it were late afternoon and they saw something to eat would they pass it up if they were hungry?...I don't think so. There have been times when I have not been home and had to feed later in the day and I don't see a problem with it. I just would not be throwing cage in the food at night though. I mean I do agree with feeding earlier so they can bask but I have not had any digestion problems feeding later either is what I am trying to say.

 

[Tiberius]

Olrighty then, thanks Carol.

 

[Solid Snake]

Yeah, I say my chameleons only eat one meal...brunch

I always formally feed in the first half of the day, but if Im outside in the afternoon, and catch a nice juicy grasshopper, I go ahead and feed it then.

 

[ph34r]

wow you throw your cage in the food ? all this time ive been doing it backwards>.> i usually throw a cup with 12-15 crickets in the morning and he usually eats them around 25-45 mins after the lights come on. I also usually will throw a few more in late in the day if hes trolling the cup, ive seen little difference when i give him more feeders so i dont see it really being an issue as long as your not feeding like an hour or so before the lights go off i dont see it being an issue

 

[carol5208]

wow you throw your cage in the food ? all this time ive been doing it backwards>.> i usually throw a cup with 12-15 crickets in the morning and he usually eats them around 25-45 mins after the lights come on. I also usually will throw a few more in late in the day if hes trolling the cup, ive seen little difference when i give him more feeders so i dont see it really being an issue as long as your not feeding like an hour or so before the lights go off i dont see it being an issue

ok very funny smart A$$!! I am glad that you figured out I was doing it wrong!

 

[ph34r]

lmao figured id poke some fun >.>

 

[carol5208]

I know all in good fun! I am just gonna leave it the way I typed it!

 

[xanthoman]

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