Feeding free range method

[Kushkilla]

Hey so my chameleon isn't eating as much as it should. He is almost four months and I have only had him for four days. He's been eating around five small crickets a day but seems to prefer the wandering ones over cup. Should i just let loose ten or so in the cage when I feed him in the morning? I dot trust the stupid crickets to not hide or drowned. I think I'm worrying about him too much which is causing too much of me goin in his cage which is stressing him out.

 

[VEILED89]

i was doin the same thing when i first got mine just let him do his thing he'll eat when he wants

 

[Kushkilla]

Would u recommend me just putting them in the cage an letting him go at it and hope he doesn't leave many? Or should I cup feed and wait until he does it again hopefully tomorrow or I'm going to worry until he eats again

 

[EvilLost]

no don't let them free...it WORKS but its a pain in the ass to clean them up or to make sure they were eaten (they hide really well)


the best method to solve your problem is to get a LARGER feeding bin.


many people can successfully "cup feed" but I have found MUCH greater success with "bin feeding". I basically use a medium size tupperware container and I place it "under" the branches (so the chams sit on the branch above the container and can easily shoot down)


The bin I use is ~16" long x 10" across x 6" deep. For periods when I go on vacation, I can get away with putting more crickets in there with crick crack+water gel and they will have food for a sustained period of time (but I don't recommend doing that regularly as its impossible to monitor how much they are eating)

 

[ryanra22]

I'm by no means an expert, but I'd say it's definitely ok and sometimes even preferred to let the crickets lose in your chameleon enclosure as hunting can be beneficial exercise for the cham.

I would just check later on at night to make sure there still weren't crickets in there overnight with your Cham

 

[Kushkilla]

Right now I'm using a large deli cup with black plastic glued to bottom to help crickets stand out against black. He seemed to like it a little the other day and didn't want anything to do with it today. I will keep trying I hope he eats tomorrow. I'm goin to keep out of his cage besides feeding for the next few days to avoid unnecessary stress. I would be so sad if anything happened to him do if anyone has advice or went through this advice would be appreciated for his sake

 

[gratefulj]

It depends on the CHAM really.. My guy thought "cup or bin feeding" was boring lol. He only recently started eating out of a cup when I hold it close to him(he still only does this for a "treat"). He LIVES for free range hunting, he thrives on watching and picking out his "victims". I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND free ranging. It has multiple benefits(muscular exercise, critical thinking and analyzing, best of all it's how they do it in the wild! ....whereas IMHO, I think cup feeding has far less benefits for your CHAM. Try free ranging, as long as they're not black crix they won't bother your guy, just within reason of course, don't unleash a cricket zombie apocalypse on him with like 30 cricks. I have found that if I get up in the morning throw in 10 to 20 cricks he will have them gone by the end of the day 90% of the time. I feed my guy til he's not interested, it's good for their growing bodies and minds

PS.. My guys about yours age at 4 1/2 months

 

[Kushkilla]

I just tried to drip water in front of him with a small dripper and as soon as it got near him he showed his bars and flees

 

[williamsrx]

It depends on the CHAM really.. My guy thought "cup or bin feeding" was boring lol. He only recently started eating out of a cup when I hold it close to him(he still only does this for a "treat"). He LIVES for free range hunting, he thrives on watching and picking out his "victims". I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND free ranging. It has multiple benefits(muscular exercise, critical thinking and analyzing, best of all it's how they do it in the wild! ....whereas IMHO, I think cup feeding has far less benefits for your CHAM. Try free ranging, as long as they're not black crix they won't bother your guy, just within reason of course, don't unleash a cricket zombie apocalypse on him with like 30 cricks. I have found that if I get up in the morning throw in 10 to 20 cricks he will have them gone by the end of the day 90% of the time. I feed my guy til he's not interested, it's good for their growing bodies and minds

PS.. My guys about yours age at 4 1/2 months

I have 2 3 month old Nosy Be's and I know it's a leap of faith but they really won't let themselves starve at that age so they'll go find their crickets if you put them in there somewhere. They have all day in there with nothing to do but hunt if they're hungry, which is what they would do in nature, only a meal wouldn't be guaranteed in nature like it is for them.

I have limited experience, but it seems to me that cup feeding benefits the owner more than the chameleon, in the form of peace of mind. The chameleons probably don't care, as long as someone is feeding them.

 

[Solid Snake]

What I did:

I recieved my panther at 3 months of age.
I kept him in a smaller sized enclosure for the first week I had him.
I fed him 2-3 crickets by hand,(when hed let me) and released 10 or so in his cage each day. He always ate them all.
He then moved to a 3x3x5 enclosure, that wasnt escape proof.
Releasing his meal wasnt really applicable then.
So I just hand fed him everything.
This could take up to 30min though
He free ranges now, and while I place alot of his feeders within eyesite and let him hunt them down, I still hand feed.

My advice:
Pick a feeding method and stick with it. There are pluses and minuses to all options. Just pick the one that is best for your situation.
If cup feeding is best, just stick with it. If the chameleon knows where the food is, it will eat eventually. If he continuosly has to get his food from the cup, he will get used to it, and it will become normal for him.