Feeding Help!!

[Breanna]

Ok so I have a few other posts on trying to feed walter my veiled baby his is about 3 months old right now and when I first got him I couldnt get him to eat.. well now he is eating but he will only eat fruit flies and wont eat from a cup he only wants to eat them free range. well my biggest concern is that fruit flies are not enough for him to eat I put a bunch in there for him several times a day so he always has a ton roaming around in his cage, and it seams like every time I check on him he is always stalking a fly or eating one. I am just worried he is not getting enough to eat! and my second concern is that because he wants to free range them it is very hard to get calcium on them even if I put a very tiny amount of calcium on them they cant really move and just kinda fall to the bottom of his cage where he wont get them! I have tried to but some crickets in his cup but he wont eat them. can I mix some of the calcium powder in with his water just so he gets some calcium? any suggestions would help! I have to order some more fruit flies and was thinking of maybe getting some pin heads or small dubias ( how small are the small dubias are they comparable to small crickets) I think his issues is with size. sorry for the long post but thanks in advance for any help

Chameleon Info:

* Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care? Veiled, male, 3 months, had him for almost a month
* Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon? occasionally when cleaning his cage or taking him outsude
* Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?fruit flies as many as he will eat in a day
* Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?I have rep cal w/ and w/o d3 and herpvits I dust calcium w/o d3 m-f and d3 and vits alternating every other week
* Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?I mist about 3 times a day and have a dripper set up, I dont usually see him drink but his uriates are white
* Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?brown with white uraite with slight yellow near end
* History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.dont have much pervious history


Cage Info:

* Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?screen reptaruim 16x16x30
* Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule? reptiglo 5.0 linear light on at 8 off at 9
* Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?his cage is 80 high and about 75 low not sure what the over nite temp is my house is usually around 78-80[
* Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?peak at 60-70% and when dried out 20%
* Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?live ficus
* Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?no fan or air vent near cage, low traffic area, and the tip of his cage is about 5.5 ft from floor
* Location - Where are you geographically located?Phoenix AZ


Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.His eating habbits

 

[draetish]

Do not put calcium in water. Get some small crickets and try to hand feed him or put just a couple in to free range. If you're feeding him first thing, wait an hour or so and see if he is hunger enough to eat them. You could also order some small silk worms and let them crawl around. Buy a small colony of dubias and pick out the nymphs, they would be small enough for him.

 

[Ocelot357]

You shouldnt have anything to worry about, if hes eating when you check up on him then he should be ok.But you can always get some crickets for him.

 

[hallenhe]

Small crickets (probably what my store sells as "10 day pins"/Ghann's sells as 1/8" crickets) should be fine for him; the smallest Dubias and silks should also be okay. My experience with Dubias was that they were very ready breeders, and you may have a lot that were too big, but could generally find some in the right size range. As far as dusting goes, I've had a lot of luck with dipping a small paintbrush (like you would use for watercolor painting; cheap watercolor sets often come with one or two included) in the dust, then tapping it lightly above the insects; this usually results in a fine powder falling on them and doesn't choke them with vitamins.